Understanding VoIP Security

No technology is without its flaws and same is themanagement boxes, these boxes are vulnerable to
case with the VoIP system. With increasing popularityhackers' attacks and viruses, this can have a down
and reliability, it has become prone to hackers. Sincefalling effect on an organization's reliability and cost
many things go through phone line, hackers canthem a lot of money for data retrieval and security
intercept private information. Since there has been noupgrading. Waiting for something to happen and trying
dangerous attack on an IP system yet, therefore, mostto solve the problem after that can be costly for an
customers of VOIP are more likely interested in costorganization and for its customers. Therefore, before
and quality than security. However, new securitymaking the move to VoIP, companies need to acquaint
devices are being developed with increasing securitythemselves with the security issues about this new
threats, which can be incorporated into all-in-onetechnology and plan protection in advance.
applications to protect whole information networks.Encrypting VOIP voice traffic, using Layer 2Tunneling
Such devices that protect the whole network reduceprotocol and Secure Sockets Layer, firewalls, and
individual expenses that are imposed by VoIP securityrestricting access by using an alternate for VOIP
threat.traffic are a few of the ways to cut any VOIP
VoIP converts analog signal to digital signals and sendsecurity issues. In addition a company should secure
them through internet. It opens up the telephonethe network by putting in place layers of security to
network to attacks from hackers, who can interceptprotect at all levels including servers, conversations,
and listen to phone conversations and steal sensitivecomputers, and telephones. Just as you protect your
information like credit card number and bank details.PC with virus software, firewalls etc similarly you can
They can even launch denial of service attacks andprotect a VoIP system with similar measures. L2TP
shut down an ongoing conversation, or send virus overacts as a 'data link layer protocol' for tunneling network
the internet to disrupt the services. The biggest threattraffic between two callers over the Internet. SSL
hackers are imposing is manipulation of VoIP networksallows client/server applications to communicate in a
for making free calls. Then there are some hackingway designed to prevent eavesdropping, tampering,
websites that let people to control the phone numberand message forgery. These techniques prevent the
that appears on the receiver's caller-id display this ishackers from capturing the information packets as
called caller-id spoofing. VoIP loges information on callthey pass through the internet.