In this revolutionary age of the Internet, even a young child is mildly aware of VOIP and its uses. One of the most ground breaking invention of the 21st century is VOIP as it is possible to make free long distance calls. Why do people go for VOIP? It is due to reasons like flexibility, reliability, and above all the attractive cost effective features that come attached with this wonderful way of communication. When a new technology comes into place, security hazards too start to appear. If you think that VOIP is not vulnerable to such risks, think again.
Have you heard about “phreaking?” “Phreaking” is best described as unethically hacking into a VOIP service provider for the hacker’s own benefit. This is why many VOIP providers stress on Session Initiation Protocol. If it is encrypted, you can avoid “phreaking” from happening.
Eavesdropping is another major security peril where the hacker gains access to personal information like names, phone number and passwords to use them for his own personal gain.
To use VOIP, a computer that runs on operating system like Windows or MAC or LINUX is required. If your system is affected by viruses or malicious elements like spyware and adware, it is natural that VOIP will also be affected. This is where Denial of Service attacks take place. In such a situation, users will not be able to use the service for which he has paid for. One would be asked to go through unnecessary SIP call-signals. During this stage, hackers gain access to valuable information stored in your system.
The next VOIP-related hazard is SPIT, meaning Spamming Over Internet Telephony. If you receive sales calls that pretend to be voicemails, you can be sure that this is a form of a nasty SPIT attack. This is how a hacker can pour countless viruses and malware into your system. You might also have heard about “phishing” attacks. It is similar to phony websites that disguise themselves as genuine sites and tricking you into believing that you are remitting money into a reliable dealer, when it is only a bogus site you are dealing with. Similarly with VOIP, you would be asked to give away information like your username and password.
As there are security hazards that come with the advantages of using VOIP, one should think twice before switching to VOIP. Otherwise, if necessary precautionary measures are taken, using VOIP can prove to be a great experience.
Leave a Reply