VOIP Security

VOIP Security Issues:

• Interception of calls
• Denial of Service Attacks
• Theft of Service
• Exfiltration of data via media session
• Malware embedded in signaling and media session

Interception of Calls

VOIP phone calls are fairly easy to capture and decode if you one has physical access to a LAN segment that the VOIP packets travel accross. Fortunately, with most enterprises using Ethernet switches instead of hubs, there are a limited number of locations this is possible.

Countermeasures

• Physical Security
• Encryption - not yet widely available for VOIP services
• Secure wireless networks

Denial of Service Attacks

Sending spurious traffic to VOIP services or endpoints to disrupt normal service.

Countermeasure

• Some Session Border Controllers have DoS countermeasures built in.

Theft of Service

Countermeasures

• Use Authentication features of VOIP protocols
• Encryption
• Physical security
• Secure wireless networks

Exfiltration of data via media session

Sending data out via the media session. RTP as a covert communication channel.

Countermeasure

• Deep Packet Inspection of all outgoing media streams

Malware embedded in signaling and media session

Malformed SIP and RTP (or other signaling/media streams) with malicious payloads

Countermeasures

• Deep Packet Inspection of all incoming signaling and media streams

VoIP and Unified Communications Security

http://ucsecurity.wordpress.com - All about Cisco UC Security. Your one step guide to building, designing, and maintaining secure Cisco UC solutions.

VoIP Security Forums

• VoIP Security Forum

VoIP Security Training

• VoIP Security Training - VoIP Security Course Providers - Conference, Private, & On-site

See Also:

• SIP security
• www.generationd.com SecAst is a commercial product for detecting and preventing intrusion in Asterisk servers. Using a range of techniques SecAst helps minimize Asterisk fraud. Available in three editions, including a free edition ideal for SOHO use.
• Securing Internet Telephony: Encrypting Voice with VoIP-over-VPN Ever wonder who eavesdrops on your VoIP conversations? Unencrypted VoIP compromises information security for companies that handle sensitive information and the carriers that serve them. This Patton Electronics white paper explains how you can make your Internet Telephony solution completely secure. Find out why VoIP-over-VPN technology is more expedient than emerging CODEC-based approaches such as SRTP and SIP TLS. You'll also learn how Internet Key Exchange (IKE) simplifies VoIP installation at the same time it strengthens information security
• easySysAdmin easySysAdmin is an automated support/security platform, designed to save your engineer's time and prevent hacking attempts. Specifically of interest to Asterisk users is the monitoring of SIP registrations, and automatic blocking of repeated failed attempts. ...