Protect Your Reputation with Genuine MIFARE Products

Street vendors trying to sell cheap knock-offs of things like Louis Vuitton handbags and Rolex watches have, unfortunately, become an all-too-familiar sight these days, but luxury goods aren’t the only items at risk of counterfeiting. The reality is that unauthorized, non-licensed and non-certified products are an increasingly widespread issue in just about every market.

Consider, for example, MIFARE-based smartcards. They’re used by hundreds of millions of people every day, for everything from transport tickets and access to micropayments. And, due to their popularity, they’ve become a target for black-market operators and other criminals hoping to profit from the use of imitation products.

Risky business: liability and loss

Anyone caught using or selling counterfeit MIFARE products can be found liable for damages, but there are other risks beyond legal liability. That’s because unauthorized copies of MIFARE might not meet basic requirements for interoperability and security, which can lead to lost revenue, security breaches, legal problems and loss of customer faith.

Genuine MIFARE: the simple solution

The good news is that there’s a simple way that manufacturers, suppliers, retailers and even consumers can reduce these risks – by choosing only genuine MIFARE products, sold only by recommended NXP partners. Genuine NXP MIFARE products deliver the security, interoperability and reliability required by today’s contactless systems and help ensure customer satisfaction.

One exception

Genuine MIFARE products are a better choice than unauthorized or counterfeit versions, but there is one exception: MIFARE Classic, the original version of MIFARE introduced in 1994. NXP advises phasing out MIFARE Classic, since it has had known security risks for several years. The latest generations of MIFARE offer higher levels of security, so they are harder to attack, hack or clone and are supported by NXP’s Originality Checker, the desktop and smartphone app that lets anyone verify MIFARE authenticity. Transitioning to newer versions of MIFARE is easy, and well worth the effort.

Get the details

If you’d like to learn more about how to protect your reputation with genuine MIFARE products, then take a look at our white paper on the subject. It’s filled with helpful tips, including how to find recommended suppliers of genuine MIFRE suppliers, and the steps involved in retiring MIFARE Classic.