Douglas, thanks for your engaging article. I am not sure, however, whether it is a vote of confidence in the APDN technology that is currently available, or a preference for the PUF technology under development. You had mentioned you were going to meet with the Applied DNA Science team with regard to costs and timetable, any news there? By the way, I understand APDN is working with the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering in an effort to intergrate their DNA tech within computer chips, here's a link to the video/press release FYI..http://cnse.albany.edu/Newsroom/NewsReleases/Details/12-01-17/UAlbany_NanoCollege_Applied_DNA_Sciences_Partner_on_Nanochip_Anti-Counterfeiting_Program.aspx Thanks again!
Opeters
I believe what really nails the security for Applied is that they also manipulate the plant DNA with an integrated marker so it is more than just the raw DNA. I think it is their secret process which locks down the security. The PUF solution is not an add-on process in the marking stage because the bit train is already intrinsic to the device. The sequence is picked up before packaging and recorded instantaneously for electronic verification via a secure server access. While DNA marking cost is virtually negligent, it is the cost of post-scanner verification/authentication via lab testing that may be not practical for small companies. Also, remember the other trade-off, PUFs are limited to semiconductors with latches or SRAMs and therefore, currently device application is limited. In the end, I think we might see hybrid security measures using multiple technologies across the supply chain.
In my opinion, all these new technologies are going to be expensive for encryption at the manufacturers end and decryption at the buyer end.
If such advanced technologies are applied on the packaging ( not the chip packaging but the material packaging) and if the packaging is made more secure and tamperproof then it will become an economical and feasible for all suppliers and buyers.
Such technologies can then be applied for all size, passive as well as active components and won';s require a special process to be added in the manufactruing of the components.
Since, there is no immediate introduction of DNA expected, so counterfeiters can relax. They can probably enjoy the counterfeiting era as RFID and other measures are in their pockets. Even if DNA method comes, there will be solution through reverse engineering soon as the counterfeiting market is too lucrative and the participants cant accept defeat. The even bigger challenge will be to make this DNA technology cheap enough so that small-size manufacturers are able to adopt it.
"If such advanced technologies are applied on the packaging "
You have made a valid point. The counterfeiters then have to get hold of packages of used products and they can then repack their counterfeit products into original packages. That seems impossible.
Also we have to assume that counterfeited packages arent a possibility; which unfortunately they are. The risk of counterfeited products are similar to those of counterfeited packages.
Prabhakar and WaqasAltaf,
We have been talking mostly concentrated ink DNA solutions, but the DNA can also be added to adhesives so if a packaging tape has the OEM's Logo printed (ink) marker and the adhesive tape securing the shipping carton flaps and edges together, throw in a DNA spray all over the carton as in the case of the earlier article mentioning the company marking their rolls of copper, then we have an even harder to clone security method. I will be meeting with the tech folks at Applied very soon and I will explore with them the directions they have been considering and mention carton/container level security. I will follow up with another post. I know Opeters has been following this with great interest.
All,
I am getting dangerously close to mere speculation on the full capabilities and limitations of DNA marking. I do not want to go too much deeper Into this until I have met with the scientist involved. Let me make sure we are on solid technical ground before this subject coverage becomes too diluted and mushy to be of any real worth. Standby for the rock solid information.
Douglas - You note in your post that you "discovered that -- for about 10 euros -- a duplicate tag can be produced". I'm a long-tiome RFID guy, and have anticipated such a thing happening eventually, but had not heard about it until I saw your post.
It has long been possible to copy the user-programmed number in an RFID tag and load it into another tag, but all of the RFID chips being produced today by mainstream suppliers also have a unique Tag IDentifier, or TID, which cannot be changed. So if a true clone can be produced, that means that some (rogue?) chipmaker is producing a chip with a writeable TID. If that's the case, I'd love to learn more. Can you pass on any background you might have on the topic? Thanks!
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