An NFC based consumer-level counterfeit detection framework

Counterfeit products have been a major concern in global market. There are many procedures for preventing the counterfeiting of goods, such as holograms, tamper-resistant packaging etc. However, there is still a rising trend in counterfeit goods. With the emergence of RFID systems, supply chain management is able to detect counterfeit products relatively easily. Existing techniques generally involve a centralized database and can only be implemented in an online scenario. This deprives the individual customers of using any authentication mechanism while making purchases due to the infeasibility of accessing a central database. In this paper, we analyze a recently published semi-offline scheme proposed by Alex et al. We identify limitations and weaknesses in this scheme and suggest solutions. We modify the framework to remove the main weakness and extend it to the consumer level so that a consumer can determine the legitimacy of a product. This involves Near Field Communication technology (NFC) which is now widely available in cell phones - the consumer's cell phone acts as an RFID reader and detects counterfeit products. Our solution is completely offline as it does not require a central database for product authentication. It is based on Public Key Cryptography (PKC) and a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI). It offers dual layer authentication mechanisms to customers, visual and cryptographic, without accessing the supplier's database. The main beneficiary of the proposed framework is the consumer who uses the Internet for online shopping and can authenticate a product reliably after delivery. Our scheme is stand-alone and does not require the transfer of any secret values from a centralized authority.