VoIP Attack

VoIP could be next target of attacks, say security experts

Erwin Lemuel Oliva eoliva@inq7.net
INQ7.net

SINGAPORE -- Future attacks will soon target voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology with its anticipated growing adoption by business and consumers, security experts said in a recent security forum hosted by MediaConnect Asia.

While no high-profile cases of attacks on VoIP calls have been recorded yet, McAfee believes this technology will eventually become a target for exploitation by hackers and malicious code writers.

"There are no examples yet but it could be an area of exploitation and vulnerability," said Nigel Stewart, McAfee regional sales manager for Southeast Asia and India.

"So it is something that people should be considering," added Stewart.

Andrew Namboka, Nokia Enterprise Solutions chief technologist for the Asia-Pacific region, said that VoIP security is a recent concern that has been discussed by their customers.

Both Stewart and Namboka believe VoIP attacks will exploit different layers of the technology, such as the transmission layer or the devices used to do VoIP calls.

VoIP systems could also be a target for spam, said Andy Lake, MessageLabs director of partners.

"Where's the next missile aimed at right now? Actually it is more of a question of 'where is it aimed at'? Most of the attacks are currently meant to steal data and information and make money out of it," said Stewart.

Stewart believes the possibility of VoIP calls being intercepted is not a yet a reality today. However, this does not mean businesses and consumers should ignore it and react only when it happens.

VoIP allows people to make calls using Internet Protocol (IP) based networks. Currently, traditional phone calls pass through circuit-switched networks. VoIP is touted to bring down the cost of long-distance calls.