Molecules for security measures: from keypad locks to advanced communication protocols

The idea of using molecules in the context of information security has sparked the interest of researchers from many scientific disciplines. This is clearly manifested in the diversity of the molecular platforms and the analytical techniques used for this purpose, some of which we highlight in this...

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Published inChemical Society reviews Vol. 47; no. 7; pp. 2266 - 2279
Main Authors Andréasson, J, Pischel, U
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England Royal Society of Chemistry 2018
Subjects
Authentication
Cryptography
Cybersecurity
Data transmission
Electronic devices
Keypads
Locks
Security management
Steganography
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Summary:The idea of using molecules in the context of information security has sparked the interest of researchers from many scientific disciplines. This is clearly manifested in the diversity of the molecular platforms and the analytical techniques used for this purpose, some of which we highlight in this Tutorial Review. Moreover, those molecular systems can be used to emulate a broad spectrum of security measures. For a long time, molecular keypad locks enjoyed a clear preference and the review starts off with a description of how these devices developed. In the last few years, however, the field has evolved into something larger. Examples include more complex authentication protocols (multi-factor authentication and one-time passwords), the recognition of erroneous procedures in data transmission (parity devices), as well as steganographic and cryptographic protection. Complex schemes in information security can be performed using molecular and supramolecular constructs. The progress in this research field over the last ten years is summarized in this Tutorial Review. Examples include keypad locks, parity devices, steganography, encryption/decryption and authentication protocols.
Bibliography:Uwe Pischel (1973) obtained his PhD from the University of Basel in 2001. He spent time as a postdoctoral researcher at the Technical University of Valencia and then moved to the University of Porto to start his own research group. Since 2007 he has been working at the University of Huelva, where he is currently an Associate Professor in Organic Chemistry, holding as well the National Habilitation as a Full Professor (2015). He was awarded with the Grammaticakis-Neumann Prize of the Swiss Chemical Society in 2013. His main research interests are focused on molecular logic, supramolecular host-guest chemistry in water, and fluorescent probes for biomedical applications.
Joakim Andréasson (1973) was awarded his PhD by the Chalmers University of Technology in 2002. He spent two years as a postdoctoral research fellow at Arizona State University and then returned to Chalmers starting his independent research group, supported by the award of an ERC Starting Grant (2007). Currently he is a Full Professor. His main research interests are related to the design of molecular photoswitches and their use in molecular logic and photopharmacology.
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ISSN:0306-0012
1460-4744
1460-4744
DOI:10.1039/c7cs00287d