Security vulnerabilities are a risk for every point of digital entry, and any risk turned into an actual attack can decimate the financial state of a company or the productivity of a team.
A voice IP (VoIP) phone system is no different. Here’s how to protect yourself, your clients, and your brand from VoIP hacking.
Risks of VoIP
Eavesdropping on phone calls is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to compromised VoIP systems. Businesses speak to clients regularly over the phone to share personal information, from passwords and health records to social security numbers and credit cards.
In fact, the phone is considered the safest channel to share this data instead of sending it over email.
Hacking VoIP lines is highly lucrative for the perpetrators. Personal data is easily stolen, and business information can provide hackers with information to hold hostage. VoIP phones can also be entry points into your business network, making all your data susceptible to attack.
Rogue eavesdroppers hack into VoIP systems for outbound calls, too. If your clients receive phone calls from a trusted phone number, it’s that much more likely they’ll divulge personal information.
How do you protect yourself?
Here are the top five ways to protect your VoIP system from attack:
- Secure your user credentials with stronger passwords and two-factor authentication. VoIP systems come with preset, default passwords, and these need to be changed right away. If you did change your password but it’s not a robust password, change it immediately.
- Use a router that has a firewall. Every so often, IT providers hear about businesses who connect their phones to the internet without using a router or firewall. This leaves an open door for any bad actor to access the phone’s internet interface. If the phone’s administrator password is a weak one on top of it, this means the perpetrator has full access to your network.
- Outsource your VoIP calls to a SaaS provider. These software providers have their own rigorous security protocol, meaning you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Because these companies serve many businesses, too, the provision of these executive-level security features become cheaper for everyone.
- Disable international calling, or enable geo-fencing. Hackers will often leverage VoIP systems to make international calls, which immediately rack up charges on your account. If you do make international calls in the regular course of business, you can still enable geo-fencing. This blocks any access from specific countries or areas that source lots of hacking.
- Perform regular reviews of your call log. Look for unusual activity and review individual call recordings regularly.
If any one or more of these appear technical, contact us for help.