Skip to main content

'Inspired by a car wash': Researchers unveil quasi-universal tag that's virtually unhackable thanks to glue — terahertz antitampering tag could help save billions of dollars in counterfeiting costs

Web Hosting & Remote IT Support

Traditional radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags, commonly used for product authentication, have several limitations including size, cost, energy requirements, and security vulnerabilities.

Researchers at MIT have developed a revolutionary cryptographic ID tag that overcomes these hurdles and could help combat the billion-dollar problem of supply chain counterfeiting.

This minuscule, battery-free tag, dubbed the 'tag of everything,' can authenticate almost any product, making it a powerful tool against imitation parts and fraudulent goods.

Inspired by a car wash

The tag's innovative design was partly inspired by a car wash. Researchers noted how the car wash used a fragile RFID tag to authenticate membership, which would be destroyed if tampered with. They took this concept further, focusing on authenticating the item itself rather than the tag.

The team achieved this by mixing microscopic metal particles into the glue that attaches the tag to the product. These particles create a unique pattern on the item's surface, akin to a fingerprint, which can be detected using terahertz waves. If a counterfeiter attempts to remove and reattach the tag, the pattern is destroyed, making the tag virtually unhackable.

This ground-breaking technology also incorporates a machine-learning model that can identify similar glue pattern fingerprints with over 99% accuracy, further enhancing its anticounterfeiting capabilities.

It's tiny enough to fit on almost any product, from industrial components to medical devices, and operates on low power levels supplied by photovoltaic diodes. Crucially, it offers robust security measures, including a popular cryptography scheme that guarantees secure communications.

There are limitations, however. The tag's sensor must be within 4cm to get an accurate reading, and the angle between the sensor and tag must be less than 10 degrees. However, the researchers are optimistic about overcoming these challenges in future work.

Via TechXplore

More from TechRadar Pro



via Hosting & Support
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Web Hosting
Remote IT Support
Sites & Socials
Computing Handbook - $9.95

Popular posts from this blog

Microsoft, Google, and Meta have borrowed EV tech for the next big thing in data centers: 1MW watercooled racks

Web Hosting & Remote IT Support Liquid cooling isn't optional anymore, it's the only way to survive AI's thermal onslaught The jump to 400VDC borrows heavily from electric vehicle supply chains and design logic Google’s TPU supercomputers now run at gigawatt scale with 99.999% uptime As demand for artificial intelligence workloads intensifies, the physical infrastructure of data centers is undergoing rapid and radical transformation. The likes of Google, Microsoft, and Meta are now drawing on technologies initially developed for electric vehicles (EVs), particularly 400VDC systems, to address the dual challenges of high-density power delivery and thermal management. The emerging vision is of data center racks capable of delivering up to 1 megawatt of power, paired with liquid cooling systems engineered to manage the resulting heat. Borrowing EV technology for data center evolution The shift to 400VDC power distribution marks a decisive break from legacy sy...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Apple Watch ban is lifted, on appeal – but the reprieve might only be temporary

Web Hosting & Remote IT Support The Apple Watch ban story has developed quickly over the last week and a bit, and there's now a new twist: the US Court of Appeals is putting a pause on the US sales and import ban while it reviews the case, which means the Apple Watch 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 can go back on sale for the time being. "We are thrilled to return the full Apple Watch lineup to customers in time for the new year," an Apple spokesperson told TechRadar. "We are pleased the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has stayed the exclusion order while it considers our request to stay the order pending our full appeal." The watches in question are now once again available from "select" Apple Stores, and will also be going on sale from the Apple website from 12pm PT / 3pm ET on Thursday, December 28 (that's 8pm in the UK, and early on December 29 in Australia). All Apple Stores should have stock by the weekend. As for how long t...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Samsung Galaxy Ring could go into production as soon as next month

Web Hosting & Remote IT Support With the dust beginning to settle from the huge Samsung Unpacked 2023 event, we can turn our attention towards what Samsung might have planned next: and a smart ring seems to be in the company's near future. As per a report from South Korean outlet The Elec (via SamMobile ), mass production on a Samsung Galaxy Ring could begin as early as August, with a decision imminent on the schedule for getting the wearable manufactured and out to consumers. A full launch is slated for some point during 2024 though, rather than 2023. The nature of the device means that it'll need to clear several regulatory hurdles before it can go on sale and start tracking various vital statistics. An early 2024 launch would put the Galaxy Ring on a similar schedule to the Samsung Galaxy S24 – and it would therefore make sense to launch both gadgets at the same time, perhaps in January or February if Samsung follows its 2023 routine. The story so far Rumors ar...
Post a Comment
Read more