VLDB 2026 Research / reviewers in the wild / expert
Chongyao Xu
dblp:275/4267
· DBLP profile ↗
8ranked-venue papers
5as first author
5since 2021 · last 2026
0000-0001-7210-2661ORCID · corroborated
Domains — the database's venue-derived domains; a paper can count in several
Systems, architecture and hardware · 5 · 2 first-author · 2 since 2021Security and privacy · 2 · 2 first-author · 2 since 2021Computer networks · 1 · 1 first-author · 1 since 2021
| Year | Publication | Venue | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | A Metastability-Based Reconfigurable TRNG Featuring Online Test and Auto-Calibration
Chongyao Xu, Zhangming Zhu |
ISCAS | 1 |
| 2024 | Fully Symmetrical Obfuscated Interconnection and Weak-PUF-Assisted Challenge Obfuscation Strong PUFs Against Machine-Learning Modeling AttacksabstractIn this paper, we propose a fully symmetrical obfuscated-interconnection PUF (SOI PUF), which containsndelay stages with each stage having 4kobfuscated interconnections for resisting machine learning (ML)-based modeling attacks. All the delay stages contribute tokPUF primitives while achieving a 20× increase in the number of possible interconnections with the same hardware resources over similar prior arts. The SOI PUF mathematical model also theoretically demonstrates the large number of nonlinear matrix multiplications for resisting ML-based modeling attacks. We further exploit parallel weak PUF cells and propose the challenge-obfuscated SOI PUF (cSOI PUF), which can effectively prevent adversaries from bypassing unknown interconnections through reverse engineering (RE) attacks. The proposed SOI PUF and cSOI PUFs are evaluated by both software simulation and FPGA measurements. Without requiring a largekas in the existing PUF architectures, the simulation results demonstrate that the proposed SOI and cSOI PUFs can achieve a ~50% prediction accuracy fork≥ 3, even when facing ML attacks using 5-hidden-layer Artificial Neural Network (ANN) with 40M training CRPs. Furthermore, the proposed (64,2/4/6/8)-SOI PUF and (64,2/4/6/8)-cSOI PUF implemented using Xilinx Artix-7 FPGA can both achieve a measured reliability and uniformity of >94% and ~50%, respectively. Depending on the value ofk, the uniqueness ranges from 29.1% to 42.7% for SOI PUFs, and further improves to ~50% for cSOI PUFs. The resilience against Reliability-based modeling attacks, Probably Approximately Correct (PAC) attacks and Reverse-Engineering-based modeling attacks will also be discussed. Chongyao Xu, Litao Zhang, Pui-In Mak, Rui Paulo Martins, Man Kay Law |
IEEE Trans. Inf. Forensics Secur. | 1 |
| 2023 | Modeling-Attack-Resistant Strong PUF Exploiting Stagewise Obfuscated Interconnections With Improved ReliabilityabstractThis article presents an obfuscated-interconnection physical unclonable function (OIPUF) to resist modeling attacks. By introducing nonlinear operations through exploiting the random interconnections of delay stages, the proposed OIPUF can theoretically improve the physical unclonable function (PUF) security while consuming the same hardware resources as the conventional XOR arbiter PUF (XOR APUF). We further propose the metastability-detection (MD) arbiter to effectively improve the PUF reliability. Implemented on Xilinx Artix-7 field-programmable gate array, both the proposed (64,4)- and (64,8)-OIPUF demonstrate a good reliability and uniformity, with the proposed (64,8)-OIPUF showing a better uniqueness and strict avalanche criterion (SAC) performance. Measurement results also show that the proposed MD arbiter can reduce the bit error rate (BER) of the (64,4)- and (64,8)-OIPUF by$\geq 68\times $and$\geq 48\times $at up to 100 °C, respectively. Evaluated using the logistic regression (LR), artificial neural network (ANN), and covariance matrix adaptation-evolution strategy (CMA-ES) machine learning (ML) algorithms, the proposed (64,4)- and (64,8)-OIPUF can achieve a worst case prediction accuracy of 61.47% and 50.59% with up to 10M challenge–response pairs as training set, respectively, demonstrating a significant improvement over similar prior arts. Chongyao Xu, Litao Zhang, Man Kay Law, Xiaojin Zhao, Pui-In Mak, Rui Paulo Martins |
