Account recovery is an attacker pathway
How support tools and device-change shortcuts undo carefully designed step-up authentication on fintech products.
Product teams invest in step-up challenges for login and device change. Attackers invest in the recovery desk, the admin panel, and the “trusted contact” exception that never made it into the control inventory.
In account takeover pathway audits, we treat recovery as a first-class journey. Can a support agent reset credentials without a second reviewer? Does a successful recovery automatically lift payout holds? Are challenge failures visible to fraud ops the same day?
Happy-path diagrams look reassuring. The gaps sit in the tools that exist so customers can get help quickly. Closing them means aligning support permissions with fraud policy, logging overrides, and holding payouts when recovery risk signals fire.
If your diligence pack shows MFA screenshots but not recovery evidence, expect hard questions. Innovativeapi maps those pathways so risk and product can fix them before volume or scrutiny rises.