With the allegations of telephone hacking conducted by tabloid newspaper The News of the World making big headlines, any small to medium business that is taking advantage of IP telephony may have good reason to scrutinise the security of their phone network.
One of the biggest ways that a company can trim costs is by looking critically at their business phone systems. A reputable VoIP provider can help with the switch over from a costly landline telephone service to cheaper, more flexible IP telephony. However, VoIP comes with its own particular set of security issues.
As VoIP has increased in popularity, so has the number of tools available to hack into an unencrypted line. However, there are several steps to take that can ensure that no-one can eavesdrop on your calls or steal sensitive information:
Choose a strong password
The first thing that any business with a brand new VoIP system should do is to change the default password. This happens more often than you would imagine, so choose a strong one featuring numbers and special characters.
Denial of Service attack mitigation
As your telephone calls are made over the internet, they are open to a denial of service (DoS) attack. This is when your internet connection is bombarded with requests for data, meaning that it ‘freezes’ up, meaning that your phones would also be out of commission. A reputable VoIP provider can help you plan for such an event.
Have a dedicated router for VoIP
Using the same router for both an internet connection and VoIP can leave a business vulnerable to hackers. It’s advisable to have a standalone, encrypted router to protect your network.
