'CubeAuthn' turns a Rubik's Cube into a physical key for digital authentication like a passkey

Introducing ' CubeAuthn ,' which uses a Bluetooth-enabled Rubik's Cube to generate public and private passkey keys, converting the Rubik's Cube into a WebAuthn- compatible physical key.

From Puzzle to Passkey: Physical Authentication Through Rubik's Cube Scrambles | IEEE Conference Publication | IEEE Xplore
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11280260

GitHub - Acorn221/CubeAuthn: Rubiks cube based passkeys
https://github.com/Acorn221/CubeAuthn

'CubeAuthn' is a physical key that uses the 43 trillion possible combinations of blocks in a Rubik's Cube for authentication. It is built with ' Plasmo ,' a React framework for creating browser extensions, and a Chrome extension is also available.

CubeAuthn - Chrome Web Store
https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/cubeauthn/koncigmbjmoapojihipbpfnmgkhmdlfl

It supports WebAuthn and FIDO2 and works with any website that supports passkeys.

In addition, private keys are generated on demand and are never stored, so there is no risk of keys being extracted through side-channel attacks , ensuring complete security.

You can see how authentication is actually performed using 'CubeAuthn' in the video below.

CubeAuthn Demo - YouTube


The source code for CubeAuthn is also available on GitHub. However, at the time of writing, CubeAuthn is still considered a proof-of-concept and has several issues that prevent it from being used in practice.

GitHub - Acorn221/CubeAuthn: Rubiks cube based passkeys
https://github.com/Acorn221/CubeAuthn

The creator of 'CubeAuthn' posted on a social message board 'I don't have much experience with cryptography, but I had some free time, so I created CubeAuthn,' he said.

Internet users praised the work, saying, 'This is a good example of the kind of research that's just trying to see if it's possible. It doesn't have to be practical. I don't think the author intended this to be a practical security product. Sometimes just playing around can lead to great insights.' Others offered advice , saying, 'Why not just scan a specific cube with a webcam? It seems like it would be 'easy' to tell if you looked at all six sides, and there are surely libraries out there that can read cubes.'

At the time of writing, CubeAuthn only supports the smart cube GAN 356 i3 . The GAN 356 i3 is a competitive smart cube that is also available on Amazon.co.jp for 9,149 yen (tax included).

Amazon | GAN 356 i3 Official Competition Smart Cube, Magnet Included, Stickerless GanCube - 3x3 Magnetic Cube, Easy to Turn, Magic Cube (Compatible with CubeStation App) | 3D Puzzles | Toys