Hardware device to physical structure binding and authentication

A method for cryptographically fingerprinting a binding of a hardware device and a physical structure, the method comprising:

• generating an internal physically unclonable function (“PUF”) value using an internal PUF circuit disposed within the hardware device;
• receiving an external PUF value from the physical structure, wherein the physical structure includes an external PUF circuit disposed in or on the physical structure, the external PUF circuit coupled to output an external PUF value associated with the physical structure;
• generating a binding PUF value using the internal PUF and the external PUF;
• seeding a cryptographic function based on the binding PUF value;
• generating a cryptographic key from the cryptographic function;
• and
• storing the cryptographic key associated with a binding identifier of the binding of the hardware device and the physical structure as a binding fingerprint for future use by a challenger to authenticate the binding of the hardware device and the physical structure using a cryptographic challenge and response.

A method for cryptographically authenticating a binding of a hardware device and a physical structure, the method comprising:

• retrieving a binding identifier of the binding of the hardware device and the physical structure, wherein the physical structure includes an external physically unclonable function (“PUF”) circuit disposed in or on the physical structure, the external PUF circuit coupled to output an external PUF value associated with the physical structure;
• using the binding identifier to retrieve a binding fingerprint for the binding of the hardware device and the physical structure, the binding fingerprint including a cryptographic key, wherein the binding fingerprint is based upon a binding PUF value generated by a combination of an internal PUF circuit disposed within the hardware device and the external PUF value associated with the physical structure;
• and
• authenticating the binding of the hardware device and the physical structure using the cryptographic key.