Building a Secure User Identity Authentication Portal for Digital Banking

In today’s digital era, secure identity verification is a top priority for financial institutions and government entities. Recognizing the need for a streamlined and secure way to authenticate users remotely, Squealock Systems partnered with a leading financial institution to develop a user Authentication Portal. This portal enables users to verify their government-issued documents through a secure online platform, authenticated by bank representatives, allowing them to open accounts without visiting a branch. This document highlights the scope, process, challenges, and outcomes of this user authentication portal project.

The primary goal was to create a secure, user-friendly portal that supports online identity verification with minimal friction. The following features were included in the project scope:

User Authentication:

- Secure Login: Username/password combination with Two-Factor Authentication (2FA).

Document Upload and Verification:

- OCR Integration: Users can upload scanned copies of government-issued documents (e.g., ID cards, passports). The portal extracts and validates the data using Optical Character Recognition (OCR).

- Document Status Updates: Users receive real-time updates on their document verification status.

Real-Time Video Call Authentication:

- Secure Video Calls: Users can initiate video calls with bank representatives for real-time verification.

- Facial Recognition: AI-powered facial recognition technology compares the user’s face during the call with the photo on their government ID.

- Deepfake Detection: Advanced algorithms detect and prevent deepfake attempts to ensure the authenticity of the user.

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

- Different roles (e.g., bank representatives, administrators) have specific access levels, ensuring data security and operational efficiency.

Reporting and Analytics

- Automated Reports: Generate reports on the number of verifications, success rates, and flagged issues.

- Audit Trails: Comprehensive logs of all user and admin activities to ensure accountability.

- Conducted stakeholder interviews to gather detailed requirements and understand the bank’s existing infrastructure.

- Defined the project scope, timelines, and key deliverables.

- Developed use cases for various user roles and workflows.

- Created wireframes and high-fidelity prototypes for the portal’s user interface (UI) and user experience (UX).

- Designed the backend architecture to support scalability, performance, and security.

- Reviewed the design with stakeholders for feedback and approval.

- Built the portal using a microservices architecture to ensure modularity and scalability.

- Integrated AI-powered facial recognition and OCR modules for document verification.

- Implemented secure APIs for data exchange between the bank’s core systems and the portal.

- Conducted rigorous unit testing, integration testing, and user acceptance testing (UAT) to identify and fix bugs.

- Performed load testing to ensure the portal could handle high traffic without performance degradation.

- Verified compliance with data protection regulations, including GDPR.

- Deployed the portal in a high-availability cloud environment to ensure uptime and reliability.

- Provided 24/7 support for the first month post-launch to address any issues.

- Delivered detailed documentation covering portal management, maintenance, and troubleshooting.

1: Ensuring Security During Video Calls

Challenge: Real-time video calls posed a significant security challenge, as attackers could attempt to spoof identities using deepfake technology.

Solution: We integrated AI-driven deepfake detection and facial recognition technology to prevent spoofing attempts and enhance security.

2: Handling High Traffic Volumes

Challenge: The portal needed to handle thousands of simultaneous users during peak hours without downtime.

Solution: Deployed the portal on a cloud-based infrastructure with auto-scaling capabilities to ensure consistent performance.

3: Ensuring Data Privacy Compliance

Challenge: Handling sensitive user data meant strict compliance with GDPR and CCPA regulations.

Solution: We implemented end-to-end encryption, role-based access control (RBAC), and audit logging to protect user data and ensure compliance.

Enhanced User Experience:

The portal provides a seamless user experience, allowing customers to open bank accounts remotely without visiting a branch. The convenience also resulted in an increase in new customers by 20%!

Improved Operational Efficiency:

Automating the document verification process reduced manual effort for bank representatives, enabling them to handle more users in less time.

Scalable and Future_Proof Solution:

The microservices-based architecture and cloud deployment make it easy to scale the portal as user demand grows.

Cost Savings:

By automating identity verification and adopting a scalable infrastructure, the bank significantly reduced its operational and maintenance costs.

Increased Security:

Advanced security features, including facial recognition, deepfake detection, and encryption, ensure that the portal remains secure against evolving threats.