Tag switching and counterfeiting are security issues particular to RFID

By Staff -- Manufacturing Business Technology, 2/1/2006 7:00:00 AM

Amidst the efficiency certainties of an RFID-enabled supply chain, the question of tag security remains. "We're surprised that the companies pushing RFID have been so concerned with the technical issues that they haven't bothered with security," says Dr. Peter Atherton, CTO of MIKOH, a developer of tamperproof RFID tags.

Tim Dierks, a member of the board of SecureRF, which supplies encryption technology for RFID tags, calls security "the white elephant in the room" for any company considering using RFID to identify high-value items in supply chains.

The two companies address separate RFID tag security issues: 1) counterfeiting or tampering; and 2) tag switching, which is MIKOH's focus.

"Conventional RFID tags can be moved from one item to another without affecting the function of the tag," says Atherton. "Tags originally placed on critical items can be moved without the system being aware of any corruption, which defeats the purpose of investing in automated tracking technology. If the system is automated, you need to be sure that the tags cannot be moved. If you don't do that, the system is more susceptible to tampering because you are relying on the automation."

The MIKOH Smart & Secure tamper-evident RFID tag uses glue to address the problem—specifically the tag adhesive. "The RFID antenna or some portion of it is on the lower side of the tag next to the adhesive. We use a chemical formulation that causes the antenna to separate from the tag and remain with the adhesive. It creates a deliberate failure system. If the tag is moved, it doesn't function," explains Atherton.

SecureRF addresses counterfeiting and tag-information tampering via its Algebraic Eraser technology, which cloaks and then erases components of the encryption process. This makes breaking the code in encrypted tags difficult because the data required to do so is erased by the process itself.

MIKOH recently licensed Smart & Secure technology to label-printer supplier Serigraph. SecureRF is targeting high-value supply chains, starting with the pharmaceutical industry, which, according to the World Health Organization, struggles with counterfeit drugs to the tune of more than $32 billion per year.

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