Researchers from the University of California, San Diego and Cornell University have come up with a way to detect variations in flash memory that they say are unique to each chip. By tracking immutable characteristics of a memory chip, they claim that it is possible to verify its authenticity at any time.

There are practical applications for this, as analysts say that the ability to detect these unique "fingerprints" in chips will help in the detection of counterfeit products in the supply chain. This is apparently a common problem that creeps in when system vendors encounter unexpected surges in demand and are forced to fulfill their requirements by sourcing on the open market.

Another high-tech application of this technique, suggests UCSD's Steven Swanson, an associate professor and director of UCSD's Non-Volatile Systems Laboratory, is to prevent the swapping of devices that contain flash memory--such as smartphones and tablets. As reported at Computerworld, "It could also be used by governments to determine whether spies had swapped an official's phone with a seemingly identical one that is bugged."

For more:
- check out this article at Computerworld

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