A device fingerprint is a unique code generated from various attributes of a computer or device, such as OS, ISP, and IP address. It can be generated passively or actively and is used to prevent fraud and ensure customer identity for purchases.
A device fingerprint is a string of numbers or other code generated based on a range of different attributes for a particular computer or other device. The idea behind this code is that the methods used to generate it are based on various settings and aspects of a machine, including such things as the operating system (OS), Internet Service Provider (ISP), and protocol address Internet (IP) for the machine and even hardware installed on the computer. A device fingerprint generated from these factors creates a unique code for that device, allowing security protocols to more easily identify fraudulent computer activity.
Much like a human fingerprint, the idea behind a device fingerprint is to have a reliable method by which a computer can be uniquely identified. The information used to generate this code is not transmitted directly through the code itself, so there is no violation of the computer user’s privacy. Instead, this data is simply used to generate enough information to create an identifier that should be unique. Many different methods can be used to generate a device fingerprint, although they usually boil down to passive or active means.
Passive methods of generating a device fingerprint rely on information that can be queried from a server or other host and received by the client system. This type of method is often used by online retailers and similar businesses to generate an identifier that is unique enough without interfering too much with the customer experience. Actively generating a device fingerprint, however, involves using software installed on a client system that then generates a fingerprint code. This method is more intrusive to clients, since software must be installed to generate the code, but it often creates a much more trusted and unique identifier by accessing more information about a computer or device.
Using a device fingerprint, online businesses can better prevent fraud and ensure customer identity for purchases. For example, many banks use powerful passive fingerprinting methods that may require customers to log in from the same machine in the same location or to follow certain procedures to reaffirm the customer’s identity. Online retailers often use fingerprints to verify a customer’s information, fingerprinting multiple transactions under different names through the same device, which usually flags these orders for further fraud investigation. Many developers of computer games and other digital media have begun using active device fingerprinting methods, often via digital rights management (DRM) software, to reduce piracy.
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