Glossary
Verification through the mobile network, with no code typed.
Used on IAM engineers
Silent network authentication verifies a user by checking, with their mobile operator, that the request comes from the SIM tied to their phone number. The check happens over the cellular data connection, so the user never sees or types a code.
Buyer’s guide
There is no single best alternative for every flow. Passkeys are the most widely standardized phishing-resistant option and are accepted by NIST at AAL2. In-app approval on a registered device is what UAE and Singapore banks moved customers to. Carrier network checks are useful risk signals, and SIM-based cryptographic methods are emerging. Most organizations combine two or more.
Explainer
Carrier-based authentication verifies a user through their mobile operator instead of sending them a code. The simplest form checks that a request comes from the SIM tied to a phone number; stronger forms use cryptographic keys held in the SIM to sign the request.