Ashen

Ashen is a software stack for storing and on attack rapidly wiping secure keys in a physically secure hardware security module built from a Raspberry Pi. Ashen monitors security sensors like switches, tamper-sensing meshes or light sensors, and when it detects an attack, it wipes all secret keys within ten milliseconds. Ashen fills a gap in the open-source landscape and makes it possible to hobbyists and small NGOs to build secure computers that have "active" tamper response, something that so far only expensive commercial systems do.

Ashen has been selected for Class 02 of Protottype Fund. Work on Ashen will start on June 01, 2026 and stretch until end of November, 2026. All project results will be linked here.