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Not directly relevant, but supply-chain security issues aren't unique to electronics. Counterfeit aircraft parts [0] and counterfeit medical equipment [1] also exist. I believe airlines buy parts directly from the aircraft manufacturer, to avoid this risk.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unapproved_aircraft_part

[1] https://www.health.gov.il/English/Topics/PharmAndCosmetics/p...

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Better approaches to deal with counterfeiting issues are emerging https://semiengineering.com/new-and-innovative-supply-chain-...

Interesting link, thanks. I get the impression though that there's not going to be any alternative to buying directly, for the foreseeable future.

I clicked through to the article on Physically Unclonable Functions (PUFs). [0] Neat idea. (I found the paper more readable than the article. [1]) Limited scope though. I don't imagine it's possible to use this approach for non-electronic items like medical-grade screws, for instance.

[0] https://semiengineering.com/pufs-promise-better-security/

[1] (PDF) https://spqrlab1.github.io/papers/holcomb_PUFs_date14.pdf

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