As a possible solution to the growing problem of data breaches and hacking attacks against computer systems, Xerox PARC engineers have created a chip which can self-destruct upon a user's command, similar to the self-destructing messages made popular by the Mission Impossible movie franchise.
The self-destructing chip, which was developed as a part of the vanishing programmable resources project of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency or DARPA, can be utilized to contain sensitive data including encryption keys. The chip can then be sent a command to break apart into thousands of small pieces, making reconstruction of the computer component impossible.
The chip, which was demonstrated at the Wait, What? Event of DARPA in St. Louis, presents what could be a groundbreaking tool for cybersecurity.
PARC senior scientist Gregory Whiting said that the team that developed the chip looked to create a system which was both rapid and compatible with the current commercial electronics products.
The product is a chip that is based on Corning's Gorilla Glass technology, which is a strong kind of glass that is utilized in the screens of several flagship devices in the smartphone industry.
According to Whiting, the glass is subjected to ion-exchange tempering to add heavy stress. This stress is what causes the glass to break into thousands of small pieces, and in the demonstration, the glass was caused to chatter through heat.
The demonstration showed a small resistor heating up the glass to cause it to shatter. A photo-diode triggered the self-destruction, as it turned on the circuit upon a bright light shining on it. The light came from a laser in the demonstration, but the trigger for the self-destruction could be changed into other things such as a radio signal or a mechanical switch.
Even after the initial breaking, the stress would stay in the glass pieces, with the pieces continuing to break into smaller fragments even after tens of seconds.
The self-destructing chip would be an excellent computer security tool, as the chip fabricated on the special glass can be used to contain sensitive data. In case the data is in danger of being compromised through a data breach, the chip can be destroyed to prevent the data from being acquired by hackers. The destruction of the chip can also be part of a routine process, to ensure that confidential information, once received, will be safely disposed.
