Hardware-based Computer Security Techniques to Defeat Hackers: From Biometrics to Quantum Cryptography

INTRODUCTION

Since ancient times, mankind has had a need to communicate with complete privacy and authenticity. Signatures, trusted couriers, secret passwords, and sealing wax were all elements of early systems that sought to authenticate or otherwise protect messages between two parties. As wars between nations became fiercer, the need for secure communication increased. Over time we have witnessed the development of increasingly complex ciphers, cryptography, and even the introduction of the Enigma machine.

With the advent of electronic computers, there has been an explosion of activity in the creation of new cryptographic algorithms. Many of these systems required the use of random numbers in some aspect of their operation, but John von Neumann, who is regarded as the father of computer science, strongly cautioned people against the use of any form of software algorithm to generate random numbers (see Chapter 1, page 12 of this book). Von Neumann recognized that only a physical process can produce a truly random, unpredictable number. The output of a mathematical algorithm, by its very nature, can be predicted if the algorithm is returned to the initial condition of a previous time. Moreover, as explained in Chapter 3, there are fundamental concerns with the distribution or sharing of keys. Against this setting, the exponential growth of processing power has enhanced the ability of hackers to break algorithms and keys. So how do we move security forward?

Hardware devices can ...