DoD Using Plant DNA To Combat Counterfeit Parts 39
smitty777 writes "Highlighting another unique way to use cutting edge DNA technology, the U.S. Department of Defense has a new weapon in its efforts to combat counterfeit parts: plant DNA. This article at Wired discusses how plant DNA can be used to make an almost unique code (1 in 1 trillion) for parts identification. A graphic shows some of the ways this could be done: bolts with DNA-marked coating, invisible bar codes, and fluorescing inks are some of the possible applications. In a similar but unrelated project, World Micro has a different solution to detect counterfeit items in the military that have been 'blacktopped,' where items have been re-surfaced to allow remarking."
Re:Um... (Score:5, Informative)
If a sample could be taken could the DNA not be recreated?
The main idea behind counterfeit parts is taking parts that are inferior, salvaged, or even a part in the same package but different functionality and passing it off as a more expensive part. If the cost of the counterfeit approaches the cost of the real part, there is no incentive. There are counterfeit parts targeted at specific industries or military parts that the DNA concept may not slow down.
Military contracting is THE big business with a lot of profit incentive to counterfeiters, no matter how expensive this process might be now I'm pretty sure this is not going to be all that effective in the long run.
Most of the counterfeit stories you hear about are where fake parts wound up in military applications rather than counterfeits specifically targeting the military. There is a high incident in aviation too. Why? Because these applications are low volume yet very long lived, and manufacturers move to new revisions or even quit producing the components for systems still in use. Contractors buy parts from brokers and other places where the pedigree of a part cannot be ascertained.
A better to battle counterfeiting might be to make military spec equipment a lot less profitable... *cough*
Military contracts are lucrative, but the profit margins are probably not what you think they are. Most of the reason the equipment costs more is due to the specifications it must meet coupled with the relatively low volumes the military consumes.
Solution (Score:3)
Re:Um... (Score:5, Informative)
The parent is largely correct. Counterfeit parts get into the DOD supply chain by way of the suppliers of suppliers (of suppliers...,) some of whom obtain and resell parts that have been salvaged in China and other hell-holes, or repackaged from lower cost/capability parts elsewhere. There are Chinese villages, such as those in Guiyu [wikipedia.org], that do nothing but dismantle and salvage electronics in open air cesspools. Some fraction of these gets refaced and imported, duty free, into the US as counterfeit.
When the DOD investigates suppliers to determine the origin of counterfeit components they typically uncover a chain of 4-5 or more suppliers leading back to China. The Senate Armed Services committee held a hearing on this about 10 weeks ago. Video here. [c-spanvideo.org]
Almost no one is ever prosecuted for anything. Those few importers that are caught will fold up and re-appear under new names. The big contractors that ultimately source and install counterfeit parts pull whatever strings they must to minimize consequences to their business. They'll typically negotiate some replacement schedule and pay a nominal fine. Sometimes they even get to bill the US for the cost of placing counterfeits they installed.
Auto and construction too? (Score:2)
There is a high incident in aviation too.
I would expect auto and construction too. Basically any industry that requires high quality components for safety and/or durability.
Re:Um... (Score:4, Informative)
If a sample could be taken could the DNA not be recreated?
Yes, absolutely. Creating short stretches of DNA with known sequences is well established technology. All you need to get a 1 in a trillion DNA sequence is 20 base pairs (4^20 > 1 trillion). Oligonucleotides of that length can be custom designed and purchased for a few bucks.
Re: (Score:2)
Yes, but I believe arranging the sequence is the trick. That's like saying you have a briefcase with 20 keys...
Re: (Score:2)
That's what I meant when I said 'custom designed'. Any arbitrary sequence you want to replicate can be had for a few bucks.
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Re: (Score:2)
I think the operational phrase here is "if a sample could be taken". I'm assuming that since the military doesn't want folks to find out what the sequence is, they probably have their own secret strain of algae/moss/bamboo/whatever that's locked away in a lab somewhere. Swab it off the top of the bolt? I'm sure they thought of that.
According to this whitepaper [adnas.com], the DNA sequencing is "unequivocally uncopyable".
Re:Um... (Score:4, Interesting)
According to this whitepaper, the DNA sequencing is "unequivocally uncopyable".
