Tamperproofing

Tamperproofing refers to the design, manufacturing, and process measures intended to prevent unauthorized access, alteration, or substitution of a product, device, packaging, or digital information, or to provide clear evidence if tampering has occurred. It encompasses both tamper-resistant approaches that deter tampering and tamper-evident features that reveal tampering after the fact. The methods chosen depend on the threat model, risk assessment, and regulatory or industry requirements.

Physical and packaging measures commonly used include secure enclosures, tamper-evident seals, and security screws or fasteners that indicate if an enclosure has been opened. Tamper-evident packaging may employ destructible layers, breakage indicators, and serialized seals to show that packaging integrity has been breached. In electronics and products, potting compounds, epoxy fills, or physical barriers can raise the difficulty of tampering with internal components. For software and devices, tamperproofing often relies on cryptographic authentication, code signing, secure boot, trusted execution environments, and hardware security modules to prevent or detect unauthorized modification.

Procedural controls are also critical. These include supply chain security, access controls, change management, auditing, and chain-of-custody practices to reduce opportunities for tampering and to detect anomalies. Applications span consumer packaging, pharmaceuticals and food, electronics, automotive, and government or critical infrastructure devices. While tamperproofing can significantly reduce risk, it does not guarantee absolute prevention; ongoing risk assessment, testing, and adherence to relevant standards and certifications are essential.