Thanks to advancements in communication technology, connecting to the world is easy now. One such evolution is VoIP security(Voice over Internet Protocol). VoIP allows you to communicate with the world over the Internet rather than the traditional landline phone call, which used to cost dollars for long-distance and international voice calls.
VoIP networks convert analog voice into digital data packets transmitted over the Internet; hence, sometimes, this data is vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Some common vulnerabilities and issues raising concerns about VoIP protection are DDoS and DoS attacks, eavesdropping, and phishing fraud.
VoIP Vulnerabilities and Threats
Let us discuss some of the vulnerabilities in VoIP.
- Eavesdropping – Unauthorized interception in between any communication that might spy or overhear any sensitive data shared.
- DoS and DDoS Attacks – Unusual and malicious traffic created by hackers to hamper communications and prevent receivers from receiving critical information.
- Fraud and Toll Fraud – Frauds like “one ring missed call” when hackers want you to call back, and when you do, you are charged for international calls charges.
- Spoofing and Phishing – When a hacker pretends to call from any legitimate and reputational source to steal information.
- Malware and Viruses – Any malicious software or virus that infects your enterprise communication network and sometimes even asks for a ransom.
A Statista report says there were over 8 million data breaches in the fourth quarter of 2023. Manufacturing saw the highest share of cyber attacks, around 25.7%, followed by Finance and Insurance and Business and Consumer Services, 18.2% and 15.4%, respectively.
Should these figures be ignored? The statistics above raise concerns about VoIP security and necessitate robust measures to protect VoIP networks.
This is where SBC comes into play.
Session Border Controllers (SBC)
As the name suggests, Session Border Controllers (SBC) are deployed on the network borders to control and regulate the IP flow in any VoIP network; SBC now governs all kinds of real-time communication such as Voice and Video calls, Instant messaging, and presence.
Features and Functions of SBCs
SBCs provide you with a VoIP communication network with multiple features and functions that enhance your communication network’s efficiency.
● Security
The prime function of SBC is to ensure your network security by preventing your network from possible attacks and threats. An SBC regulates and controls the flow of any data transmitted over the network.
● Load Balancing
SBC identifies unusual traffic patterns and mitigates overloading on a single server based on its availability and health.
● Transcoding
SBCs act as transcoders between two network devices using two languages to establish smooth communication and remove the language barrier.
● Interoperability
Interoperability in SBC means ensuring connectivity between two networks sharing data over voice or video calls.
● Quality of Service
SBC monitors the Quality of Service for sessions initiated while establishing any VoIP communication to ensure callers can connect.
SBC Security Benefits
- Encryption – SBCs use proper encryption to prevent unauthorized persons from Eavesdropping or overhearing sensitive data shared on voice or video calls.
- Recognizing Unusual Patterns – SBCs wipe out unnecessary and virtual traffic created by hackers by identifying unusual patterns and filtering malicious traffic caused by DoS and DDoS attacks.
- Blacklisting and Whitelisting – The excellent concept about SBC is blacklisting Fraud Calls causing nuisance and hampering communication, and whitelisting favorite
- Prioritizing Queue Calls – SBCs provide call proofing by recognizing the IP addresses of senders and prioritizing queue calls while eliminating Phishing and spam calls.
- Antivirus – SBC acts as a firewall against Malware and Ransomware attacks by inspecting and filtering data packets.
Future Trends and Road Ahead
As communication technology evolves, so do the threats of attacks. However, new technological advancements, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) integrated VoIP communication solutions, might improve VoIP network security, enhance threat detection capabilities, and improve encryption methods, and therefore emerge as a reliable and compelling communication solution.