Woman declining a call from an unknown number

Robocalls have become a new menace for anyone with a phone. It’s estimated that between 3-5 billion robocalls are made each month, a shocking and frustrating statistic. Sometimes these calls are even spoofed, mimicking the area code of your hometown or even the full number of someone you know. The FCC has been working for over two years to find a solution to this problem, and they’ve settled on STIR/SHAKEN as a more precise version of Caller ID.

What is STIR/SHAKEN, and how can it help your small business? Keep reading to learn more!

SHAKEN, not STIRred

STIR and SHAKEN, which work together to create a framework of interconnected standards, are each acronyms that describe their intended use. STIR stands for Secure Telephony Identity Revisited. It creates a sort of virtual signature that allows the customer’s identity to be verified. From that point on, SHAKEN (Or Secure Handling of Asserted information using Tokens) deploys that signature over different carrier networks.

It’s the natural progression from the caller ID we’ve known since 1968. Only this process is more secure and harder to use for fraud.

How Does STIR/SHAKEN Work?

STIR/SHAKEN works to verify identities through a digital signature that makes sure the person calling is exactly who they say they are. It does this through a six-step process that goes as followed:

A SIP Invite is sent to the VoIP and/or originating provider, starting the process of verifying the call and sending it forward.
The initiating service provider assigns an Attestation Level to the call source. The level assigned depends on how much of the source call can be identified.
A SIP Identity Header is created for the source call that contains the caller and recipient’s phone numbers, as well as a timestamp and the Attestation Level.
The receiving service provider gets and decrypts the SIP Identity Header, proving the identity of the source call.
The SIP Invite and Header are verified through spam databases and certificate repositories from other providers
If verified, the previous service sends the SIP Header back to the terminating end, allowing the other party to receive the call.

It’s a complicated process, but thanks to the speed and efficiency of the STIR/SHAKEN system it is all done in a matter of moments. With these added layers of protection, you can stick to only answering the calls that matter to your business.

While we have noticed a huge uptick in spam calling over the past couple of months, in the long run these new protocols should greatly reduce them in the near future. If you are frustrated by the amount of these calls you are receiving currently, we do have some solutions available to you with some minor programming of your current phone system.

VOIP Experts in Portland OR & Vancouver WA

To learn more about all the ways VoIP technology can enhance the productivity and privacy of your business, contact us today!