Caller ID spoofing can undermine trust in business communications and expose customers to fraudulent calls. For telecom providers, STIR/SHAKEN offers an important line of defense by helping authenticate caller identity information before calls reach their destinations.
However, no single authentication framework can eliminate every form of telecom fraud. The strongest security strategy combines STIR/SHAKEN with identity verification, call analytics, access controls and network monitoring. For carriers and communications infrastructure providers, this layered approach helps strengthen caller trust while improving visibility into suspicious activity.
PeeringHub's STIR/SHAKEN Certificate Authority and certificate repository capabilities are relevant components of this broader authentication infrastructure.
Establish Caller Identity Through STIR/SHAKEN Authentication
Verify the caller before trusting the number
STIR/SHAKEN uses digital signatures and certificates to help receiving providers verify caller ID information. The framework communicates how confidently an originating provider can attest to the caller's authority to use a telephone number.
The three attestation levels provide different degrees of assurance:
A — Full attestation: The provider has authenticated the customer and verified their authority to use the calling number.
B — Partial attestation: The provider knows the customer but cannot fully verify their authority to use the number.
C — Gateway attestation: The provider is handling the call as a gateway without fully authenticating the original caller.
These distinctions help receiving networks interpret authentication results. However, even a valid signature and full attestation do not guarantee that a call is harmless. A legitimate customer account can be compromised and a verified caller can still make unwanted calls.
Example: A financial institution receives two calls claiming to come from the same organization. One passes authentication while the other presents inconsistent caller identity information. STIR/SHAKEN results provide useful evidence for evaluating both calls, but additional fraud controls are still necessary.
For telecom providers, accurate attestation is the starting point of a layered security strategy rather than its final safeguard.
Combine Authentication With Real-Time Call Analytics
Identify suspicious behavior beyond caller ID spoofing
STIR/SHAKEN helps establish whether caller identity information has been authenticated. It does not independently determine whether the caller's intentions are legitimate.
This is where call analytics adds another layer of protection. Analytics systems can evaluate authentication results alongside calling patterns, number reputation, traffic volume and known fraud indicators.
TransNexus, for example, offers solutions that combine STIR/SHAKEN verification with call analytics and configurable call treatment policies. These capabilities can help providers identify suspicious traffic and determine whether calls should be allowed, flagged or diverted.
Consider a business number that passes STIR/SHAKEN verification but suddenly generates thousands of calls to unfamiliar destinations. Authentication confirms the validity of the signed caller identity information, but the unusual traffic pattern may indicate account compromise or misuse.
A layered analytics workflow can help teams investigate the behavior rather than automatically trusting every authenticated call.
Useful signals include:
Unusual call volume or calling frequency.
Sudden changes in destination patterns.
Repeated calls associated with reported fraud.
Unexpected traffic originating from customer accounts.
Authentication failures combined with suspicious calling behavior.
Combining these signals creates a more complete assessment of call risk than relying on a single verification result.
Protect Certificates, Private Keys and Provisioning Systems
Secure the infrastructure behind authentication
STIR/SHAKEN depends on certificates and cryptographic keys. If these assets are poorly managed, the authentication framework can become vulnerable to operational failures or unauthorized use.
Telecom providers should protect private signing keys through appropriate access controls and secure storage. Certificate issuance and renewal workflows should also include authorization checks, monitoring and auditable records.
PeeringHub provides STIR/SHAKEN Certificate Authority services and certificate management tools, including certificate issuance through an ACME-based workflow. Its platform also provides a certificate repository for hosting public certificates needed during verification.
These functions support different parts of the authentication process. A certificate authority issues certificates while a repository makes public certificates accessible to systems that need to verify signed calls.
Providers should implement several complementary controls:
Restrict private-key access to authorized systems.
Monitor certificate expiration and renewal status.
Validate certificate chains and certificate-to-key correspondence.
Review certificate issuance and revocation activity.
Secure API credentials used for provisioning.
Test signing and verification after infrastructure changes.
