CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application Nos. 10-2018-0136043 and 10-2019-0045135, respectively filed on Nov. 7, 2018 and Apr. 17, 2019, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

Computer security, cybersecurity, and information technology security refer to computer system protection methods to prevent theft and damage to hardware, software, or any type of electronic data. Various techniques have been used to achieve computer security. For example, challenge-response authentication functions provide a challenge to an object or apparatus which will then be required to provide an authentication response prior to gaining access to a computer system. Password authentication is an example of a challenge-response authentication function where the challenge part of the function is asking for the password, and the response is the correct password.

As demand for computer security increases, the need for functions that provide secure means of authentication also increases.

SUMMARY

The inventive concept relates to an integrated circuit for a challenge-response physically unclonable function (PUF) and a method of using the integrated circuit, and more particularly, to an integrated circuit which provides a structure in which the PUF is used for challenge-response authentication and a method of using the integrated circuit.

According to an aspect of the inventive concept, an integrated circuit for a challenge-response physically unclonable function (PUF) includes a PUF block configured to output an internal response corresponding to a challenge that requests the response, wherein the response comprises n bits where n is an integer greater than 1; and a response generator configured to compare a Hamming weight of the internal response and output the response by comparing the Hamming weight with at least one reference.

According to another aspect of the inventive concept, an integrated circuit for a challenge-response physically unclonable function (PUF), the integrated circuit includes: a PUF block configured to output an internal response that has n bits and varies according to a challenge that requests a response where n is an integer great than 1; and a response generator configured to output the response based on the internal response by counting a bit unit which has a particular value corresponding to at least one bit and comparing a result of the counting with at least one reference.

According to another aspect of the inventive concept, a challenge-response authentication method using an integrated circuit including a physically unclonable function (PUF) includes: generating a first challenge; providing the first challenge to the integrated circuit; obtaining, from the integrated circuit, a first response corresponding to the first challenge; and evaluating the first response based on a first Hamming weight of an n-bit first internal response generated by the integrated circuit in response to the first challenge.

According to another aspect of the inventive concept, a method of authentication is described. The method may include receiving a challenge; generating an internal response to the challenge based on a PUF; counting a number of bits in the internal response having a predetermined value; comparing a result of the counting to a first reference value; and generating a response the challenge based at least in part on a result of the comparison.

