Industry · · 4 min read

Using Zero Trust to Reduce Fraud and Abuse

What does the zero-trust security model look like when it’s applied to online fraud and abuse? In this post, I’ll delve into how concepts from zero-trust can be used to fight fraud and abuse with higher accuracy and less user frustration.

Using Zero Trust to Reduce Fraud and Abuse
"The real threat often lurks in the shadows of what happens next—once a user has seamlessly slipped through the registration process"

In the online security space, the zero-trust security model is widely known as a best practice in cybersecurity. It is distinguished by providing continuous monitoring of activities, and not just relying on a single check for authentication. Never trust, always verify.

What does the zero-trust security model look like when it’s applied to online fraud and abuse? In this post, I’ll delve into how concepts from zero-trust can be used to fight fraud and abuse with higher accuracy and less user frustration.

The Frontline Defense: Sign-Up Checks

Think about the common defense against online fraudsters. At the point of sign-up, all sorts of checks are triggered — CAPTCHAs for stopping bots, IP checks for blocking data centers or applying Geo restrictions, device fingerprinting for detecting multi-accounting — together forming a robust shield. Yet, this shield doesn't always discriminate between friend and foe – it will occasionally block legitimate users and cause undue frustration.

Now, consider that a clean sign-up doesn't always equate to a legitimate user. The real threat often lurks in the shadows of what happens next—once a user has seamlessly slipped through the registration process. This is where more nefarious abuse typically starts.

A commonly held belief within online security is that CAPTCHA and other registration checks adequately resolve any fraud or abuse problem. This notion, while appealing in its simplicity, falls short when confronted with reality.

Fraudsters may take advantage of an application's features to perpetrate their deceit, perhaps weaponizing your invite function into a spam-producing machine or unleashing a torrent of spam content via your platform. The danger isn't just at the gates–it's also inside the walls.

Borrowing from the Zero-Trust Approach

What if, instead of just trying to stop bad actors at sign-up, and then letting users roam completely free once they pass this initial check, we extend our vigilance to a user's entire journey, applying continuous verification of sensitive actions? These sensitive actions will depend on the nature of your service–spanning activities such as publishing content, sending invitations, or sharing accounts.

By applying the zero-trust model to these instances, every sensitive action is scrutinized to ensure they adhere to expected user behavior, which will go on for the entire account lifecycle.

Identifying the critical event

Below are some concrete examples of problems where this model is applicable, across different platforms:

Hopefully this gives you some ideas and inspiration to start thinking about where to put additional safeguards in place for your own app. If you’d like to learn more about different forms of online fraud and abuse, check out this other article from our blog.

Trust progression

Adopting a "trust progression" approach, where you determine certain criteria that makes each account more trustworthy, can further enhance security. For example, newly created accounts can be subjected to stricter rules and limits, and vice versa. Over time, as a user's behavior proves trustworthy, their privileges can be upgraded, mirroring the zero-trust model's approach of increased privilege. Below are some factors that you could incorporate in your user trust model:

Conclusion

The zero-trust model has revolutionized cybersecurity by refusing to rest on a single point of authentication. We can incorporate this same level of vigilance and ongoing verification in the fight against online fraud and abuse. By focusing not only on the point of registration but also on users' behavior within the application, we can ensure a safer, more secure digital space for all.

Leveraging this continuous verification strategy is straightforward with Castle, which allows the implementation of checks for abusive in-app behavior as well as at the point of registration. Castle recently integrated with Segment to simplify this process even further. Why not employ a more robust strategy with our no-code Segment integration today?

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