VoIP Phone Security – Protecting Your Business From Cyber Attacks

Despite the best security measures, a hacker can still access VoIP systems. Common attacks include phishing, distributed denial of service (DDoS), and vishing.

Encryption is one of the best methods for preventing malicious actors from monitoring your VoIP system. An Ooma guide: improving VoIP phones can help. Consider applying password best practices, including two-factor authentication and expiry complexity. 

Encryption

Using a VoIP system comes with its own set of cybersecurity risks. Like anything that is connected to the internet, it can be attacked by hackers looking to take advantage of the technology.

These attacks range from eavesdropping on calls to more sophisticated hacks like address spoofing and DDOS. These attacks can cause call quality issues, disrupt IT infrastructure, and cost your business dearly.

One of the best ways to protect your business from cyber-attacks is by ensuring that all calls are encrypted. This can be done by using a VPN and securing your VoIP infrastructure with encryption. This will make it difficult for attackers to gain access and will prevent them from stealing sensitive information. Educating your team on security best practices will also help prevent breaches.

VPN

Unlike PSTN phones that leave voicemails open to anyone with access to the system, VoIP phones offer more security for businesses. Passwords, password complexity, and two-factor authentication are best practices to protect your system. Encourage your users to apply operating systems updates to guard against vulnerabilities.

VPNs create virtual tunnels for data, ensuring that information stays secure from unauthorized access on your onsite network. Using a VPN is an essential part of your business phone security. You want to find a provider that offers encryption, supports your needs in cybersecurity management, and has a solid security track record. 

Deactivate Users

Many VoIP devices offer a default password during setup, which is easy for hackers to find using a Google search. Hackers can also access a device’s web interface to view passwords and usernames in plain text.

To prevent this, ensure your team uses a VPN and turns off the phone’s web interface. This is especially important for remote workers and helps keep your business secure.

It would help if you also implemented a remote device management policy to ensure that any device a team member uses can be wiped in case of a security breach. This includes ensuring employee accounts are deactivated when they leave the company. This will reduce the number of cyber threats that hackers can access and limit business disruptions.

Password Policy

Using a reputable business VoIP provider is one of the most surefire ways to ensure your company’s cybersecurity. Look for a service that demonstrates SOC 2 compliance and regularly offers network security updates.

A phreaking attack gives hackers access to your system to use it for international toll fraud, which causes financial loss for your company. You can prevent phreaking by encrypting all SIP trunks, requiring passwords for all devices, and locking voice servers physically and logically.

Another important security measure is to train your employees to spot phishing attacks and other social engineering scams. This type of training is something you should do on an ongoing basis because new threats are always coming up.

Monitoring

While VoIP offers many benefits to businesses that are impossible through landlines, like low prices and technological advances, security risks must be considered. Like any system that utilizes ports and an internet connection, a VoIP phone system can be hacked by third parties, costing companies time, money, and human resources to repair the damage.

Hackers are drawn to VoIP systems for their ability to eavesdrop on conversations and access sensitive information from call logs and voicemails. They may use this data to target specific people, redirect them to expensive international calling rates, or spam their phones with malware and viruses. It is important to monitor VoIP network activity during off hours to keep hackers away. This can be done by analyzing call logs and evaluating network usage every week.