As your business grows, your communication costs may skyrocket as well. This may lead you to consider shifting to a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system.
In addition to cost savings, VoIP solutions offer a host of benefits, such as advanced call features and mobility, which are especially beneficial for remote work. The downside is that poorly secured VoIP systems can be hacked. Once compromised, these can be used to eavesdrop on your business communications, steal confidential information, or commit fraud.
Poorly secured VoIP systems can be hacked.
In this blog post, we will discuss six VoIP-related cyberthreats that you should be aware of.
Read also: How to tell if VoIP is right for your SMB
1. Vishing
Vishing — short for voice phishing — is a type of social engineering attack wherein the threat actor poses as a senior staff member, client, or supplier via voice calls. Some even go as far as spoofing caller IDs to make it look like they’re calling from a legitimate number. Cybercriminals do these to trick unsuspecting victims into divulging sensitive information (e.g., login credentials and account details) or performing other actions (e.g., downloading malware-laden files or wiring money to an attacker’s bank account).
2. Spam over internet telephony (SPIT)
Spam is unwanted, unsolicited communication that is designed to advertise on a massive scale. SPIT, in particular, is spam sent via automated voicemails or calls. It could be used to deliver pre-recorded marketing messages or live sales pitches or make automated calls that connect the recipient to a call center. While such marketing activities are legal, deleting SPIT from your voicemail can waste so much of your time.
But SPIT can be more than just an annoyance, it can also be dangerous. Hackers can use SPIT to bombard voicemail boxes with vishing scams.
3. Toll fraud
To conduct toll fraud, cybercriminals must first gain access to your VoIP system. They then use your system to call international numbers, causing you to rack up expensive charges.
4. Malware
Just about every VoIP implementation uses softphones, which is software that mimics what a telephone can do. Most VoIP products also come with an application that enables users to manage system hardware. And just like any other application, VoIP software is vulnerable to malware.
Malware is a type of malicious software designed to disrupt, damage, or gain unauthorized access to computer systems. As a result, confidential information could be compromised, stolen, or worse, threat actors could completely take over computer systems.
There are different types of malware, such as viruses, worms, Trojan horses, and ransomware. Cybercriminals could use VoIP-focused malware to do any of the following:
- Eavesdrop on conversations
- Interfere with VoIP calls
- Steal sensitive information
- Degrade the accessibility or quality of the VoIP service
5. Man-in-the-middle (MitM) attack
In MitM attacks, the threat actor intercepts communication between the source and the destination. MitM attacks on VoIP systems are typically done to secretly eavesdrop on communications between two callers. This enables cybercriminals to steal sensitive information or commit fraud.
6. Denial-of-service (DoS)
In a DoS attack, threat actors overload the VoIP server with fake call requests to consume all of the server’s available bandwidth. As a result, call quality gets degraded or phone calls are dropped.
Worried about these cyberthreats? You won’t have to when you partner with SpectrumWise. Aside from fortifying your cyber defenses, we will also handle VoIP management, maintenance, and support. You can then rest easy knowing that your VoIP system will stay accessible and reliable, enabling you to provide the best quality of service to your customers. For an affordable monthly fee, you can enjoy an enterprise-level VoIP solution and remote management service. Schedule a consultation with us to get started.
