Improving the Robustness of Ring Oscillator TRNGs

Abstract

A ring oscillator-based true-random number generator design (Rings design) was introduced in Sunar et al. [2007]. The design was rigorously analyzed under a simple mathematical model and its performance characteristics were established. In this article we focus on the practical aspects of the Rings design on a reconfigurable logic platform and determine their implications on the earlier analysis framework. We make recommendations for avoiding pitfalls in real-life implementations by considering ring interaction, transistor-level effects, narrow signal rejection, transmission line attenuation, and sampler bias. Furthermore, we present experimental results showing that changing operating conditions such as the power supply voltage or the operating temperature may affect the output quality when the signal is subsampled. Hence, an attacker may shift the operating point via a simple noninvasive influence and easily bias the TRNG output. Finally, we propose modifications to the design which significantly improve its robustness against attacks, alleviate implementation-related problems, and simultaneously improve its area, throughput, and power performance.