Physically Assuring Networking Protocols with PUFs

We present the novel concept of a physically assured unclonable networking protocol based on physical unclonable functions (PUF) in which peer protocol machines of a networking protocol, together with the protocol data units (PDU) that they exchange, are continuously physically authenticated jointly over time. A method is presented to realize these physical authentications for networking protocols in general. The method is based on extending the hitherto developed PUF-based ‘CRP Ratchet’ protocol - for creating unclonable links - to additionally entangle protocol PDUs with PUF input challenges so as to realize a physically unclonable protocol (PUP). Architectures are presented to employ PUP either as a protocol layer shim in the data path of PDUs, or as an adjunct process running concurrently in a protocol layer.