Can Chip Fingerprinting Secure IoT Devices Against Malware?

Researchers in Japan (Mitsubishi Electric, Ritsumeikan University, and the Japan Science and Technology Agency) developed a method to uniquely identify IoT processor chips by measuring subtle, manufacturing-induced signal variations and combining responses to produce 128-bit (and potentially up to 4,096-bit) device IDs; the technique can serve as a hardware-based identity/private key to improve IoT security and prevent malware propagation, and Mitsubishi planned deployment in its products starting April 2016.