Have you seen a revolutionary anti-counterfeiting and traceability solution based on PUF?

At present, anti-counterfeiting technologies on the market, such as laser anti-counterfeiting, digital anti-counterfeiting, QR code anti-counterfeiting, etc., have the possibility of being easily duplicated and counterfeiting, which cannot completely solve the security problem.

Xiaobian found that there is already such a hardware security technology on the market, which has been proven to be one of the most effective anti-counterfeiting strategies due to its uniqueness, anti-cloning, anti-tampering and other characteristics, which is the Physical Unclonable Function (PUF). This technology is applied to anti-counterfeiting labels and is an effective technical means to solve the problem of counterfeiting.

The application of U technique in the field of anti-counterfeiting

What is a physical unclonable function (hereinafter referred to as "PUF")?

PUF refers to the use of the physical structure of a substance to uniquely identify it, and any input excitation will output a unique and unpredictable response, which has developed into a highly reliable authentication and anti-counterfeiting system in recent years.

The anti-counterfeiting label based on PUF is a random pattern created by a random process, which is easy to manufacture but cannot be imitated, easy to identify but difficult to predict, and can achieve high-security anti-counterfeiting. After the concept of PUF was proposed, it has received widespread attention and is a new tool that has been widely used in the field of radio frequency identification (RFID) in recent years.

The RFID chip anti-counterfeiting technology based on PUF has a high imitation cost and is a better anti-counterfeiting solution. However, according to the editor's observation, the market feedback that RFID electronic tags are more expensive than ordinary tags, dozens of times that of ordinary tags, and are also easy to be illegally read and maliciously tampered with, and need to be identified by special equipment, which to a certain extent reduces the enthusiasm of the market to use RFID technology. Therefore, the anti-counterfeiting industry urgently needs an anti-counterfeiting technology based on the substance itself, non-clonable, low-cost, and easily identifiable.

Paper texture technology: a new anti-counterfeiting technology that cannot be replicated

In recent years, new anti-counterfeiting technologies have continued to emerge, and anti-counterfeiting products have been iteratively upgraded. However, when various anti-counterfeiting manufacturers are thinking about how to work hard at the levels of printing, materials, and processes, there is a technology that can identify the "DNA" of each piece of paper to identify each piece of paper, and this technology is paper pattern technology.

"Paper pattern" is the unique texture distribution of the paper's natural fibers, which is a unique individual physical feature of each sheet. It has the characteristics of innate, non-replicable, and unique, which is very consistent with the basic characteristics of PUF technology, and is an excellent anti-counterfeiting and traceability medium that allows counterfeiters to know its principle but cannot be imitated.

Common anti-counterfeiting methods on the market, such as QR code anti-counterfeiting, laser anti-counterfeiting, security thread watermark paper, and digital anti-counterfeiting, all require manually printing patterns or materials. However, paper texture technology utilizes the natural characteristics inherent in paper, which can fundamentally combat counterfeiters. At the same time, since paper texture has the characteristics of being a "natural product" with "zero additional cost," merchants do not need any extra processes or costs to create or enhance the "paper texture." Therefore, the cost for merchants to use paper texture technology is almost negligible.

This technology is based on PUF (Physical Unclonable Function), and by digitizing the anti-counterfeiting features of the paper texture, it compares the paper texture information of the paper to be verified with the stored original paper texture information, thereby determining the authenticity of the paper. When combined with Internet of Things technology, it achieves truly meaningful anti-counterfeiting traceability.

Due to the disruptive innovation of paper grain technology, it has been recognized by the market as an 'unreplicable new anti-counterfeiting technology.' According to the editor's understanding, this technology is currently applied in areas such as product anti-counterfeiting traceability, financial document anti-counterfeiting, contract seal anti-counterfeiting, and paper collectibles anti-counterfeiting. Industry professionals can pay attention to this rising star in anti-counterfeiting technology.

Paper Grain Traceability: A Revolutionary Anti-Counterfeiting and Traceability Solution

Anti-counterfeiting labels are an important means to combat and prevent counterfeit goods. However, these labels, which are the 'lifeline' that manufacturers rely on to protect their brands, have also become a 'high-risk area' for counterfeiting and illegal sales.

According to the editor's investigation, seemingly 'high-tech' anti-counterfeiting labels can be easily purchased online, and the scanning results of QR code anti-counterfeiting labels can be freely modified. Some counterfeit goods, once combined with anti-counterfeiting labels for verification, actually appear as 'genuine products.' At the same time, most consumers do not have a 'sharp eye' to identify the authenticity of products. They originally thought that relying on anti-counterfeiting labels could distinguish genuine from fake, but it turns out that the labels themselves are hard to verify. Such unprotected anti-counterfeiting labels leave both manufacturers and consumers frustrated.

Against this background, the paper grain technology research team has newly developed an innovative anti-counterfeiting traceability solution-Paper Grain Traceability. This solution is applied in brand protection and is a unique, unreplicable, stable, and low-cost anti-counterfeiting traceability method.

'Paper Grain Traceability' is based on PUF technology, focuses on paper grain feature recognition, and combines it with IoT technology to intelligently and digitally extract and identify the paper grain features on product labels. It enables the digital certification information of each label's paper grain to be uniquely bound to the physical product, establishing a paper grain anti-counterfeiting and traceability management system. This allows brand owners, distributors, and consumers to accurately perform anti-counterfeiting traceability for every single product.

Unlike traditional RFID electronic tags and QR code tagging solutions, Paper Grain Traceability is a revolutionary anti-counterfeiting and traceability system based on PUF IoT financial-grade security technology, achieving non-replicability and intelligent authentication. This solution does not require any dedicated identification devices; a single smartphone can instantly distinguish authenticity, leaving counterfeit goods with nowhere to hide.

It is reported that this anti-counterfeiting traceability solution will make its debut at the 29th China International Packaging Industry Exhibition in 2023. Everyone can look forward to seeing how much of a stir 'Paper Grain Traceability', entering the market verification period, can create in the market.