Sept. 10, 2024
Worried about online security and hackers? With identity theft and unauthorized log-in attempts on the rise, you need to take steps to ensure your private information remains secure. In this blog post, I'll cover sms verification, how to send sms verification code, and how you can use it to secure your app with two factor authentication. I'll go over a few different approaches, and the pros and cons of sms verification so you have a good grasp of how to implement it. By the time you're done reading, you'll know everything there is to know about sms verification, and you'll also be able to keep your users safe--and happy--while keeping hackers out of your app.
SMS verification is a critical piece of security that's used today to help companies and users prove and confirm their identity. They do this by sending a one-time code through a text message to the user's phone. The person trying to access the account then enters the code and is either verified or not. With the increase of cyber threats out there, SMS verification has become more and more critical for another level of security to help prevent unauthorized access.
SMS verification is generally used as part of a larger security protocol called two-factor authentication (2FA). This means users have to provide their user name and password and then a second form of verification, which in most cases is the SMS code. This is important because even if someone gains access to your account, they won't be able to do anything with it unless they also have your phone with the SMS code. As such, SMS verification isn't a nice-to-have, it's a must-have in the majority of cases when you need to verify the identity of your users in most applications, especially if it's finance related.
One of the best things about SMS verification is that it's fast and easy for the end user. It's really just a way for people to get codes sent to them via text on the one item nearly every person carries on them at all times. Users are verifying their own identity almost instantaneously and that is an excellent customer experience because users can verify in just a few seconds. And, with the GPS capabilities of smartphones, users can get codes no matter where they are in the world (even if they are roaming). That's why SMS verification is still the go-to for many customer-first companies.
But SMS verification is good, but it's not great. In the world of SMS, detractors like to highlight the weaknesses of the protocol, particularly due to how mobile networks work and their susceptibility to hacks and other online threats. For example, SIM swapping lets attackers take over a user's phone number and receive SMS verification codes that are supposed for the real user. Because of this, companies that use this method need to be aware of these weaknesses and have other security in place to help protect customer data and identity.
In a world where identity verification is increasingly important, SMS verification is a critical safeguard to help keep unauthorized individuals out and keep personal information private. When they do this, businesses help block a common method that fraudsters use to steal sensitive information. They know that risks exist with SMS verification, but if used in combination with other security methods, SMS can be a beneficial tool to improve their security. When they do this, a business not only makes its own user accounts more secure, but also helps protect the availability and reliability of the digital services their customers depend on. 28% of smartphone owners have lost their phone before.
Sending an SMS to verify your users' identity is the new basic for enhancing web security. Verifying identity by text helps protect companies' sensitive information and keep unauthorized users out of accounts. Discover the different methods of SMS verification so you can employ them to establish (or reinforce) your own authentication flow!
Inbound SMS verification is a cool way to help keep user accounts safe. Instead of logging in with a username and password alone, users logging in with SMS verification will enter a code sent to the mobile device they registered when they signed up for the account. When they receive the message, they'll enter the code in a special field. This extra step adds an additional layer of security that ensures the user trying to access the account really does own the mobile number they signed up with! And that someone else can't easily get in.
The best thing about inbound verification? It's user-friendly and intuitive! Most people are already familiar with receiving and entering SMS verification codes, so it's easy to understand and quick to get used to. But there's a catch. What happens if someone does a SIM swap? Then they could potentially take over the user's phone number and intercept any incoming messages. Companies will need to remind users frequently to protect their own phone numbers in this case.
You can also send an SMS verification code to a user. In this case, the business will send a unique one-time code to the phone number you've provided and you'll need to enter it. It's usually 6 digits (I used to think 4 digits until I got locked out of my Apple account one time and found out the hard way that it's 6 digits) and it expires, so you have to enter it right away to complete your verification.
It's useful for sign-ups, password resets, or anything you want to be extra secure. It will also help you to build trust with your users, who will appreciate the added layer of security when using sensitive information or completing transactions. But you will definitely need a good SMS gateway and service. You don't want codes being delayed or not sent at all or your users will be angry and have low user satisfaction.
You can send SMS from your phone number using the Twilio API or the Amazon SNS API and let developers automate the whole SMS verification process to make it faster, more reliable, and less prone to human error or unsecure code delivery routes.
Using APIs, you can incorporate SMS into your application and scale your SMS verification process to hundreds of thousands of users with ease.
This not only improves the user experience, but also streamlines your operational workflows. For example, instead of manually sending and monitoring every SMS, companies can programmatically trigger SMS in response to user actions, resulting in a better user experience, while still communicating information securely through timely and relevant messaging.
Use multichannel verification to authenticate with methods other than SMS—like email or voice—in addition to (not in place of) SMS. The more opportunities users have to verify, the more personal and secure their experience will be. Users can have codes sent to them however they like—by SMS, email, or voice that reads the one-time code to them.
This is especially useful when users are unable to access their mobile device or have communication preferences. For example, high-value transactions in banking may see increased user adoption with multichannel, as users feel safer in knowing they can prove who they are in multiple ways. It's not only a more secure ecosystem, it's providing a personalized experience by allowing the user to prove who they are in the way that's easiest for them.
