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'Fingerprinted' SIMMS deter thieves

Memory Corporation has begun shipping SIMM modules that can be traced back to their owners in a bid to prevent the spread of the RAM theft epidemic.
Written by Martin Veitch, Contributor

While most SIMMs and DRAMs only carry a label with batch code details, the Dalkeith, Scotland-based firm's SIMMs are electronically labeled with unique codes that are only legible when read by dedicated equipment. The firm will maintain a database of details of SIMMs it has sold. As a second check, the company also takes an electonic 'fingerprint' of the chips.

All of the security features are possible because the memory is produced in an unusual way, with defective cells being corrected through an ASIC, enabling the labeling and so-called fingerprinting to be achieved at the same time as the error-correction process.

The company quotes a recent report saying 24 per cent of London area firms have lost RAM to thieves.

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