How to Elevate Your Messaging Security with SMS Firewall and SMS Home Routing

With many new cybersecurity threats, SMS fraud continues to be one of the top priorities for telecom providers. In 2023 alone, BICS blocked 473 million SMS fraud attempts worldwide. The increasing sophistication of cyber threats has only highlighted the need for enhanced messaging security. In this blog post we’ll explore the most common SMS threat and key technologies—SMS Firewall and SMS Home Routing—that can help telcos safeguard their communications.

What Are the Common SMS Threats?

SMS fraud can take many forms, however the end goal is always financial gain. Either at the expense of the provider, misusing their assets for the fraudster’s advantage, or by scamming end-users into sharing their sensitive information and providing access to financial data. The estimated loss due to voice and message frauds is at $17 billion in 2028, urging telecom providers to employ new tools and technologies to secure their network. Among the most common threats are:

1. Spam and Phishing: Fraudulent messages designed to deceive recipients into sharing personal or financial information. More commonly called ‘smishing’ (SMS + phishing), this tactic relies on lack of options to check if the link is dangerous from the smartphone and disguising as trustworthy senders – spoofing.
2. Spoofing: Attackers impersonate legitimate entities, such as banks, global corporations, or government facilities, to send unauthorized messages. The Federal Trade Commission reported that 10% of all smishing messages were framed as if sent by the bank.
3. SMS Denial of Service (SDoS): Malicious actors can exploit SS7 protocol vulnerabilities to overwhelm the networks with excessive SMS traffic, causing disruptions and compromising the integrity and security of the system.
4. Content Hijacking: The perpetrators alter of message content, leading to misinformation or fraud. This way messages from legitimate senders can include a dangerous link or be injected with malware.

While these four threats are the most typical attacks, they are not the only ones posing a risk. To ensure their network is sufficiently secured, telecommunication providers employ a variety of tools designed to counter modern threats.

How to Protect You Network from SMS Attacks?

While it is nearly impossible to negate frauds, telcos can significantly reduce successful attempts with comprehensive network security solutions. Stable and effective network performance helps build a loyal customer base, minimize expenses, and build a foundation for further growth. Here are two main solutions Tietoevry experts recommend combatting SMS frauds.

The Role of SMS Firewall

An SMS firewall is the first line of defense against external threats. It acts as a robust barrier that ensures the security and integrity of your messaging infrastructure with real-life traffic monitoring and custom filters. Key features of an SMS firewall are:

• Spam Filtering: Utilizes advanced algorithms to detect and block unwanted and harmful messages.
• Content Filtering: Analyzes message content to identify and block phishing attempts, malicious links, and inappropriate content.
• Rate Limiting: Controls the flow of outbound and inbound SMS traffic to prevent network overload and ensure service continuity.
• Number Validation: Verifies that messages are sent and received from legitimate sources, reducing the risk of spoofing.
• Real-time Monitoring and Alerts: Provides instant notifications of suspicious activities, enabling swift intervention.

Set up according to the industry best practices and tailored to a specific network, an SMS firewall can cover most of the messaging threats targeted at the organization. Moreover, a combination of a firewall with AI/ML opens new capabilities of this tried and tested method.

The Role of SMS Home Routing

SMS home routing enhances security by ensuring that all SMS traffic is routed through the home network before reaching the recipient. This allows for additional layers of verification and filtering to safeguard the messages.

Key features of SMS home routing are:

• Centralized Control: Ensures that all SMS traffic passes through the home network, allowing for comprehensive monitoring and control.
• Increased Security: Adds an extra layer of verification to detect and block malicious messages.
• Enhanced Filtering: Introduces more sophisticated filtering of SMS traffic, reducing the risk of spam and phishing.
• Improved Delivery Assurance: Ensures that messages are delivered to the intended recipients without interception or alteration.

SMS home routing is an essential component of any network, that allows telecom providers direct SMS traffic with maximum security even when engaging with external networks.

The Synergy of SMS Firewall and SMS Home Routing

While potent each on their own, a single solution cannot guarantee the security of the telecom network. Firewall and home rooting work most efficiently when coupled with other technologies. When combined, SMS firewall and SMS home routing provide a comprehensive security solution for your messaging infrastructure.

Benefits of implementing both solutions:

1. Enhanced Security. Having both solutions provides a multi-layered defense against spam, phishing, spoofing, and DoS attacks. While the firewall addresses incoming potential threats and safeguards core network, home routing allows for better user data protection and secure message delivery.
2. Improved Compliance. Both SMS firewall and home routing are essential to meet industry standards and regulatory requirements for data protection and privacy, such as GDPR, GSMA SMS Fraud Prevention Guidelines, and SS7 and Diameter Signaling Security standards.
3. Increased Customer Trust. Telecom providers can increase customer loyalty by ensuring secure and reliable communications and addressing their concerns regarding spam messages and data protection.
4. Operational Efficiency. A robust security system reduces the risk of service disruptions and network overload, enabling seamless communication and stable performance.
5. Cost Savings. Proactive approach to threat detection minimizes the financial impact associated with fraud and network downtime by timely blocking malicious activities.
6. Growth Opportunity. Modern cloud-based SMS firewalls offer new capabilities, such as integration with virtualized network functions and containerization. As networks transition to 5G and beyond, containerized firewalls will likely become the industry standard thanks to their adaptability and ease of integration with modern network functions.

Telecommunication providers can enhance their service offerings by implementing SMS firewall and SMS home routing to protect their network infrastructure and provide secure, reliable communication services to their customers.

Conclusion

In today’s digital landscape, safeguarding your SMS infrastructure is more crucial than ever. By deploying both SMS Firewall and SMS Home Routing, you can significantly enhance the security of your messaging system, protect sensitive information, and ensure reliable communication services. Don’t leave your messaging infrastructure vulnerable—invest in Tietoevry’s advanced SMS security solutions today.