Chaos Communication Chemistry: DNA security systems based on molecular randomness

Nucleic acids have been theorized as potential data storage and computation platforms since the mid-20th century. In the meantime, notable advances have been made in implementing such systems, combining academic research with industry efforts. More recently, this research has also started to branch into cryptography. In addition to giving a general introduction to this interdisciplinary field, this talk zooms in on the example of chemical unclonable functions (CUFs) based on randomly generated, synthetic DNA sequences. Similar to Physical Unclonable Functions (PUFs), these DNA-based systems contain vast random elements that cannot be reconstructed – neither algorithmically nor synthetically. Using biochemical processing, we can operate these systems in a fashion comparable to cryptographic hash functions, enabling new authentication protocols. After covering the basics, we delve into the advantages, as well as the drawbacks, of DNA as a medium. Finally, we explore how CUFs could in the future be implemented as physical security architectures: For example, in anti-counterfeiting of medicines or as personal signatures for artworks. Finally, in a broader sense, this talk aims to inspire a reconsideration of entropy and randomness in the experimental sciences through a lens long familiar to computer scientists: not as mere noise, but as a resource. In doing so, it provides examples of how looking at physical systems through an information perspective can unravel new synergies.