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The geobacter side-channel attack:
when nanotechnology meets chips
Jean-Jacques Quisquater
UCL Crypto Group
Université catholique de Louvain
[email protected]
http://uclcrypto.org
August 16, 2005
Rump session Crypto
Geobacter – rump session CR ‘05
Jean-Jacques Quisquater
“Today's crypto systems must
resist attack by tomorrow's
computers.
Nanotechnology explores the limits
of what we can make.”
Ralph Merkle, 15 August 2005
(IACR Distinguished Lecture, CRYPTO).
Geobacter – rump session CR ‘05
Jean-Jacques Quisquater
Geobacter?
See http://www.geobacter.org/ or
(copyrighted photos are coming from there)
June 23, 2005 issue of Nature
(Derek Lovley et al., UMass)
The first Geobacter species was isolated from the
Potomac River, just down stream from Washington
D.C. in 1987.
It uses metals, rather than oxygen, for respiration.
The bacteria has now surprised the researchers with
its ability to build conducting nanowires.
Geobacter – rump session CR ‘05
Jean-Jacques Quisquater
Geobacter produces pilin-like filaments that
function as nanowires to transfer electrons
outside the cell onto insoluble electron
acceptors, such as iron minerals and possibly
electrodes. The filaments, which are only 3-5
nanometers in width (more than 10,000 times
finer than a human hair), can extend more
than 20 micrometers in length (more than 10
times the length of the cell).
The potential to biologically mass-produce
fine, long conductive filaments may have
applications in the development of
nanoelectronic devices, sensors, and
microbially based fuel cells.
Geobacter – rump session CR ‘05
Jean-Jacques Quisquater
Introducing the next tool for
microbial microprobing
Geobacter – rump session CR ‘05
Jean-Jacques Quisquater
Introducing the next tool for
microbial microprobing!
Geobacter – rump session CR ‘05
Jean-Jacques Quisquater
Conclusion
Geobacter – rump session CR ‘05
Jean-Jacques Quisquater