Category: VoIP – Voice over IP

To describe how the VoIP and IP Telephony work we first need to see what components does VoIP network have. In that way we will be ready to focus on every one of them and describe what are they doing to make VoIP calls possible.

Defining Basics of Voice, VoIP and IP telephony

Confusion has come along with the associated taxonomy of VoIP technology and IP telephony.  Both of them refer to use the same IP network to send voice messages. But the main difference between VoIP and IP telephony is that VoIP is connecting old fashion analog phones to specific gateway device who are able to convert analog voice data into digital bits and send them across the internet bypassing the expensive PSTN telephone networks. In the case of IP telephony the phones by them selves are digital devices and they are made to record the users voice directly into digital signal and send it across IP network using special Communication manager devices that are enabling this technology to work. IP telephony technology resides on IP network and natively uses the IP network for communication.

Vishing and Toll Fraud

Vishing is quite similar to the term Phishing and it means collecting private information over the telephone system.

In the technical language the terminology of phishing is a recent addition. The main concept behind phishing is that –mail is sent to user by an attacker. The e-mail looks like a form of ethical business. The user is requested to confirm her/his info or data by entering that data on the web page, such as his/her “social security number”, even “bank or credit card account” number, “birth date”, or mother’s name. The attacker can then take this information provided by the user for unethical purposes.

The Attack of SIP protocol

We previously discussed in this blog the SIp protocol. We have also said that “Session Initiation Protocol” (SIP) is becoming popular quite fast and it has also achieved quick acceptance in “mixed-vendor VoIP networks”. One of the most striking properties of SIP is its use of “existing protocols”. And by default, SIP messages are sometimes sent in the form of plain (normal) text.

This is quite unfortunate as the very properties that make SIP striking can also be leveraged by attackers to make a compromise regarding the security of a particular SIP network.

VoIP spam

Until and unless your e-mail account is guarded well with the help of a “spam filter”, you most likely and infrequently receive unwanted e-mails. Spam is annoying and irritating for the person using e-mails. VoIP supervisors and administrators should be well aware and familiar with VoIP spam, which is generally known as (SPIT) “spam over IP telephony”.