Stripe’s fraud prevention and security capabilities have matured significantly over recent years. What once looked like “turn on Radar and you’re protected” is now a multi-layered ecosystem involving AI-driven risk scoring, customizable rules, manual review workflows, analytics, and compliance signals such as 3D Secure (3DS) and PCI DSS.
This article explains:
- How Stripe Radar has evolved and how its different tiers relate
- How 3DS and liability shift affect fraud strategy
- What PCI DSS means for merchants using Stripe
- Where GhostAudit fits into this evolving landscape
1 Introducing GhostAudit
GhostAudit is designed to work alongside Stripe’s fraud and security capabilities, helping teams ensure that their configuration aligns with both best practices and actual payment behavior.
Many businesses rely on default Stripe Radar configurations, but default protections are generic and may not cover specific business risk profiles. GhostAudit analyzes your historical Stripe payments to identify patterns of risky approvals that slipped past configured protections, and helps you refine your rule set accordingly.
2 Stripe’s Radar Evolution: From Built-In Protection to Advanced Customization
Stripe Radar is Stripe’s real-time fraud detection and prevention system. It uses machine learning models trained on data from all Stripe users to assess each transaction’s risk and take appropriate action such as blocking, reviewing, allowing, or challenging a payment. oai_citation:0‡Stripe Docs
Stripe Radar has evolved into a platform with several tiers:
- Radar (standard) — baseline fraud protection for all Stripe users
- Radar for Fraud Teams — advanced rule customization, analytics, and manual reviews
- Radar for Platforms — tools for platforms and marketplaces managing connected accounts oai_citation:1‡Stripe Docs
Learn more about Stripe Radar in the official documentation:
👉 https://docs.stripe.com/radar
Key Trends in Stripe’s Fraud & Security Roadmap
1. Expanded Built-In Intelligence
Stripe continues to enhance its built-in fraud intelligence by combining:
- AI-driven risk scoring
- Signals like IP, device, and verification results
- Global network behavior patterns
These built-in protections reduce initial setup effort, but defaults remain generic and may not fit every business’s risk profile. Default rules alone often don’t prevent all risky transactions without tailored custom rules.
2. Customization via Radar for Fraud Teams
Radar for Fraud Teams enables businesses to take control of their fraud strategy by offering:
- Custom rules based on many attributes (e.g., IP, card data, behavior signals)
- Manual review workflows
- Tunable risk score thresholds
- Analytics dashboards for performance monitoring oai_citation:2‡Stripe
Stripe provides guidance on improving fraud management using Radar for Fraud Teams together with Stripe’s data tools:
👉 https://stripe.com/guides/improve-fraud-management-with-radar-for-fraud-teams-and-stripe-data
This tier is essential for businesses that need precise risk controls rather than relying solely on generic defenses.
3. Emphasis on Analytics and Network Insights
Radar analytics dashboards provide insight into your fraud protection performance, including:
- Fraud and dispute rates
- Rule effectiveness over time
- Trends across risk segments
Official Stripe docs on analytics are here:
👉 https://docs.stripe.com/radar/analytics
While analytics show what happened, they often don’t reveal why risky approvals occurred — especially if rules were misconfigured or absent. GhostAudit focuses on surfacing such gaps.
3 3DS, SCA, and Liability Shift Trends
3D Secure (3DS) is an authentication protocol used to reduce fraud by verifying the cardholder’s identity (e.g., via OTP or biometric challenge). Many regions, including the EEA under PSD2 regulations, require 3DS as part of Strong Customer Authentication (SCA). oai_citation:3‡Stripe Docs
Stripe supports 3DS natively and uses it to:
- Reduce fraud
- Enable liability shift, where issuers assume liability for authenticated transactions
- Allow exemptions and low-friction flows when risk is low
3DS should be viewed as a strategic risk tool rather than just a compliance checkbox. GhostAudit helps identify where requiring 3DS in your history would have been most effective.
4 PCI DSS: What It Means for Stripe Merchants
PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) is an industry security standard that defines how companies that process, store, or transmit cardholder data must protect it.
At a high level, PCI DSS focuses on:
-
Protecting cardholder data
- Avoid storing unnecessary card data
- Use tokenization so your systems don’t handle raw card numbers
- Encrypt data in transit and at rest
-
Securing systems and networks
- Use firewalls and segmentation
- Patch software and dependencies
-
Controlling access
- Limit access to only what’s needed
- Use strong authentication and unique user IDs
-
Monitoring and testing
- Log and monitor security events
- Conduct periodic vulnerability scans
-
Policies and training
- Maintain documented procedures
- Train teams on secure data handling
When you use Stripe’s APIs and hosted payment flows, Stripe handles the most sensitive card data, significantly reducing your PCI DSS scope. However, you are still responsible for:
- Secure integrations (correct API usage, no sensitive logging)
- Access control and credential management
- Any additional card data handling you perform in your systems
PCI DSS compliance is an ongoing process, not a one-time certificate.
5 How GhostAudit Fits Into This Picture
GhostAudit aligns with both Stripe’s fraud tooling and PCI DSS principles:
- Least-privilege design: GhostAudit uses read-only API keys with minimal access requirements
- Detecting real-world gaps: It identifies risky transactions that slipped through due to missing or misordered rules
- Transparency and documentation: Clear reporting helps align fraud strategy with compliance and risk expectations
GhostAudit doesn’t replace Stripe’s protections — it helps ensure you’re actually using them effectively.
6 Maintaining Fraud and Security Over Time
Fraud patterns and compliance expectations evolve over time. Treat fraud prevention and PCI DSS adherence as ongoing processes.
A practical cadence might include:
Monthly or Quarterly
- Review Stripe Radar analytics and trends
- Evaluate GhostAudit findings
- Adjust rules and thresholds
Annually
- Reevaluate your PCI DSS scope
- Audit access controls and integrations
- Run a full GhostAudit audit as part of your security review
Related Reading
- Why Stripe Radar Still Lets Fraud Through — Why default configurations allow risky approvals.
- Stripe AVS, CVC, and 3DS Explained — and Where GhostAudit Fits In — How core fraud signals interact with Radar protections.
Want to See How Your Stripe Setup Is Actually Performing?
GhostAudit analyzes your Stripe payments to show where risky approvals are being approved despite protections — and recommends improvements backed by your real transaction history.
