Knowledge-based Authentication Threat

Authentication

Fraud

Management

Phone Fraud

Knowledge based authentication

Neustar

Dec 05, 2019

Whitepapers

Knowledge-based authentication, or KBA for short, was designed to help prove the identity of a user through familiarity of specific details, such as a person's mother's maiden name, first elementary school, or first pet's name. While well-intentioned, KBAs have a number of shortcomings, which Neustar details in this paper. The document also describes a technology called pre-answer authentication and looks at its advantages over KBAs.

Some content is hidden, to be able to see it login here Login

Tagged:

Blue-tinted background of a man watching a webinar

Host a Webinar with the MRC

Help the MRC community stay current on relevant fraud, payments, and law enforcement topics.

Submit a Request

Publish Your Document with the MRC

Feature your case studies, surveys, and whitepapers in the MRC Resource Center.

Submit Your Document

Related Resources

Mar 13, 2028

MRC Vegas 2028 Join MRC Vegas 2028, the leading fraud prevention and payments event, 16-19 March at ARIA Resort & Casino, Las Vegas. Network with industry leaders and explore cutting-edge solutions in the payment processing space.

Mar 15, 2027

MRC Vegas 2027 Join the global payments and fraud prevention community at MRC Vegas 2027, 15-18 March, at ARIA Resort & Casino. Connect with industry leaders and gain insights to combat fraud and drive payment innovation.

Apr 13, 2026

MRC London 2026 Mark your calendar for MRC London 2026—the premier conference for payments and fraud prevention professionals. Gain exclusive insights from keynote speakers, join expert panels and fireside chats, and connect with global peers through meaningful networking and community engagement. Call for Speakers opens 16 September 2025.

Mar 16, 2026

MRC Vegas 2026 Save the Date for MRC Vegas 2026! Join us from 16-19 March 2026 at ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas for the premier payments and fraud prevention conference. Discover cutting-edge insights from industry leaders, engage in expert panels, and network with peers.

Jun 26, 2025

2025 MRC Annual Member Meeting Join us for a virtual gathering that puts you at the heart of MRC’s future. This is your opportunity to interact with MRC leadership, share your insights, and help guide the direction of our organization.

Jun 17, 2025

From BIN to Win: Smarter Payments & Stronger Defense + Ask Me Anything As the payments industry moves toward tokenization and away from traditional card numbers, BIN data remains a powerful—yet often underutilized—tool in the fight against payment fraud and chargebacks.

Jun 17, 2025

Rethinking Payments: How BIN Expansion Reshapes Fraud, Routing, and Conversion As the industry moves from 6-digit to 8- and even 10-digit BINs, merchants and payment providers must reevaluate key components of their payment infrastructure.

Jun 17, 2025

Why BINs Matter to Issuers—and Why Merchants Should Pay Attention Card issuers rely heavily on BIN data to make real-time decisions—determining card type, applying risk rules, managing authorizations, fulfilling regulatory requirements, and tailoring rewards programs based on card product or issuer-specific strategies.

Dec 05, 2023

DataDome - 2023 U.S. Bot Security Report DataDome's new study finds that a staggering 68% of US websites are unprotected against simple bot attacks, highlighting how vulnerable US businesses are to automated online threats. E-commerce sites are particularly exposed.

Aug 11, 2023

2023 UK Bot Security Report 2 in 3 UK Websites Are Unprotected Against Simple Bot Attacks.

Dec 05, 2022

2022 Southeast Asia Digital Commerce Insights While the region’s recovery after a turbulent period is well underway, businesses now find themselves in a more complex environment. How nimble and flexible is your business in adopting new payments to stay on top of market shifts and fraud risks? See how you compare.

May 17, 2022

2022 MRC Global Fraud and Payments Survey This illuminating report, produced by the Merchant Risk Council, Cybersource and Verifi, provides the latest industry fraud trends, fraud management methods, and payment strategies used by merchants globally, along with a robust set of performance benchmarks that can help with the optimization of payments and fraud management and prevention practices.

Jul 09, 2025

2025 Cardholder Dispute Index: Why Consumers File Chargebacks, Presented by Chargebacks911 Join Chargebacks911 for a first look at the 2025 Cardholder Dispute Index, a comprehensive survey of over 1,000 cardholders uncovering the real reasons behind chargebacks.

Jul 09, 2025

Solving Payment Puzzle for Global Travel Merchants: Unlocking New Opportunities Payments in the travel industry are uniquely complex, with a web of interconnected players — including GDS providers, IATA, acquiring banks, card networks, OTAs, PMS platforms, and agents — each playing a critical role in transaction journey.

Jun 25, 2025

Building Resilient Security Practices from Onboarding through to APP and Account Takeover  In this discussion, we'll delve into three critical topics that combine digital identity, customer journey, and fraud protection.

Jun 18, 2025

Protect & Engage: Achieving Fraud Control and Customer Trust at Every Touchpoint E-Commerce fraud is surging across Europe, with a 19% increase in 2024 alone—driven by more sophisticated attacks like account takeovers.

Jun 19, 2025

The common good: Creating an ecosystem of transactional trust Report on consumers and business leaders' preferences for shopping online and sharing data.

Jun 06, 2025

How to Keep Your Customers in a Multi-Acquirer World Our new whitepaper provides actionable insights, including input from industry experts, into how acquirers can better serve merchants through payment orchestration. It also explores the importance of interoperability in payments technology.

Apr 07, 2025

Use Case Primer: Sift for Card Testing Sift's Payment Protection solution detects and prevents card testing activities by leveraging machine learning models and real-time data analysis. Sift assists businesses by identifying and blocking card testing attempts before they cause harm.

Jan 31, 2025

GeoComply - Geolocation intelligence for financial security - Using digital signatures to proactively detect and block "pig butchering" facilities This whitepaper uncovers how geolocation intelligence can be a game-changer in detecting and blocking the increasingly sophisticated "pig butchering" scams targeting users globally.

View All Resources