'Self-destruct' chips could help combat a criminal plague that costs businesses billions every year — new technique could mitigate counterfeiting through electromigration
www.techradar.com
If compromised the chips can commit circuit suicide

Researchers presented new techniques to fight sophisticated hacking at a tech conference. Here are the highlights:

Self-destruct chips:

  • A team from Vermont and Marvell created chips with unique fingerprints that can destroy themselves (through increased voltage) if tampered with. This prevents both counterfeiting and unauthorized access to information.
  • Probe detection: Columbia and Intel researchers developed a circuit that detects probes attached to a circuit board, preventing hackers from gaining physical control of a system.
  • Signal Obscuring: Researchers from Texas and Intel created a method to hide a chip’s power and electromagnetic signals, making it harder for attackers to steal information.

These innovations could improve chip security and save businesses billions from chip counterfeiting.

Comments

NGL. After I saw “Self-destruct chips”, I was just overwhelmed by Mission Impossible theme song.

https://youtu.be/PeKW0stTThk

  • ThrowawaySobriquet@lemmy.worldEnglish
    84·
    8 months ago

    Posit: Self-destructing chips to protect infosec and enforce digital sovereignty

    Practice: Self-destructing chips to protect copyright and enforce EULA

  • 4am@lemm.eeEnglish
    38·
    8 months ago

    “Billions lost to counterfeit chips” yeah all those garage fabs cranking out fake 4090s are the REAL problem in the market

    This will be used for enforcing subscriptions on enterprise gear, I promise.

    • wizardbeard@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
      18·
      8 months ago

      If these aren’t too costly to implement and game consoles continue to use specialized hardware, this could be used to seriously hamper attempts at reverse engineering for modchips and similar things.

      It also could be disasterous for right to repair, and against hobbists keeping old hardware running by using third party modifications decades after the end of a product’s life.

      I’d also question how much of chip design “piracy” is actually done by reverse engineering nowadays vs corporate espionage or leaks of internal design docs.

      • Car@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
        3·
        8 months ago

        Reverse engineering of hardware is quickly becoming too complex for non-machine-assisted workflows. I’d imagine this type of destructive chip really only makes sense cryptology modules, but unless a designer can also manufacture the chip in-house or otherwise guarantee against supply chain attacks, this is a half measure.

  • stoy@lemmy.zipEnglish
    28·
    8 months ago

    Sooo, efuses?

    If this is implemented it is only a matter of time before it is used by hackers to hold the hardware of a company/government hostage with new ransomwares

    • rottingleaf@lemmy.zipEnglish
      2·
      8 months ago

      Of a permanent DoS, like frying a chip remotely. Things which were urban legends in my childhood are being made reality.

      I don’t think greed’s the problem, it’s necessary for survival of a society. But like many other necessary things it should be contained, and right now it really isn’t.

    • kelvie@lemmy.caEnglish
      2·
      8 months ago

      Still, having this option can’t be a bad thing. Ultimately it’s an engineer (or PM I suppose) that decides to use this chip based on the product requirements.

      Sometimes you want to fail closed, or purposefully fail catastrophically if some constraints aren’t met.

    • cmnybo@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
      3·
      8 months ago

      It can be used for good things like making ATM pin pads even more tamper resistant, but I guarantee it will be prevent people from repairing any hardware they “buy” instead.

  • Treczoks@lemmy.worldEnglish
    4·
    8 months ago

    There are already self destructing harddisks. They are used in military systems and have a thermite package.