Secure sessions

Secure Sessions create a “clean room” for collecting sensitive data like credit card numbers, Social Security Numbers, and PINs. The AI never sees the raw values, ensuring compliance with data privacy standards including PCI-DSS.

The problem

Traditional AI agents process all input through the LLM:

User speaks: "My credit card number is 4532-1234-5678-9010"
  ↓
STT converts to text
  ↓
LLM sees: "My credit card number is 4532-1234-5678-9010" ← SECURITY RISK
  ↓
LLM processes and stores in conversation history
  ↓
Data appears in logs, training data, and embeddings

This violates PCI-DSS requirements that prohibit storing unencrypted cardholder data.

The solution

Iqra AI’s Secure Sessions bypass the AI layer entirely for sensitive input:

User presses: 4-5-3-2-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-0-1-0 (DTMF tones)
  ↓
Deterministic engine captures keypad input directly
  ↓
Encrypts immediately (before any processing)
  ↓
Stores in variable: customer_card_number = "[ENCRYPTED]"
  ↓
Validation result sent to AI: "valid" or "invalid"
  ↓
LLM never sees the actual digits

How it works

DTMF input collection

Use the DTMF Input system tool with encryption enabled:

boolean

required

Set to true for secure data collection

string

required

Variable to store encrypted value

integer

required

Maximum digits (e.g., 16 for credit cards)

boolean

default:"false"

Require # key to finish input (recommended)

Example configuration:

{
  "NodeType": "ExecuteSystemTool",
  "ToolType": "GetDTMFKeypadInput",
  "EncryptInput": true,
  "VariableName": "customer_pin",
  "MaxLength": 4,
  "RequireEndHash": true,
  "Timeout": 10000
}

Variable isolation

Mark the variable as hidden from the AI:

{
  "Key": "customer_pin",
  "Type": "String",
  "IsVisibleToAgent": false,  // AI cannot see this
  "IsEditableByAI": false,    // AI cannot modify this
  "Description": {
    "en": "Customer's encrypted PIN (never visible to AI)"
  }
}

With IsVisibleToAgent: false, the variable:

Does NOT appear in the LLM system prompt
Does NOT appear in conversation history
Does NOT appear in embeddings or RAG context
Is NOT included in tool call contexts (unless explicitly passed)

Validation without exposure

Pass the encrypted value to your backend for validation:

Custom Tool: Validate PIN
  Input: {
    "encrypted_pin": "{{ variables.customer_pin }}"
  }
  ↓
Backend:
  1. Decrypts the PIN server-side
  2. Validates against stored hash
  3. Returns: { "valid": true }
  ↓
Set variable: pin_validation_result = "valid"
  ↓
AI Response: "Thank you, your PIN has been verified."

The AI only sees pin_validation_result (“valid” or “invalid”), never the actual PIN.

PCI-DSS compliance flow

Here’s a complete PCI-compliant credit card collection workflow:

Prompt for card number

AI Response: "Please enter your 16-digit credit card number using your keypad, followed by the pound key."

Collect encrypted input

DTMF Input Node:
  - EncryptInput: true
  - VariableName: "card_number"
  - MaxLength: 16
  - RequireEndHash: true
  - Timeout: 30000

Prompt for CVV

AI Response: "Now please enter the 3-digit security code on the back of your card, followed by pound."

Collect encrypted CVV

DTMF Input Node:
  - EncryptInput: true
  - VariableName: "card_cvv"
  - MaxLength: 4  // Support Amex 4-digit CVV
  - RequireEndHash: true
  - Timeout: 15000

Validate with payment processor

Custom Tool: Tokenize Card
  Input: {
    "encrypted_card_number": "{{ variables.card_number }}",
    "encrypted_cvv": "{{ variables.card_cvv }}"
  }
  Output: {
    "token": "tok_1234567890",
    "last4": "9010",
    "brand": "visa"
  }

Your backend:

Decrypts the inputs
Sends to payment processor (Stripe, Square, etc.)
Receives token
Returns token + safe metadata

Store token, discard card data

Set variable: payment_token = "tok_1234567890"
Set variable: card_last4 = "9010"
Set variable: card_brand = "visa"

// Encrypted card_number and card_cvv are never decrypted on AI infrastructure

Confirm with safe information

AI Response: "Thank you. I've securely saved your {{ variables.card_brand }} ending in {{ variables.card_last4 }}."

The AI speaks non-sensitive metadata only.

The encrypted card data is automatically purged after the session ends. Only the token persists for future transactions.

Security architecture

Encryption layer

When EncryptInput: true, Iqra AI:

Captures DTMF tones directly from the media stream
Converts tones to digits in-memory (never written to disk)
Encrypts using AES-256-GCM with session-specific key
Stores ciphertext in variable
Clears plaintext from memory immediately

Key management

Encryption keys are:

Generated per-session (ephemeral)
Rotated every 24 hours for long-running sessions
Never logged or persisted
Destroyed when session ends

Decryption handoff

Only your backend can decrypt:

Your Backend API (PCI-compliant infrastructure)
  ↓
Receives: { "encrypted_pin": "Xk7pQ9..." }
  ↓
Decrypts using shared secret
  ↓
Validates against database
  ↓
Returns: { "valid": true }
  ↓
Cleartext never leaves your PCI environment

Your backend must be PCI-DSS compliant to handle decrypted cardholder data. Use a certified payment processor (Stripe, Braintree) whenever possible instead of handling raw card data.

