VoIP phone systems offer simplicity and affordability in business communication and have become increasingly popular. Conventional telephony has nearly become obsolete because of its advantages.

Many hackers hail from sophisticated operations that intend to intercept business phones for illicit calls. In 2017, telecom fraud amounted to $29.2 billion in losses, with PBX and toll fraud at the top of the list. While it’s tempting to think this number—a 25% decrease from 2015—signals a decline in phone-centric fraud, it indicates consumers’ growing shrewdness around phone scams and cybersecurity.

As the cost of data breaches grows, protection is becoming an ongoing problem that comes through each phone system. According to research, the global average cost of a data breach was 3.92 million USD until this year. No matter how large or small your organization is, a data violation service can damage your VoIP system.

Key Threats To VoIP Security  

Several sectors, such as healthcare, banking, and the energy industry, are susceptible to cyber-attacks. You can easily overcome VoIP security concerns if you identify and understand the numerous concerns that could affect your business. Here are five key threats your business might face.

War Dialing

To find weak points in an IT security infrastructure, hackers use different technologies and techniques, such as war dialing, to search for vulnerable modems.

Service Assault Denial

As a result of this attack, the VoIP network is shut down, making it unavailable to users. Several ways are used to attack the VoIP network, such as sending data that takes over the network. Denial of Service attacks are often aimed at high-profile web servers, banks, or credit card payment gateways. Additionally, they are often motivated by revenge, extortion, or activism.

Frauds

By using toll fraud, hackers gain access to your IP telephony and can make expensive international calls that contribute to excessive toll charges.

Interception Of Calls

Call interception allows hackers to intercept calls over unsecured networks and access live VoIP calls or even video calls.

Phishing

The most common cybercrime is phishing, in which a hacker poses as a legitimate entity and forces people to provide confidential information such as personal identification, banking details, and credit card information or passwords.

Practices To Keep Your VoIP Calls Protected

In your wholesale VoIP carrier system, weaknesses can be costly and unnecessarily damaging. Several actions that raise awareness and take proactive measures to shore up your defenses can protect your company from cyberattacks.

Here are some best VoIP security practices to protect your phone systems:

Use Block Call

You can use the blocking voip call option if you realize any number is spacious so you can protect against attacks as well.

Use Strong Passwords

The default login credentials for VoIP phones vary from manufacturer to manufacturer but can be easily found using a quick Google search. To prevent bad actors from accessing your device and changing its settings or locking you out, it’s crucial to change default credentials as soon as possible.

Likewise, it’s a good idea to develop a strong password management policy that provides guidelines for the consistent and secure management of passwords. In addition to describing best practices for generating, storing, and changing passwords, it should also explain how to handle compromised accounts or credentials.

Make two-factor authentication or 2FA mandatory for all VoIP users. By requiring two different, distinct forms of identification before granting access, you provide an additional layer of security, ensuring that the person logging into your network is an authorized user.

Install VPN

VPNs can be used wherever your employees work to encrypt all traffic. VPN providers typically use endpoint filtering to prevent users from accessing malicious websites. As a result, your workers are less likely to inadvertently access a website that threatens your phone system’s security.

Disable International Calling

For fraudulent hacking operations, many hackers use business VoIP phones. You should disable international calling if you don’t need to make international calls for your daily operations. These operations typically try to rack up call minutes for expensive international numbers.

As a workaround, you can purchase a calling card. But if you must use international calling, monitor your phone records regularly.

End-to-End Encryption

Ensure that all calls and messages are encrypted end-to-end (E2EE) with your VoIP service. By encrypting voice and data packets when they are sent and decrypting them only once they reach their intended recipient, E2EE ensures that no third party can eavesdrop on the calls or read the messages.

Monitor Call Recordings

By analyzing your call logs, you can identify unusual calling patterns. By using a call analytics feature, businesses can track call volume on a weekly and monthly basis.

Update VoIP Phone Firmware

When you update your VoIP phones’ firmware, you ensure that they run more smoothly and keep them secure by repairing bugs and installing critical security patches. Always check for firmware updates and install them as soon as possible. Firmware updates are free, so that’s another reason to keep your VoIP phones’ firmware updated.

Choose The Best VoIP Provider

When your VoIP provider is inadequate, attackers can access confidential information in your phone system. Make sure that your VoIP provider has the following characteristics:

• If any hack occurs, they can provide an action plan.

• Obtain accreditations proving that the service provider modifies security.

• Provide details about the countermeasures they have in place to ensure the safety of the network.

• Show how bugs you experience can be transmitted.

Conclusion

In conclusion, VoIP technology has greatly improved how we communicate, but it comes with its own security challenges. Suppose you want to protect your VoIP system against hacking and cyber threats. In that case, it’s important to understand the different types of attacks that can be used against VoIP systems and to take steps to prevent them, such as user authentication methods, encryption, firewalls, intrusion detection systems, user education, anti-phishing software, and keeping the systems updated. With the right security measures in place, you can ensure that your VoIP system is protected and that your calls are secure.