In many parts of the world, cybercrime has surpassed physical crime in terms of financial impact to society. Fraud and security challenges have become more sophisticated, targeting, among other services, voice and SMS communications. From Smishing to Flash Calling Authentication, operators face a daunting task: safeguarding revenue streams and consumer trust while addressing an ever-changing threat landscape. By leveraging cutting-edge technology and converging strategies between operators and regulators, the industry is making strides in tackling these challenges.
Voice Firewalls: Securing Authentication and Blocking Spoofing
Voice communication continues to play a critical role in modern telecom networks, particularly with the advent of Flash Calling Authentication (FCA). FCA uses missed calls as a quick, user-friendly way to authenticate transactions without requiring manual input of codes sent via SMS like traditional One-Time-Passwords (OTP). Its popularity, especially in the banking and e-commerce sectors, is set to soar with an estimated 130 billion flash calls by 2026—a 185,000% increase from 2021.
Voice firewalls are essential to monetizing flash traffic and preventing revenue erosion. They also act as a shield against threats like robocalling and grey route fraud, ensuring secure authentication, callerID integrity, and safeguarding users from fraudulent activity.
Advanced solutions such as Mobileum’s Voice Firewall address these challenges by integrating fraud management systems and leveraging protocols like, among others, STIR/SHAKEN. They enable operators to detect and block suspicious calls while ensuring legitimate communication is not disrupted. Regulatory measures like Do Not Originate (DNO) and Protected Numbers (PN) lists, Roaming status check complement these efforts, targeting spoofed calls at their root by automatically blocking calls from unassigned or unauthorized numbers. In dynamic domains, like voice security, the use of machine learning-based solutions is key to improve the accuracy of the complex algorithms used to identify fraudulent cal attempts from valid ones.
SMS Firewalls: Battle Against Smishing
The rise of SMS phishing (Smishing) and sophisticated malware like FluBot has highlighted vulnerabilities in SMS communication. With Smishing incidents increasing by 47% between 2021 and 2022, protecting SMS networks has become a priority for both operators and regulators.
SMS Firewalls form the first line of defense by analyzing message content, sender IDs, and embedded URLs to identify and block malicious messages. However, traditional firewalls have limitations, particularly against dynamic and evolving threats like shortened URLs or zero-day phishing sites. Advanced tools like Mobileum’s URL scanner enhance SMS security by performing real-time analysis of URLs included in SMS content, scoring their reputations, and blocking harmful messages before they reach consumers.
Regulatory measures like Sender ID Registry add another layer of protection. By allowing businesses to register their sender IDs, it ensures only verified sources can send messages under these IDs, effectively blocking impersonation attempts by fraudsters.
A Converged Strategy: Operators and Regulators Join Forces
While technology solutions like Mobileum’s Voice and SMS Firewalls are crucial, the fight against telecom fraud requires a unified strategy involving both operators and regulators. Operators provide advanced technical solutions to detect and block fraud in real-time, while regulators establish frameworks to address systemic vulnerabilities.
Regulatory initiatives ranging from blocking spoofed calls through CLI Call Blocking to establishing SMS Scam Filters provide a regulatory backbone for operators’ technological efforts. This dual approach ensures both proactive and reactive measures are in place, reducing harm to consumers and restoring trust in telecom services.
Conclusion: Protecting the Future of Telecom
As fraudsters continue to exploit vulnerabilities in voice and SMS communication, the telecom industry must remain vigilant. A converged strategy that combines technological innovation with regulatory intervention is essential to tackling these threats effectively.
Voice and SMS firewalls, integrated with advanced analytics, AI, ML, and regulatory safeguards, offer a robust solution for protecting subscribers, revenues, and the integrity of the telecom ecosystem. By working together, operators and regulators can stay ahead of the curve and ensure a secure, trusted communication network for all.
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