Electromagnetic profiling to validate electronic device authenticity

• US 8,242,793 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2009
• Issued: 08/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kumhyr, David B., Johnson, Glenn D., Bulko, William C., Vargas, Jacobo A., Young, Yvonne M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Paresh
• Application Number:
  US12/405,453
• Publication Number:
  US 20100237854A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,246 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 324/750.3
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/10 Plotting field distribution ; Measuring field distribution

Abstract

Counterfeit electronic devices are detected by comparing a thermal profile of the counterfeit device and an authentic device under predetermined operating conditions. A thermal profile for an authentic electronic device is recorded executing an instruction set over time, such as with static infrared images at predetermined times, video infrared images over a predetermined time period or temperature measurements made at predetermined locations of the electronic device. In one embodiment, a thermal profile indicates that a processor device has been used in the place of a field programmable grid array device. In an alternative embodiment, an electromagnetic profile is detected instead of or in addition to the thermal profile. The electromagnetic profile of an authentic device is used to create an expected profile for comparison with an electromagnetic profile of electronic devices under test.

Claims

1. A method for determining whether an electronic device is authentic or counterfeit, the method comprising:

running the electronic device under predetermined operating conditions, the predetermined conditions comprising at least an instruction set executing on the electronic device;

monitoring an electromagnetic profile of the electronic device;

comparing the electromagnetic profile with an expected electromagnetic profile;

determining the electronic device as authentic if the electromagnetic profile has the expected electromagnetic profile; and

determining the electronic device as counterfeit if the electromagnetic profile lacks the expected electromagnetic profile.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

running an authentic electronic device under the predetermined operating conditions; and

monitoring an electromagnetic profile of the authentic electronic device to generate the expected electromagnetic profile.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the expected electromagnetic profile comprises a range of radio frequencies associated with the electronic device.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the authentic electronic device comprises an FPGA and the counterfeit electronic device replaces the FPGA with a processor.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the electromagnetic profile comprises radio frequency amplitudes at predetermined radio frequencies.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the electromagnetic profile comprises radio frequency energy at predetermined positions external to a housing of the electronic device.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the electromagnetic profile comprises radio frequency energy at predetermined positions within a housing of the electronic device.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the electronic device comprises plural electronic components and wherein comparing further comprises comparing an electromagnetic profile for each of the plural components with an expected electromagnetic profile for each of the plural components.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the electronic device comprises a router and the plural components comprise one or more field programmable arrays.

10. A system for identifying electronic devices as authentic or counterfeit, the system comprising:

an electromagnetic profile database having expected electromagnetic profiles for one or more electronic devices under one or more predetermined operating conditions, the predetermined operating conditions including at least an instruction set executing on the one or more electronic devices;

an electromagnetic profile detector operable to detect an electromagnetic profile of an electronic device under test; and

an authenticity module interfaced with the electromagnetic profile database and the electromagnetic profile detector, the authenticity module operable to compare an electromagnetic profile of the electronic device under test with an expected electromagnetic profile to identify the electronic device as authentic or counterfeit.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the electromagnetic profile detector comprises an antenna disposed in a housing of the electronic device and operable to detect radiofrequency energy of the electronic device.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the electromagnetic profile detector comprises an antenna disposed outside of a housing of the electronic device and operable to detect radiofrequency energy of the electronic device.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the electromagnetic profile detector comprises:

a signal source interfaced with the electronic device and operable to communicate radiofrequency energy into a port at a housing of the electronic device; and

an antenna disposed outside of the housing of the electronic device and operable to detect radiofrequency input by the signal source.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein the electronic device comprises plural electronic components, the electromagnetic profile database comprises an electromagnetic profile for each electronic component under the predetermined operating conditions.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the electromagnetic profile comprises the relative radiofrequency of the plural electronic components.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the authentic electronic device includes at least a field programmable gate array component and the counterfeit electronic device comprises a processor used in the place of the field programmable gate array.

17. A method for identifying one or more components of an electronic device, the method comprising:

executing an instruction set on the electronic device;

measuring an electromagnetic profile for the one or more components while the instruction set is executing on the electronic device;

comparing the measured electromagnetic profile for the one or more components with expected electromagnetic profiles; and

identifying the one or more components based upon the comparing.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein comparing the measured electromagnetic profile comprises comparing a component electromagnetic profile with an expected electromagnetic profile of a counterfeit component to identify the component as a counterfeit component.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the expected electromagnetic profile comprises an electromagnetic profile of a field programmable gate array executing the instructions and the measured electromagnetic profile comprise an electromagnetic profile of a processor mimicking a field programmable gate array, and wherein identifying the one or more components further comprises identifying the one or more components as a counterfeit.