Unhackable chip 
Unhackable chip
Staff at New York University of Abu Dhabi, claim to have created a 'unhackable' chip although this could well be claimed on a weekly basis. The most recent claim is that the chip is armed with a secret key that could make it virtually impossible to access and would only function for authorised users.
Ozgur Sinanoglu, NYUAD’s associate dean of engineering for academic affairs and head of the university’s Design for Excellence lab, has claimed to have produced the first working prototype of a chip that has security features protecting it from hardware-level attacks- rather than software - threats. “Without the secret key, the chips cannot be made functional,” he said. “The functionality of chip - what it does, how it does it - can only be known if the secret key is used.”
Ozgur has previously pointed out that malicious computer components - so-called Trojans - could be physically installed in factories or manufacturing labs. Thus allowing a back door giving unfettered access to devices.
A patent application has been filed at the US Patent Office. The researchers are creating a web-based platform to make information about the chip available to the public.
“These are all theoretically proven points and we will present this at a top cyber security conference, but we need to test our claims practically as well," said Mr Sinanoglu.
Mr Sinanoglu has claimed he will ask researchers to act as hackers and retrieve the secret key of his chip or reveal the exact functionality of his chip design based on this information. Obviously the many White-Hat communities will be pleased that the New York University of Abu Dhabi will create a web-based platform to make all information about this chip available to them and the public.
