German security agency warns of VoIP security risks

It found 19 varieties of potential attacks on VoIP systems

By John Blau

October 26, 2005 12:00 PM ET

IDG News Service - Germany's Federal Office for Security in Information Technology (BSI) is warning businesses of potential security risks with voice-over-IP (VoIP) technology, in a study presented at the Systems IT exhibition and conference in Munich.
The VoIPSec report, released Monday at the opening of Systems, appeared one day before Skype Technologies SA, one of the world's largest providers of VoIP service, acknowledged critical flaws in its software and urged users to upgrade to the latest version.
In its report, the BSI warned that although no spectacular attacks in the business world have been reported yet, it's only a matter of time before problems emerge.
The report lists 19 varieties of attacks on VoIP systems that can lead to a number of security threats, such as identity theft, data manipulation, transmission errors and incorrect billing. Also, VoIP opens the door to the various forms of malicious software that can spread wildly in data networks, such as viruses, worms and Trojan horses, according to the report.
Authors of the VoIPSec study are urging companies to analyze where they plan to implement VoIP, how crucial secure communication is to that particular business process and what level of security can be ensured. And although one of the biggest sales pitches of companies supplying VoIP systems is the convergence of voice and data networks, the authors are recommending a separation of IP voice and IP data networks."
The study is available online in German.
In a panel discussion at the Systems conference, Manfred Fink, president of Manfred Fink Security Consulting, urged businesses to be aware of the hype surrounding VoIP. "Manufacturers are telling businesses how they can save money by converging their voice and data networks," he said. "But IT managers should be aware that the money they may save in combining their IP voice and data networks could be offset by the money they will need to spend to make these networks secure."
Detlev Henze, a security expert in the IT security unit of the safety control agency TUV Rheinland Group, urged users to move "very carefully" in deploying VoIP technology, especially on a global basis. "It's best to start in small, closed user groups and to work closely with security experts who are aware of the many potential risks involved in VoIP," he said. "This is a moving target."
The Systems event runs through Friday.

Reprinted with permission from

IDG.net
Story copyright 2009 International Data Group. All rights reserved.

Recommend Digg Twitter ShareThis

Email Print Send Feedback Reprints

Additional Resources

Xerox

Win a color printer!

By using solid ink technology only from Xerox, you could save up to 65% by printing color for the cost of black and white. Enter for a chance to WIN a PhaserTM 8860 network color printer!

Microsoft

Upgrade to Internet Explorer 8 today.

Save time and mitigate security risk. Deploy it now.

Sybase

NEXT-GENERATION MOBILITY PLATFORMS

In this white paper, IDC analyzes the role of next-generation mobile enterprise platforms as organizations seek a more strategic deployment of mobile solutions.

Learn the important issues you must consider before starting your next mobility initiative. Get your mobility white paper from IDC now, compliments of Sybase.

White Papers & Webcasts

Centralized Data Backup and Your WAN
Is your organization prepared to tackle the massive challenge of protecting your data in a cost effective and timely manner? With a growing...

Why Compliance Pays
This OnDemand webcast explores the relationship that firms with best compliance records have higher revenue, greater customer retention, lower financial losses from data...

An All-in-One Approach to Web Security
Granting web access to employees poses challenges to IT administrators and introduces unique security risks. Even as companies have perfected their security techniques...

Best Practices for Managing Business Risks from the Use of IT
(Source: Symantec) Based on exhaustive benchmarks conducted by the IT Policy Compliance, this session highlights the relationship between business risks and use of...

The Hidden Dangers of Spam
Beyond the well-understood productivity drain that spam inflicts on businesses, threats posed by illicit email circulating through a network are causing many security...

Managing And Protecting Your Ever Increasing Mobile Assets
(Source: Absolute Software) Your users are becoming more mobile each day. This is great for productivity - yet challenging for IT control. Natalie...

Open Source Security Myths Dispelled
(Source: Astaro) Open Source Software is computer software whose source code is available to the general public. This openly viewable nature...

Sun OpenSSO Enterprise Webinar
(Source: Sun) This webinar replay discusses Sun OpenSSO Enterprise innovation--the single, open-source solution that helps your business solve the challenges around internal access...

Best Practices for Backing Up VMware® with Veritas NetBackup™
VMware® is used by enterprises large and small to increase the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of their IT operations. With this in mind, Symantec...

Agile Enterprise Content Management (ECM) for Rapid ROI
(Source: IBM) Content rich business processes are a core feature of daily operations at just about any organization today. Very often these essential...

All White Papers | All Webcasts