Understanding Voice over IP (VoIP)

One of the hottest technologies blowing through society these days is certainly Voice over IP (VoIP). Whether it’s in-house VoIP systems or systems for remote users, VoIP servers, soft phones, and other related elements have many vulnerabilities.

Many people haven’t thought about the security issues surrounding voice conversations traversing their networks or the Internet, but it certainly needs to be on your radar. Don’t worry, it’s not too late to do the right things, especially since VoIP is still relatively young. Just remember, though, that even if protective measures are in place, VoIP systems need to be included as part of your overall ethical hacking strategy on a continuous basis.

As with any technology or set of network protocols, the hackers are always going to figure out how to break in. Actually, given what’s at stake (phone conversations and phone system availability), there’s absolutely a lot to lose.

VoIP-related systems are no more (or less) secure than other common computer systems. Why? It’s simple. VoIP systems have their own operating system, they have IP addresses, and they’re accessible on the network. In fact, many VoIP systems house more intelligence — a fancy word for “more stuff that can go wrong” — which makes VoIP networks even more hackable.