IEEE Internet Things J. | 1 |
| 2023 | Transfer-Path-Based Hardware-Reuse Strong PUF Achieving Modeling Attack Resilience With200 Million Training CRPsabstractThis paper presents a hardware-reuse strong physical unclonable function (PUF) based on the intrinsic transfer paths (TPs) of a conventional digital multiplier to achieve a strong modeling attack resilience. With the multiplier input employed as the PUF challenge and the path delay as the entropy source, all the possible valid propagation paths from distinct input/output pairs can serve as PUF primitives. We can quantize the path delay using a time-to-digital converter (TDC), and select the suitable TDC output bits as the PUF response. We further propose a lightweight dynamic obfuscation algorithm (DOA) and a secure mutual authentication protocol to counteract modeling attacks. The proposed strong PUF using a 32×32 multiplier as implemented in the Xilinx ZYNQ-7000 SoC features a total of 2048 intrinsic PUF primitives, while achieving a response stream (RS) with an average of 1024 responses per TDC output bit per challenge. WithBit(5) andBit(6) of the TDC output selected for PUF response generation, they demonstrate a measured reliability and uniqueness of up to 98.31% and 49.34%, respectively, with their excellent randomness performance as validated by the NIST SP800-22 tests. Under machine learning (ML)-based modeling attack with artificial neural network (ANN), the measured prediction accuracy of bothBit(5) andBit(6) can still be maintained at ~50% with a total of >200 million CRPs as the training set. Chongyao Xu, Jieyun Zhang, Man Kay Law, Xiaojin Zhao, Pui-In Mak, Rui Paulo Martins |
IEEE Trans. Inf. Forensics Secur. | 1 |
| 2022 | A 4T/Cell Amplifier-Chain-Based XOR PUF With Strong Machine Learning Attack ResilienceabstractThis paper presents an amplifier-chain-based XOR physical unclonable function (AC-XOR PUF), with the process- and/or bias-dependent voltage and amplification information of two identical amplifier chains serving as the entropy sources. The current-biased PUF cell using only 4 NMOS transistors achieves a small area with reduced temperature and supply sensitivity. Optimization on both the stage gain and stage number can reduce the input-referred noise (IRN) and improve the PUF reliability. We further employ an XOR gate to process the amplifier-chain outputs for the final response to improve the energy efficiency and uniqueness. The process- and bias-dependent stage amplification and the nonlinear amplifier-chain multiplication, which can significantly increase the number of modeling parameters and introduce a complex decision boundary respectively, can effectively resist machine learning (ML) modeling attacks. Fabricated in standard 65nm CMOS, the proposed AC-XOR PUF occupies an active area of$6845\mu \text{m}^{2}$. Without discarding any challenge-response pairs (CRPs), this work features a measured worst case bit error rate (BER) of 5.70% across$1.06\sim 1.55V$and$- 30\sim 125^{\circ }\text{C}$, while demonstrating a reliability (intra-die HD) and uniqueness (inter-die HD) of 0.58% and 49.92%, respectively. It also achieves a ML prediction accuracy of 50.72% using$80\times 80\times 80$artificial neural network (ANN) with 1M CPRs as training set. Jieyun Zhang, Chongyao Xu, Man Kay Law, Yang Jiang 0002, Xiaojin Zhao, Pui-In Mak, Rui Paulo Martins |
IEEE Trans. Circuits Syst. I Regul. Pap. | 2 |