Letting users choose their own verification methods is an empowering experience and can often result in higher satisfaction. Whether they send SMS verification code, receive an email to confirm, or take a phone call, having the choice empowers people to make the verification experience work best for them.
It's never been more important than it is today. In an age where consumers increasingly value their privacy and security, companies who put different verification options in the hands of their users increase their engagement and compliance, and they show understanding and a user-first philosophy in action. Which, in the end, makes your business look quite good to the people who use it. Because, really, all it's doing is giving the user choice and being open (and in my experience, those are the two most powerful ways to make someone trust you). Plus, effective SMS verification can be used to make your online transactions and interactions more secure. By putting things like inbound and outbound SMS verification, and APIs and multi-channel availability into place, the people who use your system can feel as safe using it as possible.
SMS verification is a common way to secure online payments and account access. As we weigh the pros and cons, it's important to consider its impact on security, user experience, and in general, how much it really protects an account.
One of the biggest pros to SMS verification is that it's widely accessible. Nearly everyone has a phone that can receive SMS messages, so auth codes are very easy for users to obtain instantly. Instant access is crucial, especially for people who don't have email or app access. In many cases, receiving a verification code by text is a fast, familiar process that doesn't require any technical knowledge which we all appreciate.
It's an ideal solution for places where smartphones are rare. Because of SMS, you can cover different devices in different locations, creating security that works for just about anyone. For example, someone without a smartphone can still do secure transactions, still manage their account, etc., with just a dumb phone, making it more inclusive.
I like that I can also send an SMS verification code for added security. After I type my password, I also have to type the code I receive from the SMS. This is two-factor authentication (2FA) and it becomes more difficult for someone to login to my account, because they would need my phone in addition to my password.
It's a good control for helping to prevent unauthorized access, especially with phishing attacks, where someone's password could be compromised, but the second factor of SMS verification would not be. It reduces the risk of an account being taken over. However, it isn't a silver bullet, and you should still practice caution with SMS verification, as it is considered a weak security measure against more advanced cyber threats.
SMS is a breeze for end users. The process of receiving and entering a text code is so easy and quick. It's refreshing for recipients who don't have to download an app to do it, or take extra steps to access it—meaning they can get in and get on with it fast for logins or other transactional actions.
As a channel, SMS is usually concise and utilitarian, meaning users don't have to follow any complex instructions. This makes it especially effective for keeping the authentication flow simple and creating a great user experience. People tend to like what they're used to, and what's low on effort, and SMS verification scores on both fronts.
With all these benefits, you might be wondering, why isn't everything under the sun secured with SMS verification?
The reason for that is there are some big drawbacks to SMS verification. One of the main drawbacks of SMS is that messages can be intercepted. There are many ways that hackers intercept messages, including SIM swapping and phishing, to get access to your phone number, and from there, it's not hard to receive the SMS verification codes, making it less secure than we'd like.
In a SIM swapping attack, a hacker tricks a mobile carrier into transferring a phone number to their device, and they'll be able to receive all messages and calls intended for the original user. This is a large security hole, and in a lot of cases, SMS verification isn't ideal for securing important accounts and transactions.
The other big downside to SMS verification is that it relies on the user and their mobile device. If a user loses their phone, or if their phone is stolen, they're out of luck. They won't be able to access their accounts. Meanwhile, international travelers won't have access to their phones or their verification method, so they could be locked out of their accounts or unable to complete transactions, leading to frustration and a poor user experience.
Users changing numbers or carriers can also be an issue. Keeping this information updated can be a pain and cause delays. All things that make you wish you were using an alternate method in tandem with SMS verification.
So what's the point of using SMS verification at all, what's the better alternative? FIDO2 doesn't use your password at all. It uses public key cryptography. It's an increasingly popular second line of defense for businesses to offer their customers. That way, even if your password is stolen, the bad people still can't get into your account.
So businesses should tell customers what's wrong with SMS, and make sure they know what else is out there. But if SMS is easy and accessible, why would businesses stop offering it? And why would customers stop using it to protect themselves online?
In today's digital age, keeping users safe and happy is the name of the game. SMS verification is a simple and effective way to verify your end user's identity, but there is a right way and a wrong way to do it. Here are a few best practices to keep in mind to ensure it's effective and secure.
While SMS verification is a great way to secure a user's account, you'll want to pair it with a strong password policy. Strong passwords are your first line of defense against unauthorized access, and when paired with SMS verification, it's a layered security model that becomes very difficult to compromise.
For instance, in the real world, many web platforms will force you to have a "complex" password. This often means that your password needs to be a mixture of upper and lower case letters, numbers, special characters, etc. They may also have things like password expiration and a lockout after a certain amount of failed logins. This means that brute force attacks are impossible, and it'll force the user to change their password every so often. Combine this with SMS verification, and you have a secure account.
Sending an SMS is great, but it's only one piece of the puzzle. You also need to make sure your users understand why you're sending it, and what security implications are involved for them - how to keep their phone number safe, and how to be cautious (i.e., sim swapping, phishing, etc.)
