Detection of unauthorized components

1. A method, comprising:

receiving from a first device at a second device, a request for a system identifier (ID) stored on the second device;

determining, by the second device, if the system ID stored on the second device has an empty value, wherein the empty value represents a state where a value has not been stored on the second device as the system ID; and

when the system ID stored on the second device does not have the empty value, transmitting, by the second device to the first device, a response based on the system ID stored on the second device.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

when the system ID stored on the second device has the empty value, communicating, by the second device to the first device, that the system ID stored on the second device has the empty value.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

receiving, from the first device by the second device, the system ID in response to the communication that the system ID stored on the second device has the empty value; and

storing, by the second device, the system ID received from the first device as the system ID stored on the second device.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein:

storing, by the second device, the system ID received from the first device as the system ID stored on the second device comprises storing, by the second device, the system ID received from the first device in one-time-write memory.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

transmitting, by the second device to the first device, the response based on the system ID stored on the second device comprises encrypting the system ID stored on the second device and transmitting, by the second device to the first device, the encrypted system ID.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

transmitting, by the second device to a third device, a request for a system ID stored on the third device; and

receiving, by the second device from the third device, a response to the request for the system ID stored on the third device.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:

transmitting, by the second device to the first device, a response based on the response to the request for the system ID stored on the third device.

8. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:

determining, by the third device, if the system ID stored on the third device has the empty value; and

when the system ID stored on the third device has the empty value, communicating, by the third device to the second device, that the system ID stored on the third device has the empty value.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:

storing, by the third device, the system ID received from the second device as the system ID stored on the third device.

10. The method of claim 6 , wherein:

the second device is an authentication device for an x-ray system; and

the third device is a control device for an x-ray tube of the x-ray system.

11. At least one non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising a plurality of instructions adapted to be executed to implement the method of claim 1 .

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

determining, by the second device, if the system ID stored on the second device has the empty value comprises determining, by the second device, if the system ID stored on the second device has the empty value without comparing the system ID stored on the second device to a valid system ID.

13. A device, comprising:

means for receiving, from a first external device, a request for a system identifier (ID) stored on the device;

means for determining if the system ID stored on the device has an empty value, wherein the empty value represents a state where a value has not been stored on the device as the system ID; and

means for transmitting, to the first external device, a response based on the system ID stored on the device when the system ID stored on the device does not have the empty value.

14. The device of claim 13 , further comprising:

means for transmitting, to a second external device, a request for a system ID stored on the second external device; and

means for receiving, from the second external device, a response to the request for the system ID stored on the second external device.