Julie Heynssens

Dr. Julie Heynssens

Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

7Years (2020-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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18 June 2020 in Cryptography
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
Bertrand CambouBertrand Cambou
Bertrand Cambou
MGMike Gowanlock
Mike Gowanlock
JHJulie Heynssens
Julie Heynssens
Saloni JainSaloni Jain
Saloni Jain
CPChristopher Philabaum
Christopher Philabaum
LNLaurent Njilla
Laurent Njilla
Blockchain technology is a game-changing, enhancing security for the supply chain of smart additive manufacturing. Blockchain enables the tracking and recording of the history of each transaction in a ledger stored in the cloud that cannot be altered, and when blockchain is combined with digital signatures, it verifies the identity of the participants with its non-repudiation capabilities. One of the weaknesses of blockchain is the difficulty of preventing malicious participants from gaining access to public–private key pairs. Groups of opponents often interact freely with the network, and this is a security concern when cloud-based methods manage the key pairs. Therefore, we are proposing end-to-end security schemes by both inserting tamper-resistant devices in the hardware of the peripheral devices and using ternary cryptography. The tamper-resistant devices, which are designed with nanomaterials, act as Physical Unclonable Functions to generate secret cryptographic keys. One-time use public–private key pairs are generated for each transaction. In addition, the cryptographic scheme incorporates a third logic state to mitigate man-in-the-middle attacks. The generation of these public–private key pairs is compatible with post quantum cryptography. The third scheme we are proposing is the use of noise injection techniques used with high-performance computing to increase the security of the system. We present prototypes to demonstrate the feasibility of these schemes and to quantify the relevant parameters. We conclude by presenting the value of blockchains to secure the logistics of additive manufacturing operations.

6 July 2022 in Cryptography
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
BRBrit Riggs
Brit Riggs
MPMichael Partridge
Michael Partridge
Bertrand CambouBertrand Cambou
Bertrand Cambou
IBIan Burke
Ian Burke
MRManuel Antonio Aguilar Rios
Manuel Antonio Aguilar Rios
DGDina Ghanaimiandoab
Dina Ghanaimiandoab
This work details the theory and implementation of a multi-wavelength quantum key distribution (QKD) emulation system with a physical unclonable function (PUF). Multi-wavelength QKD can eliminate the need to share a subsection of the final key for eavesdropper detection and allow for ternary and quaternary data transmission. The inclusion of the PUF adds an additional layer of security. We provide preliminary error analysis of our emulation system. To support this work, we introduce a bitwise transform operator that enables binary output of the PUF to satisfy the ternary and quaternary input requirements of the QKD system.

Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
MGMichael Logan Garrett
Michael Logan Garrett
MAMahafujul Alam
Mahafujul Alam
MPMichael Partridge
Michael Partridge
JHJulie Heynssens
Julie Heynssens
This work proposes a lightweight biometric key-binding scheme that adapts a PUF-style challenge–response mechanism to face geometry: a two-factor password and session nonce generate random challenge points, Gray-coded Euclidean distances to facial landmarks form responses, and a random key is bound by discarding selected positions so only a reduced subset, the nonce, and a key hash are stored. At authentication, a fresh response set is compared to the subset with a Hamming-distance tolerance, and bounded local search corrects residual errors; each successful session rotates the nonce and refreshes the ephemeral key. We frame this as a conceptual exploration of an interpretable, on-device, controlled-capture design niche—a per-session nonce-driven cancelable biometric key-binding mechanism—and we quantify the resulting security–usability trade-offs. Empirically, the scheme works under stable capture conditions with carefully tuned thresholds, and it is naturally suited to tightly controlled deployments (e.g., access kiosks) where it can also incorporate user-driven micro-gestures as an extra behavioral factor. While the construction is fragile under broader variability and leans on the second factor for security, it offers an alternative to existing mechanisms and a clear niche, and we present it as a conceptual exploration showing how CRP mechanisms can inform cancelable biometrics with per-session revocability.