Proxy and VPN detection enables businesses to safeguard against fraud by identifying users who use them. As more sophisticated fraudsters use proxy and VPN connections to hide their real identity, it’s critical that companies deploy detection capabilities that are able to identify these malicious connections so suspicious transactions and payments can be flagged for additional verification.

Proxies and advanced proxy detection API act as intermediaries between a user and websites, masking the original IP address and providing varying levels of privacy protection. Traditionally, these types of connections are identified through header analysis, but as more sophisticated proxies have emerged, many are no longer identifiable by traditional methods.

Advanced proxy detection APIs utilize multiple techniques to identifies these obfuscating connection types. These include fingerprinting, behavioral analysis, and machine learning to provide a more comprehensive approach to detection that balances effective security with recognition of legitimate uses for obfuscating connections.

These types of detection services can also help businesses to identify the true origin of a device, which is particularly important for detecting mobile devices, as they often connect to multiple internet networks throughout a day. This may include a home Wi-Fi, coffee shop connection, and even the user’s mobile network, which can provide valuable insight into the device owner’s behavior and intentions.

API for Detecting Anonymous IP Addresses: Improve Compliance and Security

To combat these increasingly advanced fraud tactics, many companies now incorporate advanced proxy detection into their applications and APIs. By leveraging the industry’s most comprehensive data set, these APIs can identify IP address connections with a high probability of malicious intent, including residential proxies, compromised devices, spammers, malware & spyware, and Tor exit nodes.