Hitachi's answer to fake memory cards

Anyone with a cellphone, digital camera or personal computer knows the value of removable storage devices. Memory cards, USB drives, game cartridges... these gadgets have become so commonplace as to be ubiquitous components of our daily lives. The demand for these storage devices has enjoyed sustained growth. It was inevitable, therefore, that counterfeits would eventually find their way to the marketplace. This issue is of concern not only to the manufacturers, but likewise to the users of these memory units, since a counterfeit product may pose a threat to the integrity and security of the user's data.

In September of 2008 Hitachi announced the development of a cost-effective mechanism for attesting the authenticity of memory chips using highly secure digital signatures. The technology involved pre-calculating data required for digital signatures and integrating them into the memory chips. When the removable storage devices are paired with a container device (say, a handheld camera), the container sends a "challenge", a random numerical sequence, to the removable unit. The unit then responds to the challenge with a numerical sequence corresponding to the challenge. The container verifies the digital signature, and authenticates the memory device if the signature is correct. Because a different "challenge" is used for every new authentication, counterfeit memory units will fail to respond with the correct signature, even if the counterfeiters included correct signatures gathered from authentic devices. This provides a much higher level of digital security than the old password- or serial number-based authentication systems.

This new technology also has a number of applications beyond simple data storage, what with memory chips now being present in credit cards and various IDs. Increased security for these devices is a major step in the prevention of electronic fraud.

I just hope the authentic memory units don't cost too much.