Number Verification: A Simplified, Reliable, and Secure Authentication Experience
Despite the advancements in security technology, fraudulent activity continues to increase year after year. This issue is at the top of everyone’s mind, as businesses across the globe and in every industry are getting hit by these attacks and are paying steep prices. But there’s something you can do to deliver more secure experiences for employees and customers. Read on to learn more.
How Number Verification Can Help
According to a 2023 report from Global Leaders Forum, 92% of carriers said that fighting fraud was a “top” or “strategic” priority, and 75% reported that the volume and impact of fraudulent traffic has either increased or remained the same, primarily driven by toll fraud. The average cost of a data breach in 2023 hit an all-time high of $4.45M, with immeasurable damages being done to the company brands and reputations.
Customer expectations are also growing. Seamless interactions are key: consumers expect to feel secure while using a website or application, with minimal frustrations when signing up or logging in to their accounts.
Luckily, there’s good news for companies looking to provide both a secure and seamless authentication experience for their users: by integrating a Number Verification API into their application, users are automatically authenticated without the need of standard, manual 2FA passcodes. At the same time, security is improved by mitigating bad actors from performing account takeovers and gaining access to vital systems. Let’s dive in.
What Is Number Verification?
Number Verification is a standalone network API that provides businesses with a frictionless authentication experience to securely verify customers during online account creation, account changes, password resets or high-value transactions. Number Verification authenticates a user’s phone number by using the mobile data connection from an active SIM card. Customers no longer need to step away from an application or website in order to input passwords, one-time passcodes (OTPs) or other verification information.
Number Verification provides uniform access to other telco functions through a single interface. This facilitates consistency and versatility across different communication service providers and markets and reduces development time.
Simplified and Secure Authentication
CAMARA-based Number Verification Network API provides the ability for a Communication Service Provider (CSP) to implement seamless security at the 5G network and an Application Service Provider (ASP) developer to authenticate a phone number using the mobile data connection from an active SIM card. The solution securely validates a mobile number from a CSP’s network. Number Verification is also more cost effective compared to traditional communication channels.
The Number Verification API is based on the CAMARA standard established by the GSMA. Vonage is using the CAMARA standard to expose the API and aggregating the CSP connectivity on our platform, so ASPs can use one Number Verification API to get connectivity to all supported CSPs.
To the end user, this requires no manual input, cutting authentication and activation time to only a few seconds. This means less time for users to get distracted or frustrated by keystroke errors and abandon the process. Which, in turn, means an increase in conversions and more time spent on the business’s app or platform.
Number Verification is versatile and can be adapted to a wide range of devices. It works on any internet-enabled mobile device, and is also available for devices connected to a Wi-Fi network. As of the time of this article, Vonage is launching Network Verification in a few select markets, and will be expanding coverage globally.
Number Verification is more secure than typical 2FA processes, because it eliminates the risks associated with SMS OTPs. Fraudsters are always looking for vulnerabilities and can perform account take-overs via social engineering (like phishing or proxy schemes) in order to intercept OTPs. Number Verification completely removes that vulnerability, because no OTP is delivered. Providing a network-based trust mechanism to validate a user’s identity provides enhanced security for high-risk industries, such as banking and financial technology, enhancing the range of services businesses can offer their users.
Get Started With Number Verification
In order to implement Number Verification, developers are required to complete registration. The Vonage Network Registry is an industry-first service designed to provide access and support to Vonage’s network APIs. Customers that want access to CSP mobile network capabilities can easily register in three simple steps: add a business profile, create a network application profile and submit their request. A team of experts are ready to assist at every stage throughout the registration process.
In addition to being available as a stand-alone API, Vonage is integrating Number Verification within the Verify API by expanding coverage of the Silent Authentication channel. These additions demonstrate the extensibility of Vonage’s Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) and the value the platform provides to CSPs, ASPs and enterprises. The advantage of using the Verify API is the ability to provide automatic failover whenever Silent Authentication is not available. This improves the chance of successful conversions when the user can fall back to other channels such as SMS, Email, or WhatsApp to authenticate.
Number Verification provides a completely passwordless, pain-free and secure way to sign up or sign back into accounts. This streamlined authentication experience both protects businesses from fraud and improves the overall customer journey.
Ready to learn more about protecting your business and your customers? Check out Number Verification, as well as two other Vonage authentication-related solutions, Verify API and Silent Authentication.