A user-friendly education program aimed at teaching your users best practices for securing their SMS is a great way to do this. You might send educational emails, write educational blog posts, or use in-app notifications to teach your users. They'll be accountable for their account's security, by knowing how to report an issue or unauthorized access, and how to notify you if they change their phone number. As an added bonus, you can also teach them how to enable 2FA for your app, so they can take the next step to protect their account.
You can also send an expiry with your SMS one-time passwords (OTPs) to reduce the likelihood that they'll be intercepted. When you only make your SMS verification codes valid for a short time, it means that when you send a code, your user has to be ready to use it right away—and that attackers have a much smaller window to try and use that code.
For example, you might make your SMS code expire in just 5-10 minutes. You only have to wait 5-10 minutes until you can enter the SMS code and be on your way. Plus, when you let your user know that you've sent a new OTP and that the previous one is no longer valid, it's another way to be transparent. You're saying "hey this is the new code. The old code won't work. Go go go!" And when you keep doing this... you're conditioning the user to understand that you're actually using this measure.
Validating the phone number in advance can help ensure that when you send an SMS code, it's both secure and efficient. If you've validated the phone number and ensured it's correct and properly formatted, you can be confident it's the same number you verify later on.
That's because you can compare the phone number when they enter a code you've sent to their phone to prove they have access to it. This not only helps reduce errors during verification, but also helps maintain data integrity. And if you've formatted the phone number in international format, you're already protected against local regulations, and your verification is already more likely to work.
When implementing SMS verification, it's crucial that you select a reliable SMS gateway provider. Look for providers with a good security track record and reputation for reliably sending messages.
A reliable provider will offer security features like end-to-end encryption to ensure your SMS are sent securely and delivery features so you know they were delivered at all. They'll usually support different channels (voice, SMS, etc.) and have lots of customizations so you can dial in the service to exactly what you need. By doing a little legwork to find a good gateway provider and using a high performer that reliably delivers messages, you can rest assured that your SMS verification is reliable and your users will have a good experience.
SMS verification is a useful security measure for your application. It verifies that the person logging in is really who they say they are by sending them a one-time code via text message. It's good for two-factor authentication, which is really important especially for sensitive things like online banking so that people can't just steal your password and log into your account. It's easy to implement and use and user-friendly, but there are a lot of big flaws, like an attacker can just intercept your text message and log into your account, or they can just do a SIM swap and then they'll have your phone number instead of you. Because of all of these flaws, you'll need to pair it with strong password policies, and also educate your users so they don't fall for phishing attacks, and also have other security measures in place. There are different categories of SMS verification, like inbound SMS, outbound SMS, sending SMS through APIs, and multi-channel. You'll want to do all of these so that you can have a complete security program. With robust SMS verification and other security measures in place, you can really protect your users' accounts from being compromised in a time where getting hacked is more of a 'when' than an 'if.'
SMS verification is a security method that sends the user a one-time code via SMS to their phone to confirm their identity. This helps prevent unauthorized access, particularly for high-stakes transactions like online banking, and ensures the person trying to log in is actually the account owner.
SMS verification is a key component of 2-Factor Authentication (2FA). It's an added layer of security that demands a user provide something they have (the code sent via SMS) in addition to something they know (their username and password), making it significantly harder for attackers to gain access to an account, even if they have the user's credentials.
There are a lot of ways to achieve SMS verification! You can use Inbound SMS verification, where users enter a code they've received after they log in. Or Outbound SMS verification, where codes are sent during key actions like account creation or password reset. You can use API-based sending, which takes care of the whole verification process for you. You can use multi-channel verification, which gives you the option to verify users with email or voice calls. You can use user-defined methods to let the user choose how they'd like to be verified.
SMS verification is super accessible--most people have a phone that can receive text messages, so it's something they have and are used to using. It's more secure--just an added layer in verifying your identity (in addition to passwords), so you're even less likely to get hacked and phished. And lastly, it's so easy that it makes for a good user experience.
SMS verification isn't secure. There are lots of ways an attacker could intercept SMS verification, from SIM swapping, where an attacker takes control of a user's phone number and receives the verification code, to just losing a mobile and then being locked out of your accounts. That's just a few of the reasons why SMS verification is so insecure.
For best results in SMS verification, companies should have strong password policies and educate their users about security risks. They should also have expiration policies for one-time passwords (OTPs), validate phone numbers before sending codes, and use a dependable SMS gateway provider. Taken together, all of these steps will make your verifications secure and speedy.
Teaching folks not to share their telephone number, what to watch out for in scams and showing them how to use two-factor authentication can have an enormous impact on security. Educational efforts can raise awareness about threats like SIM swapping and phishing so that folks recognize the danger and know what actions they can take to protect themselves.
In addition to SMS verification, other methods of security include things like FIDO2, which is based on public key cryptography and is much more secure. There are other methods like authenticator apps or biometrics to eliminate the reliance on mobile networks, which would offer a much stronger defense against unauthorized access.
a smartphone displaying an SMS verification code to send sms verification code
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