STIR/SHAKEN Overview

Scope:

Overview of the STIR/SHAKEN protocol and attestation levels

Overview

STIR/SHAKEN is a suite of protocols and framework intended to reduce fraudulent robocalls and illegal phone number spoofing.

STIR/SHAKEN is a system that helps verify who is really making a phone call. It works like a digital stamp of approval on a call, ensuring that the number you see is genuinely from the caller. This technology makes it much harder for scammers to fake caller IDs, which means fewer unwanted spam or fraudulent calls reaching your phone.

1. STIR
    - Secure Telephone Identity Revisited
2. SHAKEN
    - Signature-based Handling of Asserted information using toKENs

STIR/SHAKEN was required by the FCC to be in use by June 30, 2021. 

Fun Fact:
 The name was inspired by Ian Fleming's character James Bond, who famously prefers his martinis "shaken, not stirred". STIR having existed already, the creators of SHAKEN "tortured the English language until [they] came up with an acronym."

Further Reading:

1. FCC - https://www.fcc.gov/call-authentication
   
2. Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STIR/SHAKEN
   

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STIR/SHAKEN Attestation Levels

Attestation Level A (Full)

1. The caller number is verified to be owned by us and is authorized to be on our servers and the call request came from our servers.
   
2. Service provider A to service provider B: "This is my customer. I gave them this telephone number. This call originated on my network.”
   
3. Usage:
   
1. Normal outbound calls from our network
   
   

Attestation Level B (Partial)

1. The caller number is verified to be on our servers and the call request did come from our servers, but the caller number is NOT owned by us.
   
2. Service provider A to service provider B: This is my customer. "This call originated on my network; however, I did not give them this telephone number.”
   
3. Usage:
   
1. Caller ID Masked calls from our network
   
   

Attestation Level C (Gateway)

1. The caller number is NOT verified to be on our servers or owned by us, but the call request did come from our servers.
   
2. Service provider A to service provider B: “This call originated outside my network.”
   
3. Usage:
   
1. Forwarded calls showing caller's Caller ID

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