Enterprises tend to spent huge amount of time and
money on integrating VoIP with their networks. One aspect that is often
neglected is security. Many IT professionals believe existing security
protocols are enough, while in reality they aren't. New ways have been
recognized that are used to infiltrate the Voice Over Internet Protocol
network. Since VoIP phones are connected to the network and Internet as a
whole, it literally opens the door to intruders to infiltrate into the system.
Business telephone service stays secure when employed
on a separate network. But the issue with VoIP is the fact that telephones are linked
to the data network and components of the enterprise telephone system are
vulnerable to security threats. Although the new format in business telephony
is evolving at a fast pace, the attentiveness to security is not up to the
required standard. It has not been realized yet, but the aftermath of a
security breach can be tremendously devastating.
The reason why
VoIP systems make the network so vulnerable
Contrary to the traditional telephony system where voice
is transmitted over a single connection, which remains open until the call ends,
data transmitted over VoIP does not take the form of a single stream of audio.
Data packets along with email, web queries and remote access are transmitted
through various networks before reaching their destination and this means that voice
packets are effectively taken apart and put back together again. Some get lost
along the way and these missing packets are the ones that are intercepted by
hackers and the only way this can be tracked is through subtle degradation in voice
quality.
Call data in VoIP move through a variety of networks
and because of the fact these data can be located from anywhere, there is a lot
to worry about!The intruders might track and scan the web for the next call
stream to target.
Security Risks
of VoIP
There are multiple security risks that need to be
considered when setting up VoIP system and few of them are very subtle to be
noticed. It can involve a direct attack on the network and the aftermath can be
immediately felt. A large-scale network attack can have many disastrous results,
more realistically on a corporate scale that could severe communications
between employees, branch offices and clients. In case, a hacker working for a
terrorist network gets in, there could be massive upset.
One of the potent ways of preventing such disaster is by
restricting unauthorized access. Protection should be robust and similar to voice
systems as they are for the rest of the network. Encrypting voice traffic is a useful
strategy and this can be done by he Advanced Encryption Standard, IP Security, voice
and video-enabled VPN. Voice data can also be limited to a single VLAN, which
would limit the damage in case of an attack. Aside from full scale attacks,
there are some other risks to network and they are:
Financial theft
In case an intruder gets into the financial network or
banking system of the organization, they can bankrupt the company. It is
important to keep the account numbers secure. This reveals that authorized
access, encryption and security monitoring need to be everywhere in the
network.
Data access
This is probably the most important aspect which needs
to be taken care, especially for enterprises. In case of any data phishing,
competitors can seek an easy entry to the information on product launches, patents,
corporate acquisitions, customer account data that could be used against you. The
hackers can implement a strategy known as ‘call hijacking’ where a free Wi-Fi
hotspot is required and the hacker can easily access the sensitive information that
are discussed during the call.
Malware
Intrusion
The cyber criminals can inject malware and spyware in
the VoIP network. They can intercept a call using an unsecured Wi-Fi connection
and get it to run through their servers. The malware is added to the packets
and can then find its way into the destination network.
Assessment of security risks, a plan and proper policies
are required to secure VoIP network. Since these risks come from all sides, from
within the network as well as outside, proper policies for data applications
are important. Every VoIP network should have packet data encryption. This will
stop the hackers from accessing call traffic or redirecting it. Secure gateways
and firewall protection and employing multiple encryption layers help in warding
off unauthorized users. Transport Level Security is engineered to encrypt
calls; for encrypting communications between two specific endpoints, Secure
Real Time Protocol is effective. These help reduce risks of data theft or leaks.
Rishad Wadia is an avid blogger who pens down informative articles on business telecommunication needs. He is a regular contributor for Comtech Phones editorial where he shares his thoughts on different business telephone systems.
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