Seven signals on device context and user behaviour give banks and other institutions additional real-time input for their decisions, without replacing existing fraud detection systems
Zurich, 22 October 2026 - Swiss security company Futurae has introduced Trust Signals, a new product within its modular security platform. Trust Signals analyses context and behavioural data around the user in real time and delivers the resulting fraud indicators via an API. Banks and other digital service providers can feed these indicators into their existing fraud detection. Trust Signals can run standalone or alongside an existing authentication solution, whether from Futurae or another provider. Customers do not need to switch authentication vendors to use it.
The launch responds to attack patterns in which the login succeeds without error, and that is precisely what allows the fraud to go ahead. In a tech support scam, attackers pose as support staff and persuade their victims to install remote access software, then take over the session as soon as the victim has logged in. In the QR code trick, users unknowingly authorise someone else's session. Add to that MFA fatigue and spoofed front ends. Attackers also rely on social engineering during account recovery. In all of these cases, authentication confirms the right person. The key question therefore shifts from identity to whether a specific interaction can be trusted. Answering it requires information from the context surrounding the login. At the same time, the latest situation report from Germany's Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) points to a growing attack surface and a threat level that remains high.
Sensors on the device, decisions with the institution
Technically, the product is built on three tiers. Sensors capture raw data on end-user devices, embedded as an SDK in native apps or as JavaScript in the web front end. A network sensor adds IP and HTTP header information. This data reaches Futurae's backend via a Collection API, where the signals are computed. The customer's system, such as an IAM system or a core banking application, queries them in real time through the Signals API. Futurae handles the data analysis and signal computation, while the decision remains with the customer.
Seven signals are available at launch:
- Latest Proximity checks whether two of a user's devices, such as a phone and a computer, are physically close to each other.
- Historical Proximity records whether a device has previously appeared next to a known device.
- Geolocation determines the location from which a device is connecting.
- Geovelocity assesses whether a change in location was physically possible in the time elapsed.
- New Login Device reports when a device is used for the first time.
- Active Call detects an ongoing phone call during a security-relevant action, such as approving a high-value transaction. In banking, this is a common indicator of social engineering.
- Remote Access Tool identifies remotely controlled browser sessions based on mouse and keyboard patterns.
None of these signals triggers an action on its own. Interpretation and the resulting decision rest entirely with the institution, which can approve or hold the request. Reliability also varies by signal type. Some values are deterministic, while others are based on heuristics and behavioural models and can produce false positives. Some signals also require explicit consent from the end user, for example to access location data. In practice, this means Trust Signals adds to an institution's existing fraud defences rather than replacing them. If a signal is unavailable, the institution's established rule sets continue to apply.
"Authentication answers who someone is. Whether that person can be trusted at this particular moment remains an open question, because the context of the interaction is not part of the check. We provide exactly that context and leave the assessment to the institution, which knows its customers and its risk policy best," says Dr. Claudio Marforio, CEO and Co-founder of Futurae.
On the business side, Futurae aims to ease the load on fraud teams. The main goals are fewer manual reviews and a lower volume of support tickets. Trust Signals should also reduce the need for costly callbacks to customers. According to the company, integration effort is low and no existing systems need to be replaced.
The launch comes as regulation is noticeably tightening. Since January 2025, financial entities have been subject to the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA), which sets harmonised EU-wide requirements for ICT risk management.
With PSD3 and the accompanying Payment Services Regulation (PSR), another framework is close to formal adoption. It tightens fraud prevention obligations and redistributes liability. Institutions that cannot show they detect fraud early will bear the consequences more directly than before. At the same time, generative AI is changing the attacker side, as campaigns are launched faster and individual fraud patterns disappear more quickly.
Futurae plans to expand its range of signals at regular intervals, guided by the specific attack scenarios its existing customers face. For European institutions, the provider's Swiss base means data storage and processing remain within a legal framework closely aligned with EU law.
About Futurae
Futurae is a Swiss authentication provider offering a cloud-native platform for authentication and fraud detection. Founded in 2016 as a spin-off from ETH Zurich, Futurae is ISO 27001 certified and a member of the FIDO Alliance. With real-time fraud signals for smarter risk decisions, Futurae helps clients deliver seamless user journeys and context-based online security. More than 130 banks, insurers, online shops and digital wallets worldwide rely on the platform. For more information, visit www.futurae.com.