NFC technology delivers secured ID data to verify assets
Secured physical asset verification, using Secora Blockchain NFC technology has been announced by Infineon Technologies and DIGISEQ, the IoT platform provider.
Today, blockchain is used to prove the provenance of scarce or limited-edition goods. However, such processes often rely upon the public trust in the manufacturer and third party handlers of a product. Even when vetting processes are put in place to clear contributors, sources for blockchain data are often dependent on data carriers like QR codes, which can be prone to replication or fraud – that no substitution has occurred at any point of transfer, or if the object is really as scarce as it is claimed to be.
This joint project provides end-to-end brand protection, says Infineon, using NFC technology to deliver secured identity data. The Secora Blockchain device connects the digital data recorded on blockchain to the physical item, which allows comprehensive verification of the identity of items to increase supply chain transparency and avoid the risk of unscrupulous parties substituting products.
Infineon’s and DIGISEQ’s joint project binds the physical item to its digital identity and footprint, allowing an instantaneous authentication system to determine the validity of goods throughout its lifetime. By enabling the connection between the physical item and the blockchain, Secora Blockchain enhances blockchain set-ups.
The Secora Blockchain device contains a crypto enabled NFC chip which stores the private key to sign transactions on the blockchain. The security controller is able to protect secret keys from logical and physical attacks, allowing to protect the system from unauthorised data. DIGISEQ will provide the system with over-the-internet data-delivery capability. It allows unique secured identity data to be delivered into the chips that are physically embedded into the individual items. Item-level data will be configured to flow into the blockchain ledger automatically. This will work hand-in-hand with blockchain technology, which allows for transaction and exchange data to be encrypted and securely stored within a ledger through the item lifetime.
“DIGISEQ is . . . experienced in providing secured end-to-end services and is a centerpiece between banks, product creators, and chip manufacturers”, said Maurizio Skerlj, vice president and product line head of Infineon’s Identity Solutions. “With counterfeit and pirated products on the rise, brand protection has never been more important to enable economic growth of legitimate businesses as well as public health and safety. Our hardware-based Secora Blockchain gives products a digital identity and blockchain makes it visible,” he explained.
In the 2019 report Trends in Trade in Counterfeit and Pirated Goods, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) stated that consumer goods, business-to-business products, IT goods and luxury items are the most negatively impacted by counterfeiting activities.
