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Verayo RFID Chips Use 'Electronic DNA' to Make Them 'Unclonable'
Posted by Gizmodo US Edition at 2:30 PM on September 9, 2008
Here's a challenge to hackers everywhere if I've ever heard one--a company named Verayo claims to have created an RFID chip that's completely unclonable thanks to a type of electronic DNA technology called Physical Unclonable Functions (PUF). Unlike basic passive RFID chips, where data can be easily copied from one chip to another, Verayo's PUF-fy RFID chips use a series of challenge-and-response pairs to make counterfeiting nigh impossible (or so they say.)
The company has an academic paper explaining how their tags work, for those of us more programming literate. Each 64 bit challenge-response duo is random and generated on demand. Pairs are then uploaded to a main database for authentication purposes. According to Verayo, even if information is copied onto a new chip, it'll have a different challenge and response. One possible point of attack already identified--if someone breaks into the main database and harvests all existing challenge-response information, what happens then? [Verayo via Slashdot]
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
ezman
Posted 2:38 PM 9/9/08
RFID is still creepy, though. Slightly less so with these, but weird nonetheless.
ezman
dgzil
Posted 3:11 PM 9/9/08
all you gotta do is stick that studded chip in the back of your neck and you are unclonable
dgzil
Arsenal6
Posted 3:23 PM 9/9/08
this sounds like the next DRM...
Arsenal6
Hilo
Posted 4:31 PM 9/9/08
Because DNA can't be copied..
The name. I loves it!
Hilo
nyaz
Posted 4:48 PM 9/9/08
Yeah till somebody figures out the Algorithm it's using.
nyaz
theimmc
Posted 4:42 PM 9/9/08
Isn't that pretty much how the SIM on your cell phone works? That technology is pretty old.
theimmc
Collins1
Posted 7:03 PM 9/9/08
@Hilo: Damn, you beat me to it!
Collins1
ideaman2020
Posted 10:25 PM 9/9/08
So Verayo wants to be the new PUF Daddy?
That's SO five years ago...
ideaman2020
im2fools
Posted 12:03 AM 10/9/08
@ideaman2020: I think they prefer P. Data currently.
Seriously though, like any encryption/authentication system, this is not about perfect solutions, whatever their marketing says. This kind of solution raises the cost and time necessary to duplicate an rfid. As such, it increases the usefulness of the solution and shifts the useful time of the technology into the future. New technologies will shift it further. No use criticizing the technology because consumers need to hear impossible marketing claims to pay attention. This is an advance and kudos to them.
im2fools
UofITom
Posted 11:55 PM 9/9/08
It may or may not be decryptable, but it's certainly bypassable!
UofITom
shenanigans
Posted 11:52 PM 9/9/08
Why'd they even tell the public about this? This is basically telling all the uber-hackers: Please hack me!
shenanigans
dmexs
Posted 7:40 AM 10/9/08
@im2fools: Great way of putting it into perspective.
dmexs
AmplifiedHustler
Posted 3:28 PM 10/9/08
@im2fools: Actually I think they recently shortened it to just Data.
AmplifiedHustler
tehdahl
Posted 5:24 PM 10/9/08
god, I'm an idiot.
*here
tehdahl
tehdahl
Posted 5:23 PM 10/9/08
@Hilo:
except that it can.
I knew a major in bio was a great idea.
cyber-biotics anyone?
you heard it hear first.
tehdahl
Nick_Bentley
Posted 7:22 PM 10/9/08
It's not perfect but it would make a shoplifter's life a nightmare which is the main goal of something like this. Right now it's open season. I think it was on Lifehacker they recently reported a show that was going to expose how bad the security was for RFID and many companies descended on them and announced there was no way they were going to allow it to air.
Nick_Bentley