Secure hardware signature and related methods and applications

An integrated circuit, comprising:

• an array of circuits, each of the circuits representing a common electronic design, the array of circuits to provide a physically-unclonable function (PUF);
• circuitry to measure the PUF at respective times and to produce sets of digital data, the sets respectively representing the measurements at the respective times;
• circuitry to apply a one-way mathematical function to the sets of digital data to create respective sets of results;
• circuitry to store a checkpoint dependent on one of the sets of results;
• and
• circuitry to
• receive one of the sets of digital data representing a new measurement of the PUF,
• iteratively modify the set of digital data representing the new measurement of the PUF and provide the set of digital data, as modified, as an input to the one-way mathematical function, until comparison based on one of the sets of results corresponding to the iterative modification with the checkpoint yields a match with the checkpoint, and
• recover a key dependent the set of digital data representing the new measurement and a modification which yielded the match.

An apparatus adapted for use with a circuitry of an integrated circuit, wherein the integrated circuit comprises an array of circuits, each of the circuits representing a common electronic design, the array of circuits to provide a physically-unclonable function (PUF), the apparatus comprising instructions on a non-transitory storage medium, the instructions, when executed, to cause the circuitry of the integrated circuit to:

• measure the PUF at respective times and to produce sets of digital data that respectively representing the measurements at the respective times;
• apply a one-way mathematical function to the sets of digital data to create respective sets of results;
• store a checkpoint dependent on one of the sets of results;
• receive one of the sets of digital data representing a new measurement of the PUF;
• iteratively modify the set of digital data representing the new measurement of the PUF and provide the set of digital data, as modified, as an input to the one-way mathematical function, until comparison based on the one of the sets of results corresponding to the iterative modification yields a match with the checkpoint;
• and
• recover a key dependent the set of digital data representing the new measurement and a modification which yielded the match.

A method of operating circuitry of an integrated circuit, wherein the integrated circuit comprises an array of circuits, each of the circuits of the array representing a common electronic design, the array of circuits to provide a physically-unclonable function (PUF), the method comprising:

• measuring the PUF at respective times and to produce sets of digital data that respectively representing the measurements at the respective times;
• applying a one-way mathematical function to the sets of digital data to create respective sets of results;
• storing a checkpoint dependent on one of the sets of results;
• receiving one of the sets of digital data representing a new measurement of the PUF;
• iteratively modifying the set of digital data representing the new measurement of the PUF and provide the set of digital data, as modified, as an input to the one-way mathematical function, until comparison based on the one of the sets of results corresponding to the iterative modification yields a match with the checkpoint;
• and
• recovering a key dependent the set of digital data representing the new measurement and a modification which yielded the match.