Engineers propose a built-in security measure that would better protect computer chip hardware from hackers.

Purdue University engineers have demonstrated a way to disguise which transistor is which by building them out of a sheet-like material called black phosphorus. This built-in security measure would prevent hackers from getting enough information about the circuit to reverse engineer it.

The findings appear in a paper published Monday (Dec. 7) in Nature Electronics.

Reverse engineering chips is a common practice — both for hackers and companies investigating intellectual property infringement. Researchers also are developing x-ray imaging techniques that wouldn’t require actually touching a chip to reverse engineer it.

The approach that Purdue researchers have demonstrated would increase security on a more fundamental level. How chip manufacturers choose to make this transistor design compatible with their processes would determine the availability of this level of security.

A chip computes using millions of transistors in a circuit. When a voltage is applied, two distinct types of transistors — an N type and a P type — perform a computation. Replicating the chip would begin with identifying these transistors.

Story Source: Materials provided by Purdue University. Original written by Kayla Wiles. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.