How to Authenticate the Risk Inquiry Service

To preserve the security of Risk Inquiry Service (RIS) data, merchants must authenticate to Kount using an API Key when submitting RIS requests. API Keys are created within the Agent Web Console. Additional coding examples can be found in the SDK Guide.

API Keys are used to track and control permissions to Kount APIs and RIS. Rather than creating separate certificates for APIs and RIS, a single API Key can be used to manage both.

Create an API Key

API keys are required to authenticate to Kount when using RIS, making an API call, or for various system integrations. Each customer is assigned a 32-character hash key that acts as a password for their API calls. API keys are unique per customer and environment.

1. To open the API Key’s page, click the Admin tab, select API Keys. By default, no API Keys exist when the API Keys page is opened for the first time.
2. To create a key, click Create API Key in the lower right area of the table.
3. Log into the Agent Web Console.
4. Click Admin, and then click API Keys.
5. Click Create API Key.
6. Enter a Key Name, select your desired key permissions (typically RIS and API), and then click Create API Key. If the key is successfully created, a confirmation appears.
   
   Note: This key should be kept private. If the customer or Kount believes the API key has been compromised, a new key should be issued. For Kount Central customers, a third check box for Kount Central will be present under Key Permissions and available to be selected.
7. Once you have created the API Key in the Agent Web Console, send the custom header request to Kount. The value of the header is the API Key generated in the Agent Web Console.