Creating a Second Factor Authentication Token
Blog posts showing the process of what I’m doing.
First, some definitions: Aperture- define thickness of traces, size, and shape of pads. Macros- AM parameters. These define complex shapes for registration marks, logos, lettering, and other special design geometry. PCB- a printed circuit board. Now, what is a Gerber file? Basically, a Gerber file is a standard file format used in electronics. It’s kind …
Today I learned all about the many different methods of pad repair! After watching a couple videos, I came to the realization that basically, people do whatever they can to make the pad work again. YouTube Videos Watched: “PCB Solder Pad Repair & Corrosion Clean Up- the Epoxy Method”- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vx50YtEC2S8 “Silver Conductive Pen- DIY PCB Trace …
Today I attempted to remove the faulty parts from our finished PCBs. This proved to be a lot harder to do without tearing off a pad than expected. Every technique I tried would rip at least 1 pad off of the LED’s spot. The capacitor on the other hand, was smooth sailing every time. To …
Today we worked on the continuity problem we’re having with the finished U2F tokens. After much discussion and looking at the token’s wire diagrams, it was decided that we should try taking parts out of the circuit to test the continuity. This meant that I had to learn how to desolder surface mount components- a …
In May, we decided to figure out the world of online security and try to build our own second-factor authentication token. I started learning anything and everything I thought could help me in this quest, and thus, decided to look into what’s already on the market. I decided to look on Amazon, and document the …
Both yesterday and today marked the most exciting days of my co-op so far- I finally got to put my U2F tokens together! After figuring out the reflow oven (a set-up walk through will be in another blog post), and building a stencil, it was finally time to put everything together. First, I watched …
Today I worked on the blog, helped rearrange the office, opened up all our beautiful PCBs (https://blog.redkeyu2f.com/2018/07/05/u2f-token-building-the-pcbs-arrive/), and started learning about reflow ovens. Now that all our parts are here, we have to learn how to properly use our toaster oven to solder our boards. Apparently there’s quite a bit of technique to this- good …
Today our package from http://dirtypcbs.com/store/pcbs arrived! We ordered a +/- 10 protopack of a design we knew should work, as well as a protopack that I had updated the Gerber files on and resubmitted. We had NO idea if these would turn out at all, but they look perfect. Here’s the package the 22 PCBs came in …
We found all the parts needed to build a simple U2F security token thanks to Github. Here’s the link: https://github.com/conorpp/u2f-zero/wiki/Parts-List Basically there are 8 components per token. All should be surface mount parts. Here’s what you need: PART MANUFACTURER PART NUMBER PRICE PER WHERE TO FIND Microcontroller EFM8UB11F16G-C-QSOP24 $1.38 https://www.digikey.com/ Secure Element (Authentication chip) ATECC508A-SSHDA-B $0.75 …
What’s in a name? Apparently a lot. In an increasingly consumeristic world a good name can make or break a sale. A good brand name needs to be short and memorable. Like Apple, Microsoft, and Twitter- sometimes less is more. On June 18th, I sat down with my employers for over an hour of brainstorming. …