Mobile VoIP Security

The world is not a safe place, and anyone who watches the news or checks Facebook is aware that recently we’ve all become a little less safe thanks to the Heartbleed secure socket layer flaw that compromises internet security.

Sometimes the ramifications of a security breach are relatively minor. But other security failures are much worse, such as when a voice-over-IP (VoIP) customer has his account compromised. A hacked VoIP account potentially opens the door for high charges from international calls. Just like a stolen bank account, a compromised VoIP account can be no fun.

Mobile VoIP poses a particular challenge for security. Unlike traditional VoIP, which is usually conducted through a relatively safe Internet connection, mobile VoIP is especially prone to hijacking since passwords and data are often sent over unsecured internet connections.

All it takes is a competent cyber criminal parked in a cyber cafe or eavesdropping on the network to potentially compromise a VoIP softswitch. All VoIP accounts use passwords to ward off cyber crime, of course, but often that is not enough. As Heartbleed is showing, even a secure password is no guarantee that cybercriminals will be unable to access an account.