Variable visibility matrix

Variable Configuration	Visible to AI	Visible in Logs	Can Validate
`IsVisibleToAgent: true` `EncryptInput: false`	✓ Yes	✓ Yes	✓ Yes
`IsVisibleToAgent: false` `EncryptInput: false`	✗ No	✓ Yes (plaintext)	✓ Yes
`IsVisibleToAgent: false` `EncryptInput: true`	✗ No	✓ Yes (encrypted)	✓ Via backend

Recommendation: Use IsVisibleToAgent: false + EncryptInput: true for maximum security.

Common use cases

PIN verification

AI: "Please enter your 4-digit PIN"
  ↓
DTMF: Collect encrypted PIN
  ↓
Custom Tool: Validate PIN
  ├─ Valid → Continue
  └─ Invalid → Retry (max 3 attempts)

AI: "For identity verification, please enter your 9-digit Social Security Number"
  ↓
DTMF: Collect encrypted SSN (MaxLength: 9)
  ↓
Custom Tool: Verify identity
  ↓
Set variable: identity_verified = true
  ↓
AI: "Thank you, your identity has been verified."

Credit card payment

See PCI-DSS compliance flow above.

Account number lookup

AI: "Please enter your account number"
  ↓
DTMF: Collect encrypted account number
  ↓
Custom Tool: Lookup account
  ↓
Set variables:
  - account_exists = true
  - account_type = "checking"
  - account_balance = 1250.00
  ↓
AI: "I found your {{ variables.account_type }} account with a balance of ${{ variables.account_balance }}."

Even non-sensitive data like account numbers benefit from encryption to prevent social engineering attacks where attackers guess account numbers.

Best practices

Always use encryption for:

Credit/debit card numbers
CVV/CVC codes
Bank account numbers
Social Security Numbers
PINs and passwords
Health record identifiers (HIPAA)
Any personally identifiable information (PII)

Provide clear instructions

Users aren’t used to entering long numbers via keypad:

Good
Bad

"Please enter your 16-digit credit card number using your phone's keypad. Press the pound key when finished."

"What's your card number?"

User might try to speak it instead of using keypad.

Set appropriate timeouts

Longer inputs need more time:

4-digit PIN: 10-15 seconds
16-digit card number: 30-45 seconds
9-digit SSN: 20-30 seconds

Implement retry logic

While attempts < 3:
  Collect encrypted input
  Validate
  If invalid:
    AI: "That doesn't seem right. Let's try again."
    Increment attempts
  Else:
    Break
    
If attempts >= 3:
  AI: "I'm having trouble verifying your information. Let me transfer you to a representative."
  Transfer to Human

Confirm without revealing

Good
Bad

AI: "Thank you. I've securely saved your Visa ending in 9010."

AI: "Thank you. I've saved your card number 4532-1234-5678-9010."

Never speak back the full number.

Purge after use

Encrypted variables are automatically purged when the session ends, but you can also explicitly clear them:

After payment processed:
  Set variable: card_number = null
  Set variable: card_cvv = null

Testing secure sessions

Development mode

During testing, you can log encrypted values to verify collection:

{
  "card_number": "enc_AES256_Xk7pQ9mN4vL2...",
  "card_cvv": "enc_AES256_8tY3rP1nK5..."
}

Never enable this logging in production.

Test card numbers

Use standard test cards for validation:

Visa: 4532-1234-5678-9010
Mastercard: 5425-2334-3010-9903
Amex: 3782-822463-10005

Mock backend responses

Your Custom Tool can return mock validation during testing:

{
  "valid": true,
  "token": "tok_test_1234567890",
  "last4": "9010",
  "brand": "visa"
}

Compliance certifications

Iqra AI infrastructure is designed for:

PCI-DSS Level 1 - Payment card data protection
HIPAA - Healthcare information privacy
SOC 2 Type II - Security and availability controls
GDPR - EU data protection requirements

Your implementation must also be compliant. Use certified payment processors and consult with compliance experts before handling sensitive data.

Next steps

Script nodes

Learn about DTMF Input and other nodes

Action flows

Build validation workflows

Custom tools

Integrate with payment processors

Compliance

Security and compliance documentation

​The problem

​The solution

​How it works

​DTMF input collection

​Variable isolation

​Validation without exposure

​PCI-DSS compliance flow

​Security architecture

​Encryption layer

​Key management

​Decryption handoff

​Variable visibility matrix

​Common use cases

​PIN verification

​Social Security Number collection

​Credit card payment

​Account number lookup

​Best practices

​Always use encryption for:

​Provide clear instructions

​Set appropriate timeouts

​Implement retry logic

​Confirm without revealing

​Purge after use

​Testing secure sessions

​Development mode

​Test card numbers

​Mock backend responses

​Compliance certifications

​Next steps

Script nodes

Action flows

Custom tools

Compliance

The problem

The solution

How it works

DTMF input collection

Variable isolation

Validation without exposure

PCI-DSS compliance flow

Security architecture

Encryption layer

Key management

Decryption handoff

Variable visibility matrix

Common use cases

PIN verification

Social Security Number collection

Credit card payment

Account number lookup

Best practices

Always use encryption for:

Provide clear instructions

Set appropriate timeouts

Implement retry logic

Confirm without revealing

Purge after use

Testing secure sessions

Development mode

Test card numbers

Mock backend responses

Compliance certifications

Next steps