Electronically
stimulating an atomically random system, represented above by a key,
produces a unique
pattern that can be used for authentication or identification
purposes whilst
being fundamentally unclonable.
(November 13, 2015) Scientists
have discovered a way to authenticate or identify any object by generating an
unbreakable ID based on atoms.
The technology, which is being patented at Lancaster
University and commercialised through the spin-out company Quantum Base, uses
next-generation nanomaterials to enable the unique identification of any
product with guaranteed security.
The research published today in Nature’s Scientific Reports
uses atomic-scale imperfections that are impossible to clone as they comprise
the unmanipulable building blocks of matter.
First author Jonathan Roberts, a Lancaster University
Physics PhD student of the EPSRC NOWNANO Doctoral Training Centre, said: “The invention involves the creation of
devices with unique identities on a nano-scale employing state-of-art quantum
technology. Each device we’ve made is unique,
100% secure and impossible to copy or clone.”
Current authentication solutions such as anti-counterfeit
tags or password-protection base their security on replication difficulty, or
on secrecy, and are renowned for being insecure and relatively easy to forge.
For example, current anti-counterfeiting technology such as holograms can be
imitated, and passwords can be stolen, hacked and intercepted.
The ground-breaking atomic-scale devices do not require
passwords, and are impervious to cloning, making them the most secure system
ever made. Coupled with the fact that they can be incorporated into any
material makes them an ideal candidate to replace existing authentication
technologies.
journal reference (Open Access) >>