Understanding the Hashes - Device Identification with SEON Device Intelligence

SEON’s Device Fingerprinting helps you collect and analyze detailed information about the devices accessing your service. This includes hardware and software settings that assist in identifying fraudsters and detecting suspicious activities. Instead of manually reviewing multiple configurations, SEON offers different hashes to quickly link seemingly unrelated events—such as multi-accounting attempts—saving you time, effort, and resources.

SEON Device Identification relies on the following technologies 

• True Device ID: Next-generation device identification technology that analyzes a combination of browser, device, and network signals to combine SEON’s main 3 identification hashes into one ultimate hash
• Additional identification hashes: Device and Browser identifiers
• Specific hashes: For enhanced fraud detection like spoofing hash or Math Hash

Learn more: See how SEON implements device fingerprinting in our dedicated overview.

A hash is a unique alphanumeric string generated from a device’s hardware and software configuration. These hashes help connect different transactions and users based on device characteristics. While a single hash match isn’t always conclusive proof of fraud, combining it with other detection methods strengthens your ability to flag suspicious activity.
 

True Device ID

SEON’s go-to solution for unique and persistent device identification.

For advanced identification, SEON has introduced True Device ID, a next-generation device identification technology designed to overcome limitations of traditional tracking methods like Cookie Hash, Browser Hash, and Device Hash for all platforms with Device Fingerprinting SDKs and plugins.

Additional hashes for Device Identification

• Device Hash – Identifies a device based on hardware specifications.
• Browser Hash – Tracks unique browser configurations.
• Cookie Hash – Identifies shared sessions through cookie-based tracking.

Specific Hashes for Enhanced Identification

SEON also calculates additional hashes to further refine fraud detection:

• Spoofing Hash
• Math Hash
• MIME Type Hash
• System Color Hash

By leveraging SEON’s Device Intelligence, True Device ID assigns a persistent and unique ID to each device, ensuring accurate recognition even when users try to hide their identity by using incognito mode, clearing cookies, or resetting their device. Unlike conventional identifiers, True Device ID analyzes a combination of browser, device, and network signals, making it highly resistant to spoofing and system tampering. Its benefits include:

• Enhanced fraud prevention, user tracking, and security.
• Provides a stable alternative to cookie-based tracking.
• Works across web and mobile platforms.
• Enables cross-device tracking without relying on outdated methods.
• Essential for businesses looking to improve fraud detection and user retention.

True Device ID’s Accuracy and Performance

True Device ID is a market leader in device tracking, yielding a 99.5% overall accuracy, and outperforming legacy methods with:

• 30% improvement over Browser Hash on the web.
• 15% higher accuracy compared to Device Hash on Android.
• 10% better accuracy than Device Hash on iOS.

Its high identification accuracy ensures that businesses can rely on True Device ID for fraud detection, user behavior analysis, and secure transactions.

Getting started with True Device ID

True Device ID is available from the upcoming Web SDK v6.5.0, Android SDK v6.6.0, and iOS SDK v5.5.0 by sending Device Intelligence sessions to-, and receiving true_device_id from  SEON’s Fraud API.

Admin Panel

• On transaction details you can find True Device ID on the device widget under the device identification section as the first identifier.
• On transaction filtering you can create new filters based on True Device ID just like any identifiers.
• Also you can add as a new column on transactions view to easily review the values ??in a filtered transaction list.

Scoring Engine

• You can create custom rules in the Scoring Engine with True Device ID. For both compare rules and velocity rules.

Fraud API

• True Device ID is also returned in the Fraud API response.

Device Hash

The Device Hash is a fingerprint based on a device’s hardware. It is the most persistent identifier since hardware is difficult to change in normal cases.

• Generated using multiple hardware-based data points selected by SEON.
• Identical hardware leads to the same hash.
• Recommended for fraud detection and blacklists.
• With iOS & Android SDK integration it is a unique identifier
• With Javascript SDK integration it is a unique identifier of the device specs and not for a single device

Integration Options:

• JavaScript SDK (for desktop & mobile devices)
• iOS & Android SDKs (for mobile devices only)

Browser Hash - JavaScript SDK (for desktop & mobile devices)

The Browser Hash is a unique fingerprint based on the browser’s profile, including hardware, network, and software configurations.

• Users with identical browser and device settings share the same Browser Hash.
• Clearing cookies or using incognito mode does not change the hash.
• Helps identify returning users and fraudsters.
• It has limitations when the software environment changes with the True Device ID you can achieve 30% improvement on device identification.

Tip: Flag suspicious Browser Hashes to monitor potential fraud.

Cookie Hash - JavaScript SDK (for desktop & mobile devices)

The Cookie Hash is a session-based identifier.

• If two users share the same Cookie Hash, they are likely using the same device and browser session.
• Unlike Device or Browser Hashes, this identifier is easier to change.

 Learn More: Explore additional device data in the SEON Device & OS widget.

Tip: You can flag a browser hash as suspicious.

SEON provides additional hashes to refine fraud detection and identification accuracy:

• Spoofing hash - A hash made from detected fingerprint spoofing attempts. It only has a value if some form of spoofing is detected. Useful to identify the same configs like bots.
• Math hash – Uses unique mathematical operations to distinguish devices.
• MIME Type hash – Differentiates browsers based on media handling capabilities.
• System Colors hash – Analyzes system-level visual settings for device distinction.

 Learn More: Explore additional device data in the SEON’s Fraud API response.

Learn more: See what other device information you can unveil with SEON in the Device & OS widget.

Using Hashes to Fight Fraud

By leveraging True Device ID, Device, Browser, and Cookie Hashes, SEON enables: 

• Faster fraud detection with automated monitoring.
• More precise decision-making using multiple device identifiers.
• Custom fraud rules to detect and prevent suspicious activity.

SEON includes default fraud prevention rules that use hashes to block common fraudulent behaviors. However, for maximum efficiency, businesses should customize rules based on industry-specific fraud risks.

SEON’s hash-based device fingerprinting identification provides a multi-layered fraud detection system. By combining these identifiers, businesses can track suspicious behavior, flag high-risk users, and prevent fraud before it happens.

• Devices & OS Widget
• Get started with Device Fingerprinting Rules
• Block multi-accounting with Device Fingerprinting
• True Device ID
• Fraud API docs