Centauri Introduces Unique Equipment Printing with Rough Electrical Exposure

Scientists from the University of California at Davis have developed a new method for identifying devices using the well-known technique of Rowhammer in RAM.

Rowhammer is a method of inducing errors in modern DRAM chips by electrically manipulating certain memory cells.

Researchers have discovered that Rowhammer can be used to create unique and unchangeable signatures for devices, even if they have the same hardware and software configurations. They named their method “centauri”.

Device identification typically involves cataloging various characteristics of the hardware and software. Each characteristic, such as screen resolution or memory capacity, adds a bit of entropy. With enough bits of entropy, a unique identifier can be generated with high probability among a specific set of devices.

When identifying a device using Rowhammer, the electrical reaction of the RAM and the distribution of inverted bits are unique for each memory module. This can be used to identify individual modules or entire devices.

The researchers tested Centauri on 98 DIMM memory modules from two manufacturers and achieved an accuracy of 99.91% in about three minutes. Accelerated identification is possible within ten seconds but with some loss of accuracy.

While the scientists’ approach has potential for fraud detection, they acknowledge some drawbacks. Identified devices can be disabled, impacting the operating system’s functionality. Regular use may also contribute to memory module wear.

To mitigate these issues, researchers suggest that operating system manufacturers ensure that the memory allocated by the OS is physically separate from other applications. Additionally, experiments with a smaller number of bit flips have shown promising results in reducing problems, albeit with decreased accuracy. The use of other identification techniques alongside centauri is encouraged, particularly for rare and special cases.