"Silkworm Security? Researchers Create New Authentication Method Using Silk Fibers"

Researchers at the South Korean Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) have developed a new way to improve digital security, which involves using silk as a security key. In a paper titled, "Revisiting silk: a lens-free optical physical unclonable function," published in the academic journal, Nature Communications, they propose using the properties of silk to create Physical Unclonable Functions (PUFs). According to the team, PUFs can serve as physical security keys for digital services that cannot be duplicated or cloned. Hardware security keys provide a physical security barrier for online services. For example, Google recommends that account holders considered more 'at risk' of attacks use a hardware-based key to prevent compromise by requiring another authentication level. The GIST researchers say future sustainable and eco-friendly authentication keys could be developed by taking advantage of the natural, microscopic differences in fiber that could be used to create unique hardware PUFs. The researchers used fibers obtained from Bombyx mori silkworms to test this theory. In order to create a security tag pattern, they used an image sensor, a light-reflecting mirror, and three light-emitting diodes to capture light patterns reflected off the silk. The silk-based PUF provides a self-focusing, low-cost, and eco-friendly feature without depending on pre-/post-processing for creating a security tag. These patterns were converted into a digital format held in 15 silk "ID cards." A reader could then extract an authentication code from the ID cards. In the case of a basic brute-force attack, the time calculated for bypassing authentication was reported as 5 x 10(41) years. This article continues to discuss GIST's proposal and development of their novel silk-based digital security device.

ZDNet reports "Silkworm Security? Researchers Create New Authentication Method Using Silk Fibers"