| 2020 | An N × N Multiplier-Based Multi-Bit Strong PUF using Path Delay ExtractionabstractThis paper presents a digital N × N multiplier-based multi-bit strong physical unclonable function (PUF), which utilize the intrinsic path delay of the multiplier to achieve an approximated 1 : 2N2average challenge-to-response extraction to effectively increase the number of PUF responses. The PUF Extractor triggers the digital multiplier, and further processes the multiplier intrinsic path delay through a time-to-digital converter (TDC). Implemented with Xilinx Artix-7 FPGAs using the automatic place and route function, the proposed strong PUF demonstrates a 64-bit challenge with 32-bit multipliers with an extra level of unpredictability for counterfeiting model-based machine learning attack. With an average of 1:2048 responses per challenge, measurement results show that the uniqueness is 53.16%, and the stability of up to 95.54%, respectively. Chongyao Xu, Jieyun Zhang, Man Kay Law, Xiaojin Zhao, Pui-In Mak, Rui Paulo Martins |
ISCAS | 1 |
| 2020 | A 6.4pJ/Bit Strong Physical Unclonable Function Based on Multiple-Stage Amplifier ChainabstractIn this paper, we present a novel multiple-stage amplifier chain based strong physical unclonable function (PUF) with low power and energy consumption. Based on the proposed two-dimensional subthreshold amplifier array, 12 different amplifiers can be selected through the analog multiplexer at each column. As a result, a 12-stage amplifier chain can be formed by applying different challenges to the aforesaid analog multiplexers with a linear feedback shift register (LFSR). Due to the inevitable process variation, the output voltage of the amplifier chain's last stage varies depending on the various combinations of the selected amplifiers, whose number features an exponential relationship with the size of the adopted amplifier array. By using 65nm standard CMOS process, the proposed strong PUF implementation is validated with high reliability and randomness. According to our extensive simulation results, the averaged bit error rate (BER) per 10°C and BER per 0.1V are calculated to be 3.15% and 3.85% for the operating temperature range of -20°C~120°C and supply voltage range of 0.9V~1.4V, respectively. Meanwhile, the proposed strong PUF's high randomness is also verified by passing both the NIST and auto-correlation function (ACF) test suites. Moreover, featuring an excellent uniqueness of 49.54%, the overall power consumption is simulated to be 0.128μW at the throughput of 0.02Mb/s, which corresponds to an energy consumption as low as 6.4pJ/bit. Jieyun Zhang, Xiaojin Zhao, Man Kay Law, Chongyao Xu, Jiahao Liu 0003, Pui-In Mak, Rui Paulo Martins |
ISCAS | 4 |
| 2020 | The Software/Hardware Co-Design and Implementation of SM2/3/4 Encryption/Decryption and Digital Signature SystemabstractThe security of smart devices is facing great challenges. This article presents a new hybrid cipher framework suitable for such devices. Using software/hardware (SW/HW) co-design method, an efficient encryption/decryption and digital signature scheme based on SM2, SM3, and SM4 algorithms is implemented. First, the framework is partitioned into software and hardware parts based on the analysis result of a pure software solution and the hardware overhead under the conditions of design constraints. Second, the flow of the whole scheme and embedded algorithms are realized by SW/HW co-design. Finally, an improved implementation of SM2/3/4 algorithms is proposed to achieve higher efficiency. In this implementation, some SW/HW modules are parallelized to reduce the running time and enhance the performance. The proposed design is safe and can resist simple power analysis (SPA) attacks. Especially, the AHB bus interface IP and software scheduling approach are adopted in data transfer and manipulation. The design is taped-out on a silicon chip with SMIC 110-nm technology process. The chip uses about 199K logic gates and 1-mm2areas. The operating frequency of the design is 36 MHz and the chip consumes 23-mW power. The comparison with similar previous works shows our proposed design is more efficient with speed increasing of more than 10%. Xin Zheng 0001, Chongyao Xu, Xianghong Hu 0001, Yun Zhang 0001, Xiaoming Xiong |
IEEE Trans. Comput. Aided Des. Integr. Circuits Syst. | 2 |