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Spoofing
Another hack that is well known in data networks is spoofing Also known as a man in the middle attack, spoofing requires hacking into a network and intercepting packets being sent between two parties. Once the IP address or phone number of the trusted host is discovered, hackers can use this attack to misdirect communications, modify data, or in the case of Caller ID Spoofing, transfer cash from a stolen credit card number.
SIP registration hijacking is a form of spoofing. Both of these spoofs, as well as other hacks such as eavesdropping, can be prevented by employing encryption techniques at the call set up phase. Today, the up and coming mechanism to achieve this is to send SIP messages over an encrypted Transport Layer Security channel. Putting these two protocols together forms the acronym SIPS.
There is no doubt that IP networks can be, and are, hacked into. Since a converged network consists of data and voice, VoIP is as vulnerable as any application to these disruptions, but with a downtime tolerance of no more than 5 minutes a year, such interruptions are considered intolerable for voice applications.
As of today, most of these security threats are not wide spread, and are presented here as a what could happen in the future scenario. Industry experts agree that as voice over Internet telephony becomes more wide spread, malicious hacking attempts are bound to follow.
These and other security threats can be prevented by a vigilant network staff, using all the known security precautions typical of an IP network. No VoIP solution is secure out of the box, and must be locked down by using common sense approaches, including but not limited to changing default passwords, closing down unused ports and services, utilizing firewalls and VPNs for network communications, and diligent intrusion detection.
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About the Author:
Author Michael Talbert is a certified systems engineer and web designer with over
7 years experience in the industry. For more information on VoIP Telecommunications
, visit the website VoIP-
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