A Trustworthy Key Generation Prototype Based on DDR3 PUF for Wireless Sensor Networks

In wireless sensor security systems, the security key of sensor node is usually stored in the non-volatile memory. By capturing the nodes, it is possible for attackers to perform a physical invasive attack to extract the key illegally. Physical unclonable function (PUF) has its innate immunity to physical invasive attacks, which can effectively generate keys from manufacturing variability of a device. The feasibility of DRAM PUF based on DDR3 memory is studied in the paper though theory analysis and experiments. A prototype of key extraction based on DRAM PUF is proposed. As DRAM is widely used as memory device in WSN nodes, the generation of DRAM PUF keys need no extra hardware, which making it applicable for compact WSN circuits.