Regula updates Document Reader SDK to reduce the risk of identity theft

Liveness detection, both for individuals and their IDs, has become a cornerstone for a secure customer onboarding process. It is especially crucial in remote scenarios where document submission and verification are done via the Internet.

With 65% of organizations globally relying on digital document checks in their online identity verification workflows, robust anti-fraud measures cannot be overrated.

Responding to this growing need for additional fraud protection, Regula has released an update for its Regula Document Reader SDK. Thanks to improved neural networks, detecting and analyzing an identity document has become twice as fast. The software is now able to check dynamic security features that were previously eligible for verification in on-site scenarios only. These checks include, but are not limited to:

• Optically Variable Ink (OVI), which changes color depending on the angle of observation and illumination;
• Lenticular images, such as Multiple Laser Image (MLI) and Dynaprint, which consist of several initial images that appear depending on the angle of observation;
• Holograms, which reflect and form an image in reflected light when changing the angle of observation and illumination.

The updated Regula Document Reader SDK can reliably validate the authenticity of an ID by verifying such optically variable features. The solution employs advanced algorithms to analyze the presence of these features and images in documents, as well as their exact location, their content, and their liveness—e.g., changing colors, images, etc.—based on a specific document template.

All a user needs to do is show their ID in front of a smartphone camera, and the rest is technology. With advanced document liveness detection, Regula Document Reader SDK effectively prevents identity fraud and other types of fraud, such as printed photo attacks and screen replay attacks.

Apart from that, all the client-side data retrieved during liveness checks and verification sessions can be securely transferred in encrypted form to the backend client’s server. Captured document images, session video, RFID session data, document liveness session data, and other processing data can be used to re-process a verification session in a customer’s trusted environment.

This “zero-trust-to-mobile” approach adds an important layer of trustworthiness to the verification process, as it ensures that no data is manipulated by fraudsters while being transferred from mobile devices.

“Today, a mere $15 is all it takes to get an AI-generated ID — a golden ticket to illicit banking and crypto operations, and to circumventing anti-money laundering protocols. Amid this digital wild west, the necessity for document liveness checks has never been more critical. They serve as an essential counter-fraud measure, preventing identity theft and document tampering. By ensuring that a real document is being presented during onboarding, you can significantly enhance the verification process to prove that it is genuine and not a counterfeit or digital replica. That’s why we never stop researching and improving the functionality of Regula Document Reader SDK,” says Ihar Kliashchou, CTO at Regula.