Current threats to and technical solutions for voice security

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Current threats to and technical solutions for voice security

Collier, M.D.

While attacks against an enterprise's Internet connection receive the most attention, attacks against an enterprise through the voice network remain common. Attackers can bypass Internet-related defenses through access to unauthorized and poorly secured modems. The Internet itself, and an enterprise's Internet security policies and procedures, has made this issue worse by forcing "addicted" users to access the Internet through their Internet Service Provider (ISP). A typical enterprise, even one with modem usage policies and procedures, will have some number of unauthorized and/or poorly secured modems. Traditional techniques do not address this issue. Scanning and modem protection technologies assist in enforcement, but do not solve the problem. The ideal solution lies in applying concepts from the IP security network to the voice network. By deploying in-line security devices on all voice network trunk circuits, applications such as firewalls, integrated scanning, authentication, virtual private networks (VPNs), and intrusion detection can be applied. This approach provides the same level of protection and a familiar paradigm on the voice network, as is present on the IP network. In addition, because the voice network is billed based on usage, rather than bandwidth, this security device can support applications that provide a significant return on investment (ROI).