5 Essential Pillars for Securing Enterprise Messaging Solutions

Amidst predictions of its demise and the emergence of OTT players, A2P messaging services remain the most ubiquitous channel for customer communication. The A2P SMS market is growing as it’s been proven an effective and reliable tool for critical communications during the tumultuous period of the pandemic when digital connection with customers became vital.

Along with the increasing use cases of bulk messaging services, the number of threats to A2P SMS is rising too. Smishing, SMS malware, grey routes, and traffic blending are the most common issues modern mobile network operators face.

However, the latest SMS firewall techniques and stringent regulatory regimes are developing capabilities to evade grey aggregators and other threats to enterprise messaging solutions. The SMS firewall market value is expected to reach $3.0 billion by 2025 from $2.2 billion in 2020, observing a CAGR of 7%.

Let’s look at some persisting security threats to enterprise messaging and how you can make it secure and hack-proof to realize long-term capital gains.

Security Threats to Enterprise Messaging Solutions

Grey Routes

The usage of grey routes often leads to unmonitored traffic, causing MNOs to lose profits and opportunities for other players to deliver A2P SMS at zero expense. The most common grey route is delivering A2P traffic via P2P links.

AA19 agreements requiring a ‘bill and keep’ commercial model make it possible. Although its original purpose was to make inter-networking easy for operators, it has also made it easy to deliver international traffic as roaming P2P. Another grey route example is local aggregators terminating international traffic to an MNO’s network at national rates by manipulating the sender’s ID.

Traffic Blending

A2P messaging services providers often find ways of acquiring SMS traffic among competitors involved in cooperation models. Only a few top-tier A2P SMS traffic generators have their conversion tracking platform. As a result, a significant part of the SMS traffic remains uncontrolled on the operator and hubbing side.

Some unprincipled A2P hubs take this opportunity to mix the SMS traffic, block part of the text, and stop them from being delivered to the MNO’s network. Eventually, traffic generators get fake delivery reports, while SMS hubs profit without incurring additional expenses.

SS7 Vulnerabilities

Although it is infrequent and complex to intercept SMS messages based on SS7 (Signaling System No. 7), it is not impossible. However deterrent SS7 is to hackers, some vulnerabilities are present, e.g., a message containing confidential information can be intercepted deliberately when the consumer is roaming. The message may then allow miscreant third-party to authorize payment without the owner’s consent.

Securing the Enterprise Messaging Value Chain for the Long-term

1. Setting the Right SMS Firewall Ruleset for Filtering & Blocking

Things become quite chaotic when the SMS traffic reaches the firewall because of the sheer notoriety and complexity of grey routing and unbillable messaging. Categorization and organization of this incoming traffic demand a set of filtering and blocking firewall rules. Filtering rules will cross-categorize and sort the traffic into A2P, P2P, national, and international.

Operators need to develop sophisticated firewall configurations to block illegitimate traffic, which causes spam and scams at the subscriber’s end. For instance, they can integrate URL blacklisting with lists provided by companies that maintain a register of phishing websites, implement a content filter to detect texts that induce malware download, etc. Since fraudsters constantly look for new bypass techniques and manipulations, operators and messaging providers must reconfigure the SMS firewall ruleset regularly.

2. Signaling Firewall to Monitor SS7 Traffic

A signaling firewall is another traffic defense node designed to detect and block SS7 vulnerabilities and SMS roaming interception. It uses various methods to identify the registration of a virtual mobile at an unprincipled VLR (Visitor Location Register). Some of these firewall techniques are velocity checks while roaming to new networks, blacklist/whitelist control, and elimination of addresses that facilitate rogue VLR.

It continuously monitors and protects the traffic on all the routes passing through international gateways to an MNO’s network edge. Operators can place a signaling firewall facing international circuits or a cloud service offered by SS7/IPX providers.

3. Thorough Testing

A comprehensive testing regime is vital to monetize A2P messaging services, as it helps reveal network vulnerabilities when just a few rigorous firewall rules are in place in the beginning. Besides, a continuous testing program will provide a better picture of evolving threats with frequent changes in traffic trends.

A wide-ranging database of manipulations and international services gained from testing allows operators to prioritize the traffic most relevant to their business. This database makes it easy to spot deviations in message contents and global titles, exposing the likelihood of non-compliant routes. As a result, an exhaustive testing program can help avoid revenue loss to under-protected P2P connections or SIM farms.

4. Clear Segregation of SMS Traffic

Segregating P2P from A2P is the key to the efficient functioning of the SMS firewall. Clear traffic segregation aids A2P monetization by enhancing the process of detecting and filtering malicious or spam messages. The segmentation allows the SMS firewall to identify messages by sources, whether the traffic is coming from a particular grey route.

The mobile network operator might not receive the actual value upon delivering the SMS traffic without segregation. A significant part of the international traffic might be mistaken for local traffic, priced at a considerably lower rate. Operators can use data analysis to divide traffic into unambiguous streams based on connection type, protocols, origins, and potential manipulation or threats.

5. AI and Machine Learning within Firewall and Monetization System

Operators can extensively use AI and machine learning in enterprise messaging solutions and SMS firewalls. It can help spot keywords, irregular usage, and patterns to identify, for instance, where SIM boxes divert traffic with forged identities. AI tools in bulk messaging services can support MNOs in blocking harmful content from their networks before it reaches subscribers.

Machine learning learns about the contextual meaning of the text to verify the authenticity and categorize it into different spam folders, such as account phishing, accident compensation scam, wipe-out debt spam, etc. Besides, manual management and classification of IDs, blacklists, whitelists, patterns, and spam can be difficult. Machine learning can handle this efficiently by leveraging a previously established set of rules and the history of blocked grey routes.

Keep your Subscribers Safe and Revenue Intact

MNOs increasingly find great monetary value in A2P SMS, recovering their revenue lost to other market players, such as OTTs. Enterprise messaging solutions deliver significant value to brands and their customers, but it depends on network security and how operators choose to deal with emerging threats to A2P traffic. A firewall setup with a strict rule set can be a way to protect the enterprise messaging value chain and revenues. However, operators must exercise security practices regularly to get the best results from SMS and signaling firewalls.

Broadband Telecom offers an AI-based, comprehensive SMS firewall solution for MNOs to monetize A2P SMS effectively by combating grey routes, spamming, network abuse, etc.