Self-Destructing Chips: Researchers Unveil Techniques to Thwart Sophisticated Cyberattacks

Submitted ⁨⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨Squire1039@lemm.ee⁩ to ⁨technology@lemmy.world⁩

https://www.techradar.com/pro/self-destruct-chips-could-help-combat-a-criminal-plague-that-costs-businesses-billions-every-year-new-technique-could-mitigate-counterfeiting-through-electromigration

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.

youtu.be/PeKW0stTThk

source

Comments

Sort:hotnew top

ThrowawaySobriquet@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Posit: Self-destructing chips to protect infosec and enforce digital sovereignty

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

source
- SlopppyEngineer@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  HP is probably first. Don’t pay the subscription for theirprinting, self destruct printer and inkt cartridges.
  
  source
  - CaptPretentious@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    Roku seems like a good contender too from the sound of it. Probably all ‘smart’ TVs
    
    source
- pineapplepizza@lemm.ee ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Warning: Piracy detected… Please view this advertisement to continue… Please drink verification to avoid lock.
  
  source
- captainastronaut@seattlelunarsociety.org ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  This is exactly what it would be used for.
  
  source
- maynarkh@feddit.nl ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Your next Xbox is going to have “military grade hardware built in”.
  
  source
4am@lemm.ee ⁨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.

source
- wizardbeard@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨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 be reverse engineering nowadays vs corporate espionage or leaks of internal design docs.
  
  source
  - Car@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨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.
    
    source
stoy@lemmy.zip ⁨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

source
FunkPhenomenon@lemmy.zip ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
eh… good idea in theory, bad idea in practice.

source
- cmnybo@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨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.
  
  source
FiskFisk33@startrek.website ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
sounds like it closes a data theft vector but opens one hell of a ddos vector in its place.

source
- rottingleaf@lemmy.zip ⁨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.
  
  source
- kelvie@lemmy.ca ⁨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.
  
  source
  - FiskFisk33@startrek.website ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.
    
    source
Treczoks@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
There are already self destructing harddisks. They are used in military systems and have a thermite package.

source
- JudahBenHur@lemm.ee ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  what is this, that tanks game forum
  
  source
  - agitatedpotato@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    No way to prevent this, says only forum where this regularly happens.
    
    source
cholesterol@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Now that there is an old Dell Inspiron. I had one with that shell ca. 2006.

source
rottingleaf@lemmy.zip ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
I think this wasn’t new and there were such things for military use already?..

source