Yesterday, Dan Sallach posted an interesting commentary on counterfeit Cisco gear on his Freedom to Tinker blog. He
Sallach's point is that the network gear supply chain is the weak link that allows fakes to enter a company otherwise engaged in a legitimate purchase order. Companies (or governments) put out bids looking for the lowest price. In turn those resellers look for subcontractors with the lowest price who in turn look for other means of low prices until you get to some non-authorized supplier buying gear from unknown parties from someplace like eBay. What can be done about it? The general consensus is that a lot of technology is being created to try, but the only thing that can protect you is to verify that your gear comes from authorized resellers buying directly from the manufacturer. That, of course, is not the cheapest way.
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