Let us start by agreeing on what “counterfeit” means in our discussion. A counterfeit device could simply be a cheap clone of the original. Consider， for instance， a medical sensor that plugs into a control module. It is carefully manufactured to look and act the same， but the device’s quality and the accuracy of its data will be questionable， possibly leading to a misdiagnosis and incorrect treatment.1 Clearly with a cloned counterfeit instrument like this， device authentication would protect patients from faulty equipment and healthcare providers from the liability of flawed professional care.2

　　A less dire and perhaps more commonplace example of counterfeiting involves inkjet printer cartridges. Many OEMs sell their printer at or near cost with the expectation of generating profits and recovering R&D costs from the sale of the disposable inkjet cartridges. But when cloned inkjet cartridges are packaged and sold as genuine articles， the OEM is cheated and loses revenue. Counterfeit， poor-quality cartridges can also fail and damage the printer， which then hurts the brand reputation of the OEM.

　　As the world and our many electronic devices become more interconnected， device manufacturers have become increasingly aware of the security threats and the potential damaging impact of counterfeit devices. It is thus no surprise that OEMs are implementing various levels of security to detect and thwart the counterfeits.