SMS Essentials – Part 2: SMS Security And Why It’s Critical

There is no doubt that SMS marketing is one of the most efficient means for a business to gain customer success. It is cost-efficient and has a high open and response rate when compared to other marketing media. However, the risk of falling victim to cyber-security dangers is a very real threat for most businesses that plan on implementing SMS as part of their marketing campaign. As efficient as SMSes are to a company’s marketing campaign, ensuring that your customer’s data is not compromised should be of utmost importance to any organization.

Cybersecurity has opened many avenues for exploitation. Most businesses treat security as a luxury but in reality, it should be right on top of your business strategy. Businesses only realize post-breach the magnitude of damage a simple loophole could cause to them. Ensuring that you have all the parameters of your business fortified could be the difference between your success or your downfall. Let’s take a look at some of the ways your SMS strategy could be affected if security is not given importance. 

SMS Phishing

SMS phishing is one of the more obvious threats that could very easily derail an SMS marketing campaign. Unlike emails, SMSes do not have spam filters. Furthermore, most users are aware of email-based phishing and email providers have security measures in place for the same. SMSes, on the other hand, do not filter messages based on perceived spam risks or sender scores. Additionally, the URL padding makes it nearly impossible to verify the authenticity of links in an SMS. Given the number of people who communicate primarily through their cell phones, the chances of having someone browse through links sent via SMS is significantly higher than those sent through email.

Choosing the right platform for an SMS marketing campaign can make all the difference in ensuring your customer’s data remains secure. Since your customer’s data is directly tied to your business, here are a few ways that can help ensure their data is secure.

EVC SSL Certificates

This is the highest form of SSL certificates which provides encryption and data integrity. SMS providers who deal specifically with marketing campaigns usually have an Extended Validation Certificate (EVC) SSL to provide the highest level of security. Having an EVC in place for an SMS provider is not compulsory but as a business, choosing a provider that does, confirms how seriously they take customer security.  

SSL Certificates

Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) ensures a secure connection between a web browser and an SMS server. The tiny green padlock that appears on a browser when you click on a link you receive via SMS is the SSL. The SSL Certificate ensures the data shared between you and your customer is encrypted. It establishes a private connection between your web server and your customer’s browser. This makes it impossible for third-parties to meddle with the data shared and can also prevent message forgery. When choosing an SMS provider, ensure that they have the SSL in place.

Key Exchange and Cipher Strength

Key Exchange preserves the confidentiality of data during an exchange between you and your customer. Cipher strength refers to the strength of the SSL during this exchange. Key Exchange makes it possible for businesses to exchange highly sensitive information in large volumes across large geographical distances. The information exchange takes place over the internet and enables the transaction to be carried out securely. Since your SMS marketing campaign will involve sending out text messages in bulk to customers in various locations, finding as SMS provider with the Key Exchange and Cipher in place is a crucial factor.

Regular Penetration Testing

When choosing an SMS provider, businesses should do a bit of research on how often the SMS provider tests their security walls. Regularly testing their security walls ensures that there are no points of vulnerability in the system. Additionally, regular testing also makes sure that the SMS provider’s security measures are compliant with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).

Ensuring that your customer’s data is protected should be the primary point of focus to an SMS marketing campaign. Your customer data is the focal point of your business and finding a service provider who can be trusted with protecting this information is vital.