{"id":7100,"date":"2021-11-10T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-09T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fraudlabspro.com\/resources2\/tutorials\/what-is-a-device\/"},"modified":"2026-05-28T16:40:39","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T08:40:39","password":"","slug":"what-is-a-device","status":"publish","type":"docs","link":"https:\/\/www.fraudlabspro.com\/resources\/tutorials\/what-is-a-device\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a device?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Overview<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In FraudLabs Pro, a device refers to the hardware that a buyer uses to visit an e-commerce site. It would mean a laptop, desktop, mobile, tablet and so on. And, each device will be assigned with a unique identifier using HTTP cookies for device validation tracking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Devices Are Identified<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Each device that visits an e-commerce site is assigned a unique identifier through the use of HTTP cookies. This process, known as device fingerprinting or device tracking, allows FraudLabs Pro to recognize and monitor a specific device across multiple sessions and transactions \u2014 even if the user logs out or clears certain browsing data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When a buyer first visits a merchant&#8217;s site, a cookie containing this unique identifier is stored on their device. On subsequent visits, FraudLabs Pro reads this cookie to confirm whether the device has been seen before, helping to build a reliable history of activity tied to that hardware.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Information Is Associated with a Device?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Below are information associated with a device:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>User agent<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>IP address<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Browser type<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Operating system<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>First visit time<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Device type<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Together, these data points form a more complete picture of the device, making it harder for bad actors to impersonate legitimate customers simply by changing their IP address or using a VPN.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Device Tracking Matters for Fraud Prevention<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Device tracking plays a critical role in identifying and preventing fraudulent transactions. Here&#8217;s why it matters:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Detecting suspicious patterns<\/strong> \u2014 If a single device is associated with multiple different accounts or billing addresses, this can be a strong indicator of fraudulent behavior.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Flagging high-risk devices<\/strong> \u2014 Devices that have previously been linked to chargebacks, fake accounts, or confirmed fraud attempts can be flagged automatically, alerting merchants before a transaction is approved.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Linking transactions across sessions<\/strong> \u2014 Even if a fraudster clears cookies or uses a different browser, certain device attributes may still allow FraudLabs Pro to correlate activity across sessions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Reducing false positives<\/strong> \u2014 On the flip side, a trusted device with a long, clean purchase history can help confirm that a transaction is legitimate, reducing unnecessary friction for good customers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Understanding what a device is and how it is tracked is foundational to making the most of FraudLabs Pro&#8217;s fraud detection capabilities. By assigning each piece of hardware a unique identifier and building a transaction history around it, merchants gain a powerful layer of protection against fraudulent orders while maintaining a smooth experience for genuine buyers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fraudlabspro.com\/resources\/tutorials\/what-is-device-validation\/\">Learn more about what is device validation<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Overview In FraudLabs Pro, a device refers to the hardware that a buyer uses to visit an e-commerce site. It [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"doc_category":[445],"doc_tag":[396],"class_list":["post-7100","docs","type-docs","status-publish","hentry","doc_category-device-validation","doc_tag-device"],"year_month":"2026-06","word_count":409,"total_views":0,"reactions":{"happy":0,"normal":0,"sad":0},"author_info":{"name":"Chris","author_nicename":"chris","author_url":"https:\/\/www.fraudlabspro.com\/resources\/author\/chris\/"},"doc_category_info":[{"term_name":"Device Validation","term_url":"https:\/\/www.fraudlabspro.com\/resources\/categories\/fraud-rules-and-validation\/device-validation\/"}],"doc_tag_info":[{"term_name":"device","term_url":"https:\/\/www.fraudlabspro.com\/resources\/tutorials-tag\/device\/"}],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What is a device? 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