Antitamper

An anti-tamper system, or anti-tamper technology, refers to measures designed to prevent, detect, or deter unauthorized modification or opening of a product, device, or piece of software. The term covers both physical and digital forms and is commonly applied across manufacturing, packaging, electronics, software distribution, and secure facilities.

Physical anti-tamper includes tamper-evident packaging, destruction indicators, seals, tamper switches, and destructible barriers. Examples include seals that display void when removed, mechanical enclosures that cannot be opened without leaving evidence, and closures that break or deform if forced. In pharmaceuticals, consumer electronics, and consumer goods, such measures help establish product integrity and compliance with safety regulations.

Digital anti-tamper comprises cryptographic techniques and hardware features that protect software and data from unauthorized modification. Practices include code signing, secure boot, runtime integrity checks, attestation, and the use of trusted platform modules or secure enclaves. Anti-tamper in software also involves obfuscation, firmware tamper resistance, and secure update mechanisms to verify authenticity before execution.

Anti-tamper measures can deter casual tampering and provide evidence of access, but they cannot guarantee complete security against determined intruders. They may raise costs, complicate user experience, or cause false positives. Effective anti-tamper strategies often combine multiple techniques and align with relevant standards and regulatory requirements.

Standards such as ISO 17712 address tamper-evident devices for high-security applications. In regulated industries, tamper-evident packaging, serialization, and secure software supply chains are common to ensure traceability and accountability.