voip networks

Is your VoIP network secure?

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 06:59:58 -0500

Got VoIP security? Well if you don't, this may be the year that you see the first serious attacks on your VoIP networks. It may also be the year that the forthcoming presidential election and Olympic games face serious hacking attacks. The year 2008 is expected to be dominated by security issues, and that is no surprise. While you may not be anywhere near the Olympics, your systems may feel the impact of an attack. You may think you have the very best security, but you may not. Also on tap are Storm-like botnets with decentralized command-and-control structures that make them much tougher to stop, said Craig Schmugar, researcher at McAfee. "Storm is a trend setter," Schmugar said of the infamous botnet that traces back to a network attack launched one year ago. "A lot of the spam we see is coming across Storm-compromised machines." McAfee also predicts waves of malware looking for specific files and embedding themselves. It may not sound like the soap opera, "As the World Turns," but be prepared!

For more on this year's security threats:
- See Network World article

Opportunity vs. risk: Fixed-Mobile Convergence

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 20:01:38 -0400

The opportunity provided by fixed-mobile convergence--the delivery of voice, video and data across networks, integrating IP telephony and other applications into the network infrastructure--is potentially staggering. For enterprises, FMC will offer significant savings by allowing users with dual-mode devices to switch transparently between cell and WLAN VoIP connections. As a result, productivity is bound to rise. But before jumping in, consider the security implications. The threat of cellular devices is much greater when FMC is introduced, because FMC gives them access to IP networks. Many security companies have jumped into the fixed-mobile convergence security market, such as Check Point Software, Sipera Systems and Reef Point Systems, to address these issues. That's important, because traditional security solutions don't scale well for this environment. The sheer number of users, the rich mix of applications and the diverse types of carriers require highly customized solutions.

To learn more about security and fixed-mobile convergence:
- read the article at Computer Weekly

Related Articles:
VoIP networks can be difficult to manage. Report
vendors shoring up VoIP security. Report
Mobile security is Job One. Report

VoIP networks can be difficult to manage

Wed, 07 Feb 2007 19:01:38 -0500

Although Voice over IP (VoIP) is infiltrating the business world at a fast clip, many IT decision-makers don't have the personnel or internal skill to pro-actively manage VoIP networks. It's critical to gain these skills, as IP is being adopted as the protocol of choice in businesses, especially since IP network failures cause total communications failures in the enterprise.

Read more about the skills necessary to manage VoIP in the enterprise:
- read the article at Computing
- and check out our sister publication, the Business VoIP report

Expert: VoIP will open data doors to phishers

Wed, 20 Sep 2006 20:01:36 -0400

There has long been a big security warning with Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), and yet enterprises are rolling out VoIP networks everywhere and anywhere. However, everyone might want to take a huge step back, or at least freeze for a bit to listen to what a security researcher has to say about VoIP: It's just a huge front door to phishers and there's no good tool to fight off the risk. The security expert claims VoIP phishing will hit hard this year and the attacks will mean the theft of customer and company data.

For more on the VoIP security warning:
- check out this article at InfoWorld

Vendors shore up VoIP security

Mon, 31 Jul 2006 20:01:38 -0400

A critical aspect of any Voice over Internet Protocol network is security, and lots of services are coming out to help bolster VoIP systems given the increasing risks and threats the technology poses to organizations' data and systems. Not only are VoIP networks as vulnerable as any other network when it comes to spam, privacy break-ins, denial-of-service attacks and viruses, they compound risks thanks to new hardware and software needed to make them run. The one shiny spot in the whole picture is that vendors are cranking out new security assessment services and security monitoring tools.

Find out more about tools for VoIP security:
- check out this article at Newsfactor