In the physical world, fingerprints are a powerful tool to catch criminals and strengthen security. In the digital realm, Enhanced security with device fingerprinting technology is a similar tool that helps prevent criminal activity like account takeovers and identity theft by looking at intricate details of a user’s devices to understand their intentions. This is accomplished by analyzing the unique attributes and configurations of a device to create a digital fingerprint, which can then be used to determine whether an unknown device is attempting to access a website or system.

Pros & Cons of Device Fingerprinting

While cookies are used for various purposes, including saving login information, device fingerprinting allows websites to identify devices and track their behavior without needing to store anything on the device itself. This data is collected from a variety of sources, such as the device’s browser settings, operating system, installed fonts and plugins, and even the device’s screen resolution and color depth. This information is then compiled to create an identifier for the device, which is used to compare with known fingerprints in order to establish whether or not it has been recognized previously.

This process is extremely helpful for detecting unauthorized activities, such as fraudulent logins from unrecognized devices or suspicious transactions from known fraud hotspots. Furthermore, it can be used to monitor and alert IT security systems when a known device’s characteristics or behaviors change significantly. This enables them to immediately implement appropriate measures for increased security and mitigate risks.