A bit further on, they only say 'resistant to reverse engineering or replication', which is probably closer to the truth. Here's a patent filed by the company, which looks like it might be referring to the same technology:
http://www.google.com/patents/US20100285985 [google.com]
My reading of the simplest version of this is that they take some target DNA (e.g. derived from a plant genome, and possibly cut up and re-ligated to swap things around), and design a single 'forward' PCR primer and multiple 'reverse' primers that bind the target sequence at various positions. They retain the forward primer and template DNA , and paint the object to be protected with a pooled selection of the reverse primers (different objects or companies could use different selections of reverse primers).
To authenticate an object, they extract DNA from the object (i.e., the pool of reverse primers) and mix it together with their single forward primer, template, and standard PCR reagents. Running the PCR gives them a series of amplification products of defined sizes (determined by the selection of reverse primers), which effectively 'fingerprint' the object. To make things difficult for a forger, the pool of primers painted on the object will probably contain a complex mixture of confounding sequences that don't bind the target sequence, and there may also be multiple genuine primer sets designed to different target sequences. Since the forger won't have access to the target sequence(s), they'll have no way of knowing which primers are important, and will therefore have to determine the sequence of all of them and then have them re-synthesised.
tl;dr - Replicating the label is not trivial.
Counterfeit parts are a real problem (Score:1)
One place I worked had a number of "counterfeit" bolts that did not meet spec. Bolts use a pattern on the top to identify the manufacturer and in this case the they were not made by the company whose symbols they bore. They had to be pulled and replaced with higher quality bolts which could deal with the necessary stresses.
Old hat (Score:5, Interesting)
Joe Barbera (animation producer/director, half of the Hanna-Barbera team) a long while back had a pen with ink with his own DNA embedded in it made; it's his "autograph" pen [faqs.org].
Old news from someone smarter than the a-ver-age bear...
Re: (Score:2)
But, but... You don't get it, the next sony movie player our game console will have this type of DDRM (as in DNA analysis capable DRM) so they can force you to watch their annoying ads at the beginning of any movie/game you buy or rent! It's an awesome idea!
Re:Old hat (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Old hat (Score:4, Funny)
Strange, my pen is capable of producing DNA. However,I haven't yet acquired the dexterity to make autographs with it yet.
Not even by writing in the snow?
I don't get it (Score:2)
Ok, this raises the bar a little but... (Score:2)
2) Buy one PCR machine
3) Buy a bazillion counterfeit parts
4) apply PCR'ed DNA to counterfeit parts
5) Profit!
Re: (Score:2)
You can't PCR an unknown sequence, gotta design the primers first.
This article is so vague that I cannot even begin to ponder how it actually works, and I'm halfway through a PhD in molecular biology, I should add.
I thought that the whole point of PCR is that you can.
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it's been a while, but i think that for PCR you need to know the flanking sequences. you don't need to know the "middle", but you need the primer to match the ends.
that said, it seems that even with just PCR you could do dimensionality reduction on the code sequence... i.e. if you try PCR with an arbitrary primer, and it amplifies significantly, then you have some information about the sequence. it's not like a crypto key, where it's all or nothing. i suspect that chip-based sequencing and some statistical
The real solution (Score:3)
I think another measure stated in TFA will be more efficient: now the contractors will be responsible if they introduce counterfeit parts (even unknowingly) and will not be able to charge the DoD for replacing them. That will ensure that they control quality better (by whatever technical means they chose), probably forcing the same clause on their providers.
Interesting... (Score:3)
It's interesting that the idea of using plants for counterfeit detection goes all the way back to Benjamin Franklin, who used the unique vein structures of plant and tree leaves to make hard-to-copy stamps and currency all the way back in the Revolutionary War days!
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It affect me (Score:1)
1) Create a standard(s) that is proprietary and somehow ensure that the standard is scarce (that is where the money comes from) so that no one else knows how to create interoperable parts.
2) Create a patent system so that someone else with a different standard, but with the same functionality will not be able to create the same functionality in their products.
How this affects me: Suppose I wanted to crea
This assumes you care (Score:2)
What if you don't care that you are purchasing a counterfeit or stolen legit component?
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What if you don't care that you are purchasing a counterfeit or stolen legit component?
Because the problem is that the counterfeit part is often of a lower quality or spec. You would probably care if that 2.8GHz QuadCore cpu you just bought was really a remarked 2.2HGz chip.
Re: (Score:2)
No, that means you do care which was the opposite of what i said.
Some people really don't care if its counterfeited and understand it wont be the same as 'real' since its FAR cheaper.