For example, if a certificate expires or its public certificate cannot be retrieved, a receiving network may be unable to verify the call's signature. Proactive monitoring can help identify the issue before it affects a larger volume of traffic.
Strengthen Network Boundaries and Interconnection Security
Maintain trust as calls cross multiple providers
A call may pass through an originating carrier, one or more intermediate providers and a terminating carrier before reaching the recipient. Each stage introduces operational considerations that can affect the preservation and interpretation of authentication information.
The US regulatory framework requires intermediate providers to pass authenticated caller identification information onward in SIP calls without alteration, subject to specified exceptions.
Network security should therefore include interconnection controls that monitor how authentication information is handled across provider boundaries.
Practical measures include checking SIP Identity headers, validating certificate retrieval paths, monitoring unexpected signaling changes and investigating recurring authentication failures by route.
For example, an originating provider may sign a call correctly but a downstream gateway may introduce a signaling problem that prevents the receiving network from verifying the signature. Route-level monitoring helps operators determine where the failure occurred.
Providers should also maintain clear procedures for working with upstream and downstream partners. Effective coordination helps distinguish genuine authentication failures from network configuration problems and suspicious traffic.
A secure network is only as dependable as its ability to maintain appropriate trust across the connections that carry its traffic.
Use Layered Fraud Prevention and Access Controls
Apply multiple safeguards instead of relying on one signal
A multi-layered telecom security strategy combines authentication with controls that address different attack methods. STIR/SHAKEN focuses on caller identity authentication, while other safeguards help identify suspicious behavior and protect network resources.
A practical security architecture can include:
Identity verification: Confirm customer identities and authorization to use telephone numbers.
STIR/SHAKEN: Authenticate caller ID information and verify signed call data.
Call analytics: Detect unusual traffic patterns and potential fraud.
Access controls: Restrict access to signing systems, customer accounts and provisioning APIs.
Traffic monitoring: Identify abnormal call volumes and suspicious routing behavior.
Incident response: Investigate alerts and coordinate remediation across affected systems.
These layers address different risks. For example, STIR/SHAKEN may authenticate a call from a compromised business account while traffic analytics detects that the account is behaving abnormally.
This approach follows a defense-in-depth principle: when one control cannot identify a threat, another may provide the evidence needed to detect it.
Compare Telecom Security Solutions and Measure Performance
Choose complementary technologies that fit your network
Telecom providers can combine specialized authentication services with broader fraud prevention platforms. The appropriate configuration depends on their existing infrastructure and operational requirements.
PeeringHub provides STIR/SHAKEN Certificate Authority services, public certificate hosting, certificate inspection and API-based certificate management. These capabilities are relevant to the certificate and authentication infrastructure layer.
TransNexus offers STIR/SHAKEN signing and verification alongside call analytics and configurable call treatment. Its approach is relevant to providers seeking to combine authentication results with fraud detection and call handling policies.
Rather than treating these platforms as interchangeable, carriers should evaluate which security functions they need and how those functions integrate with their current network.
Track security outcomes with meaningful metrics
A layered strategy should be evaluated using operational evidence. Providers can monitor authentication success rates, certificate retrieval failures, suspicious traffic alerts, confirmed fraud incidents and incident response times.
For example, if authentication failures decrease but confirmed fraud incidents remain high, the provider may need stronger analytics or account security rather than additional certificate infrastructure alone.
Regular reviews help teams identify gaps and prioritize improvements based on actual network behavior.
Conclusion: Build Telecom Security Beyond Caller ID Authentication
STIR/SHAKEN provides an important foundation for reducing caller ID spoofing, but effective telecom security requires more than verifying digital signatures. Combining authentication with call analytics, certificate protection, network monitoring and access controls creates a more comprehensive defense against fraud and operational threats.
For telecom providers, the priority is to ensure that each security layer addresses a distinct risk while working with the others to improve visibility and response.
Strengthen your telecom authentication infrastructure with PeeringHub. Explore its STIR/SHAKEN Certificate Authority services, certificate repository and developer tools at www.peeringhub.io!
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