What is 3-D Secure and Verified by Visa?

3-D Secure is an XML-based protocol, designed by Visa, in order to add an additional security layer for online credit card transactions. The service is offered to customers under the name Verified by Visa. The protocol has also been adopted by MasterCard, JCB and American Express with the services named SecureCode, J/Secure and SafeKey.
Access Control Server (ACS)
In the 3-D Secure protocol, ACS (Access Control Server) is on the issuer side (banks). Each card issuer is required to maintain an ACS used to support cardholder authentication. A customer authenticates to this ACS by providing their username and password and the ACS signs the result (success or failure). This signature is then passed through the customer’s browser and to the MPI. The merchant plug-in verifies the ACS signature and decides if it wishes to proceed with the transaction.

Merchant Plug-in (MPI)
The Merchant Plug-in (MPI) is installed on the acquirer side (acquiring banks, third party payment processors and merchants) to activate the cardholder interface during the authentication process. MPI identifies the account number and queries card issuer servers to determine if it is enrolled in a 3D-Secure program and returns the web site address of ACS if it is found.

How it works?

Below is a diagram of where the components of the 3-D Secure sit in and how 3-D Secure works.

What Idealink provides?

We’re authorize partner with Molla Technology to represent GPayments’ 3-D Secure ACS and MPI solutions, ActiveAccess and ActiveMerchant, are both certified by Verified by Visa, MasterCard SecureCode, American Express SafeKey and JCB J/Secure.

GPayments’ ACS solution, ActiveAccess, is a multi-factor authentication platform providing authentication services for issuing banks, enterprises, government and third party application service providers. It provides two major authentication solutions, multi-factor user authentication and 3-D Secure authentication for eCommerce transactions.

GPayments’ MPI solution, ActiveMerchant, is an online merchant authentication system for online merchants, acquiring banks and third party application service providers. It offers different implementation modules to meet different requirements.