As originally published on TMCnet
By Peter Scott, TMCnet Contributor
Session Initiation Protocol (News – Alert) (SIP) has delivered us VoIP calling, which reduces costs while increasing what we can do with voice communications. Another gift from SIP is less welcome, however: Added security concerns when it comes to calling.
SIP is woefully vulnerable to cyber attack, an issue that businesses, consumers and the telecommunications industry in general are only now starting to consider.
“In the face of cyber-attacks from potential hackers, firewalls alone are not sufficient to protect a VoIP network,” noted a recent white paper on SIP by telecom technology firm Panamax.
The paper suggests that a multi-pronged approach must be taken against hacking VoIP traffic. SIP signaling and the media stream should be protected. Network access needs to have stronger authentication. Physical security needs to be beefed up, and awareness regarding the security vulnerabilities inherent in VoIP should be increased.
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