053 Tamper Proof Tags Fact Sheet

Validation with RFID Using tamper proof and tamper evident RFID for deterring & identifying fraud & theft. If the problem is ensuring that items are what they claim to be or that they have been delivered as intended, how can you be confident that they have not been interfered with? For high value, confidential or high risk items the answer may be to use electronic tags that can alert users to tampering. CoreRFID’s latest range of products make this possible.

Does tagging items help to validate them? Proving that an item is what it seems to be is important in many business areas. It may be a matter of protecting revenue streams and business reputation by reducing the risk of counterfeit goods. Or, it may be an issue of deterring theft or even recognising that it has occurred. The business issue may be one of counterfeit spare parts being subsituted for genuine ones – a serious risk in aviation or in medical equipment spares. It could be the need to prevent theft of specialised equipment, shipments of pharmaceuticals or high value items. It might be a need to provide a secure chain of authentication for the movement of confidential documents or to demonstrate that a vehicle or container is approved for entry to a particular location.

Has anyone attempted to swap tags from one item to another? Would your current RFID system detect this?

One way of addressing the need to validate items at various point in time. If an item passes through many stages it a stages in a process is to add tags to items or their packaging. process it may be difficult to know exactly at which stage in This can be done using a range of technologies. Examples of a process the label has been intefered with. tagging technologies include holographic printed tags, laser Electronic tags also have their limitations. RFID tags can be etched tags, and conventional duplicated, although with electronic (RFID) tags. In each Applications where item validation can be valuable difficulty but the most common case, adding the tag aims to make include:problem when using RFID tags clear the item’s origin and often to to guarantee the authenticity of identify the individual item by an item is that it may not be • Rental & returns tracking for tools, vehicles or giving it a code or reference apparent that the tag has been other equipment. number. In addition RFID and intefered with or that a genuine • Secure shipment using sealed containers or barcode tags make it possible to tag has been transferred from a tagged packaging. identify each individual item genuine item to a counterfeit automatically, linking it to • Secure meter housings or equipment cabinets one. to identify interference. systems that provide details of the item. If it were possible for a tag to be • Equipment casing seals to validate equipment attached securely to an item in has not been opened by unauthorised However, these tags have personnel. such a way that any limitations when facing some of interference with it was evident • Confidential document tracking. the situations that arise when then users could be confident theft or fraud is attempted. • Chain of custody. that the tag and the item Holographic labels are dificult to belonged together, that a duplicate but contain no genuine tag signified a genuine item and that the item as identification information. While they provide a good delivered was the item as despatched. Tamper proof and measure of authenticity they don’t identify specific, tamper evident tags can provide that confidence. They allow individual, items. Also, there is no reliable way of the design of systems which dependably deliver genuine automatically detecting whether a label is in place at any items items.

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Tamper-proof & tamper-evident RFID Tags can be tampered with in one of two ways. Attempts can be made to interfere with or clone the electronic data on the tags or tags may be interfered with physically, being removed from items and re-attached or simply rendered unreadable. Devising a system in which the most common types of tampering are deterred, prevented or detected requires a combination of tag selection, software design and process design. CoreRFID offers a range of tamper proof and tamper-evident RFID tags and can advise on their use in an authenticated chain of events. Examples of the CoreRFID secure RFID products include:•

Smart&SecureTM Inform tamper-resistant tags

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Smart&SecureTM Insight tamper-evident tags

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SecureContainerTM tamper-evident carriers

Smart&Secure Tags are designed to break the

The Smart&Securei Inform tamper-resistant tags are a range of passive, RFID link between the chip and antenna if the tag tags available to the most usual RFID standards. (For low frequency, high is interfered with. frequency and UHF). Inform tamper-resistant tags have a connection between the antenna and the microprocessor made so that in the event of any interference with the tag the connection is broken and data can no longer be read or written on the tag. Inform tags are designed to deactivate in the event of interference by heat extremes, chemical attack or physical removal as well as by attempts to remove the tag using knives or razor blades. As a result users can be confident that if a tag can be read it has not been interfered with and the tag is still attached to whatever item it was originally attached to. The tags are available in a range of form factors designed to be suitable for different applications. Smart&Securei Insight tamper evident tags are a range of (currently) HF, Passive, RFID tags that offer the same tamper detection as can be achieved with Inform but in addition, following an attack, the contents of the tag are designed to remain readable while the tag can report the fact that it has been tampered with to any reader operation. A proprietary adhesive chemistry and multi-layer manufacturing process provide a reliable indication of tampering even when sophisticated methods are used. During a read operation, this disruption is sensed by the chip and the tampering is reported to the reader.

SecureContainers with RFID tag inserts on the closure detect if the contents have been interfered with.

SecureContaineri is a range reusable plastic containers designed for secure shipping of valuable or confidential assets. The containers feature a patented closure design based on a patent held by the US National Security Agency. When the closure is sealed with an Inform or Insight tag the user can be certain that the contents of the container have been received as they left the originator. Checking the tag at various stages in its journey allows any attempt to interfere with it to be tracked down to a particular site or department.

Using the combination of SecureTag Inform or Insight, SecureContainer and careful design of systems and software it becomes possible to design an end-to-end process in which items can be tracked and authenticated at every stage. CoreRFID can advise on application design, create the software components and supply readers, antennas, tags and cases required to implement a complete solution, including integration with existing asset management applications.

About CoreRFID Contact us at: CoreRFID Ltd. Dallam Court, Dallam Lane, Warrington, U.K. WA2 7LT T: +44 (0) 845 071 0985 i

F: +44 (0) 845 071 0989

W: www.corerfid.com

E: [email protected]

Smart&Secure and SmartContainer are trademarks of Mikoh Corporation

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