[11749] in cryptography@c2.net mail archive
Re: unforgeable optical tokens?
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Steven M. Bellovin)
Tue Sep 24 15:52:28 2002
From: "Steven M. Bellovin" <smb@research.att.com>
To: eli+@cs.cmu.edu
Cc: crypto list <cryptography@wasabisystems.com>
Date: Tue, 24 Sep 2002 15:31:46 -0400
In message <20020921063415.6F76030752@lion.ninthwonder.com>, eli+@zimbs4.srv.cs
.cmu.edu writes:
>Perry E. Metzger wrote:
>> An idea from some folks at MIT apparently where a physical token
>> consisting of a bunch of spheres embedded in epoxy is used as an
>> access device by shining a laser through it.
>
>I can't dig up the memory, but I think I heard of a similar idea --
>random structure in transparent solid, difficult to copy -- used in
>some kind of tag or seal for nuclear security. Can anyone remind me
>what this might have been?
>
A fair number of years ago, I saw something like this proposed for
non-proliferation seals on nuclear reactors. The scheme then (I
believe I saw it in Science News) was that International Atomic Engergy
Agency inspectors would use a length of randomly-twisted multi-strand
fiber optic cable and use it to seal a door that they opened to verify
that the reactor in question wasn't being used to build weapons. They
then shine a light in one end, and photograph the other. When they
come back, the repeat the photographic process, so that they can see if
anyone has removed their seal -- say, to get at the irradiated,
plutonium-containing fuel rods.
--Steve Bellovin, http://www.research.att.com/~smb (me)
http://www.wilyhacker.com ("Firewalls" book)
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