The Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) has changed the face of communication as we know it. The lack of infrastructural requirements, high productivity, and efficiency along with the sheer affordability of VoIP is what has made it a favourite amongst businesses.
As rightfully quoted, “With great power, comes great responsibility”, the advent of cloud communications & VoIP technology has shaken the world and the sudden transition from Old telephonic systems to the cloud communication has also opened the door for online security threats also.
In order to safeguard one’s work, it is of utmost importance to pay heed to online security threats related to the cloud communication and the onus of this falls on both the cloud communication provider and the customer.
1. Call Tampering
Call tampering actually involves the tampering an ongoing phone call. Mostly, such attacks cause more nuisance than damage as attackers often ruin the sound quality by injecting the sound packets containing too much noise.
The hacker may cause the disturbance in the calls by injecting the packets and even cause a mute situation by holding the sound packets. Even if it isn’t as dangerous still it harms the brand reputation.
Big companies often reserve all numbers similar to their business phone numbers to curb this problem. It is recommended for small companies to keep their customers in the loop and beware of any suspicious activities.
2. Phreaking and Eavesdropping
In phreaking, an attacker breaks into the VoIP phone lines and gain access of all services being delivered by the cloud communication provider. The VoIP phone phreak, then, may use these services for illegitimate usage like making multiple calls, adding extensions, and routing the business calls wrongly.
In eavesdropping, a hacker can tap into an ongoing VoIP call and listen to the important information like employee names, passwords, financial data like credit card or bank account information, phone numbers, and other data.
The attacker uses this information to access billing information, the administration portal, call plans, and others. It can ultimately result in VoIP service theft, identity theft, and corporate sabotage.
3. Man-in-the-middle Attacks
Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) Attacks are more sophisticated than other cloud communication threats like call tampering, phreaking, and eavesdropping. In a MITM attack, a hacker (mostly a person) inserts itself as a relay or proxy between the server machine and the caller.
The attacker may show itself either as a real caller to the server or as a server to the user. It intercepts all traffic between the system and the user, manipulates the data whenever required, and play the pre-recorded messages.
It becomes very difficult to detect a MITM attack or to remove it as direct access to the switches, it’s configuration and other hardware is required at the server end.
4. Denial of Services Attack
In a DoS attack, hackers overwhelm the company’s systems with calls and flood the system to weaken the connectivity or the services offered. The users of the services in the meanwhile are unable to access their data, this is done by slowing down the measurable resources like bandwidth and processor power.
Essentially it is used to handicap the company for a small duration of time, to gain administrative control of the computer and network systems, which further leads to demanding ransom money.
Such attacks are usually executed from specific IP addresses, so a trusted firewall can help to detect and block them. DoS Attacks can also be detected on the IP PBX through Network Behavior Analysis.
There are special firewalls designed for VoIP networks to filter out calls which seem to be a potential threat and helps redirect them. The VoIP service provider along with the telecommunication sector together can combat this problem.
5. Malware and Viruses
Mostly the users have to install a software like a softphone in their computers and browsers to access the services offered by the Cloud Communication Providers. These applications are prone to virus and malware attacks like other computer programs.
Having and maintaining antivirus software or firewalls helps in combating this threat. Companies providing VoIP services do ensure that their customers get access to unified threat management software which also gives them antivirus protection.
Attackers are well aware of the loop holes in popular browsers and may use this information to enable the users to download dangerous software.
If you are concerned about online security threats while deploying cloud telephony services and how to safeguard your business, worry not! Servetel solutions abide by high-security standards, MD5 encryption passwords, and SSL 128-bit encryption keys.
Want to know more about how secure we are? Contact us on 1800-120-4132.
