Device Fingerprinting

Different online platforms and all sorts of businesses use device fingerprinting. For example, banks and fintechs use it to ensure secure transactions. E-commerce or iGaming platforms use device fingerprinting to detect bonus abuse. Other high-risk businesses, such as insurance service providers, use it as a fraud prevention measure to detect loan fraud and as a way to strengthen the Know Your Customer (KYC) process. 

A device hash is a unique string of characters that are generated by a device’s software in order to be later turned into a device fingerprint. They capture data points like the local date and time, GPU, operating system details, screen properties, and other hardware factors. A device hash also helps detect connections between unrelated user devices, which helps businesses prevent fraud and collect valuable insights about their network. 

A cookie hash is a unique identifier, hashed from the contents of a cookie, which is a small data piece containing information about the user and their actions, such as session data, personal details, or passwords. In the context of fraud prevention, cookie hashes help track user behavior and identify fraudulent patterns, such as multiple users sharing the same hash (which means that the same user can have multiple accounts that use the same browser and device). 

Cookies are stored on a user’s device and can be controlled or deleted, while device fingerprinting relies on certain device attributes, making it less user-controllable. For example, cookies are stored on a user’s device. In contrast, device fingerprinting doesn’t require storing data. Instead, it relies on the information the device automatically shares during interactions with apps or websites.

Computers or smartphones are devices that often use fingerprints, such as facial biometrics, as a way to maintain access control. One of the most popular examples of this is unlocking your phone using your face and ensuring that only you (a specific person) can control the device. 

Yes, device fingerprinting has many good use case examples and is considered to be a common practice in fraud prevention. For example, it can show when someone logs in from a suspicious device using mismatched attributes, such as an atypical browser, time zone, or plugin. Then, you can flag the user and block them as a way to prevent an account takeover (ATO) attack or unauthorized access to a network.