Safeguarding Online Banking: Anti-Fraud Measures Implemented by Banks to Protect Customers

As online banking continues to gain popularity, ensuring the security and protection of customer information and transactions becomes paramount for financial institutions.

Banks employ a range of technical measures to safeguard their customers when accessing online banking platforms.

In this article, we explore various technical measures implemented by banks, including device identification, behavior biometrics, voice biometrics, cyber threat detection, and transaction monitoring.

Device Identification

Device identification is a crucial security measure implemented by banks to verify the legitimacy of the device used to access online banking. This involves analyzing device-specific attributes, such as IP address, operating system, browser version, and unique identifiers, to detect any suspicious or unauthorized devices attempting to access customer accounts.

By monitoring device fingerprints, banks can identify and block potential fraudulent activities.

Fraudsters are getting smarter and are constantly looking for new ways to take over or create false accounts. They employ tactics such as utilizing bots, concealing their identities through incognito mode, employing virtual private networks (VPNs) to present false IP addresses, and employing other deceptive strategies.

Detecting such behavior represents precious insights that banks can use to protect their customers. In more detail, those signals (Fingerprint.com calls them “Smart Signals”) can be:

Incognito Detection

Identify indications of users attempting to hide their identity and browsing history. For banks, this might represent useful info about the potential riskiness of the session.

Browser Tamper Detection

Identify browser spoofing incidents and suspicious browser signature anomalies.

Android Tamper Detection

Ensure a safe Android mobile application environment by detecting rooted devices.

IP Geolocation

Accurately determine the location of the actual IP address.

VPN Detection

Determine if a user is leveraging a VPN to conceal their identity by validating that their IP time zone matches their browser time zone.

IP Blocklist Matching

See when an IP address matches a known database of malicious actors and spammers.

Browser BOT Detection

Identify automated tools, friendly search bots, and other sophisticated threats in real-time.

Android Emulator Detection

Prevent spam and protect against nefarious Android emulator farms by ensuring the request is coming from a physical device.

Raw Device Attributes

Receive an additional set of data including 35 raw browser identification attributes.

Banks can analyze all those signals to bolster their security, but they must recognize that no system is foolproof against social engineering attacks. These devious tactics rely on manipulating human psychology and exploiting user vulnerabilities to carry out fraud. Even the most robust technical defenses will ultimately fall short if the user unwittingly becomes the weak link in the chain.

That is exactly why banks implement additional security measures based on the way how users behave utilizing subtle interaction data, such as behavior biometrics and voice biometrics.

Behavior Biometrics

Behavior biometrics utilize unique behavioral patterns exhibited by individuals during their online banking activities. These patterns include typing rhythm, mouse movements, scrolling behavior, and touchscreen gestures.

By continuously monitoring and analyzing these behaviors, banks can detect anomalies and flag suspicious activities that deviate from customers’ usual patterns. This additional layer of authentication enhances security by verifying the legitimacy of users based on their unique behavioral characteristics.

Voice Biometrics

Voice biometrics is another technical measure employed by banks to enhance security during online banking. By analyzing the unique vocal characteristics of individuals, such as pitch, tone, and pronunciation, voice biometrics systems can verify the authenticity of customers’ voices.

This authentication method adds an extra layer of protection by ensuring that only authorized individuals can access their accounts.

However, improvements in AI-based voice synthesis allow for generating human-like voices with remarkable accuracy. Attackers can leverage these tools to imitate a target’s voice, potentially bypassing voice biometric systems.

Cyber Threat Detection

Banks utilize advanced cyber threat detection systems to identify and mitigate potential risks and attacks on their online banking platforms. These systems employ various techniques, such as intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDPS), firewall technologies, and anomaly-based monitoring. By continuously monitoring network traffic, user activities, and system logs, banks can detect and respond to suspicious activities, malware infections, and potential cyber threats promptly.

Transaction Monitoring

Transaction monitoring plays a critical role in protecting customers from fraudulent transactions and suspicious activities. Banks employ sophisticated algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI) systems to analyze transactional data in real-time. By establishing baseline patterns and customer profiles, these systems can detect anomalies, unusual spending patterns, or transactions that deviate from the customer’s regular behavior. When identified, suspicious transactions can be flagged for further investigation or even blocked to prevent financial loss.

Encryption and Secure Communication

To protect customer data during transmission, banks implement robust encryption protocols, such as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) or Transport Layer Security (TLS). These encryption technologies ensure that sensitive information, including login credentials, personal details, and financial transactions, are encrypted before being transmitted over the Internet. Secure communication protocols ensure that customer data remains confidential and inaccessible to unauthorized entities.

Multi-Factor Authentication

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a widely adopted security measure by banks to verify the identity of customers accessing online banking. By combining multiple authentication factors, such as passwords, one-time passwords (OTPs), biometrics, or physical tokens, MFA provides an additional layer of security. This approach makes it more difficult for attackers to gain unauthorized access to customer accounts, even if they possess stolen passwords or personal information.

Conclusion

Banks employ a range of technical measures to protect their customers when accessing online banking platforms. These measures include device identification, behavior biometrics, voice biometrics, cyber threat detection, transaction monitoring, encryption, and multi-factor authentication. By implementing a multi-layered security approach, banks can enhance the overall security posture of their online banking services and mitigate the risks associated with unauthorized access, fraudulent transactions, and cyber threats.