STIR/SHAKEN uses digital certificates, based on common public key cryptography techniques, to ensure the calling number of a telephone call is secure. In simple terms, each telephone service provider obtains their digital certificate from a certificate authority who is trusted by other telephone service providers.

STIR/SHAKEN is an industry-developed set of protocols and a governance model designed to stop the deluge of illegal robocalls to ensure the caller ID has not been spoofed.

STIR (Secure Telephony Identity Revisited) is a set of technical standards developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) to certify the identity of originating calls. SHAKEN (Signature-based Handling of Asserted information using toKENs) is a framework developed by the Alliance of Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) that focuses on the implementation of STIR within IP-based service provider networks.

SHAKEN introduces a governance model that designates the roles and responsibilities of the Policy Administrator (STI-PA) and Certificate Authority (STI-CA) and outlines who is eligible to receive certificates.

Implementation of STIR/SHAKEN is a multi-step process that can take up to a year to complete. Participating in the STIR/SHAKEN ecosystem requires carriers to register and obtain SHAKEN digital certificates and credentials that enable them to sign all originating calls with the appropriate authentication information. Deployment of all the software services along with potential network upgrades are needed to automate the management of the certificates.