In the last few years there have been many rapid changes and developments to the telecommunications industry. These continuous developments have been driven by the need for business phone systems to be as efficient and as user friendly as possible. This has been progressively achieved by the increase in easy broadband access and the use of IP (internet protocol) networks.
VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol originally evolved from the need to send data communication or “packets” of data from one location to another over an IP network. After some development and integration of the system, the opportunity to send voice communications using the same packet sending technology was implemented. Hence the term Voice over Internet Protocol.
VoIP is now an essential part of integrating voice and data communications between businesses and locations throughout the UK. For a business looking to upgrade or build a business phone system having a VoIP network setup can have a number of benefits.
“Free” internal calls to all departments of the company that share and use the computer network.• Simpler infrastructure – with VoIP you can simply add phones and capacity without going through the process of installing new cabling. A much more centralized network of resources such as voicemail, switchboards and network management for a great reduction of costs, full telephone functionality with easy office to office calling and call transfer for a guaranteed increase of productivity, Wi-Fi standard handsets and IP phone allow for a completely wire free business phone system for the compatibility on wireless, and VoIP allows the setup of a fully functional office wherever there is a broadband connection for greater flexibility.
How can the VoIP phone systems be compromised or how does it allow unethical and criminal intent be carried out? There are lots of ways and one of them is as old as the telephone itself – eavesdropping. Inadequate security controls can also lead to attackers accessing the server data through the transmission technology, hackers stealing phone calls, service interruptions, and the use of sniffing tools.
When Manipulation is the Goal VoIP penetration testing is a process whereby an attempt is made to purposely manipulate the VoIP system. All entry points into the WAN and/or LAN are tested and an attempt is made to gain access into the VoIP infrastructure. In other words, security experts try to penetrate both the VoIP system and then use it to see how deep a hacker can get into the computer system itself.
When Manipulation is the Goal VoIP penetration testing is a process whereby an attempt is made to purposely manipulate the VoIP system. All entry points into the WAN and/or LAN are tested and an attempt is made to gain access into the VoIP infrastructure. In other words, security experts try to penetrate both the VoIP system and then use it to see how deep a hacker can get into the computer system itself.