Monitoring of a local environment using a physical unclonable function

A local environment monitoring arrangement, comprising:

• one or more transmitters configured to provide as a challenge, an electromagnetic challenge signal to the local environment, the challenge signal having a corresponding set of predetermined signal parameters, and the local environment being in a reference state or a surveillance state, which induces a channel impulse response to be determined for the given challenge signal;
• one or more transceivers configured to, in response to a reception of the challenge signal, to determine signal data of the received challenge signal, and to generate and transmit a modified challenge signal with a respective set of modified signal parameters that depend on the signal data of the received challenge signal;
• one or more receivers configured to receive the modified challenge signal;
• a signal processor connected at least to the one or more transmitters and to the one or more receivers and configured:
• to determine the channel impulse response for the challenge signal using the received modified challenge signal
• to store the determined channel impulse response in pairwise association with the respective challenge signal;
• to compare a currently determined channel impulse response with that channel impulse response stored, both obtained using an identical challenge;
• and
• upon determining a deviation beyond a predetermined threshold amount between the stored channel impulse response and the currently determined channel impulse response, both associated to an identical challenge, to provide a modification signal indicative of a modification of the local environment between the reference state and the surveillance state.

A computer program comprising computer-executable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium that, when executed by a processor of a local environment monitoring arrangement, cause the processor of the local environment monitoring arrangement to carry out a method for assessing a physical unclonable function using a response of a local environment to electromagnetic challenge signals, the method comprising:

• a transmitter providing, as a challenge, an electromagnetic challenge signal to the local environment, the challenge signal being provided with a corresponding set of predetermined signal parameters, and the local environment being in a reference state;
• a transceiver, in response to receiving the challenge signal and determining signal data of the received challenge signal, generating and transmitting a modified challenge signal with a respective set of modified signal parameters that depend on the signal data of the received challenge signal;
• a receiver receiving the modified challenge signal;
• a signal processor determining, for association with the challenge signal, a channel impulse response using the received modified challenge signal;
• and
• the signal processor storing the determined channel impulse response in pairwise association with the respective challenge signal.