By Sharla Sikes

Voice over IP phones attract new users every day, especially among businesses. Companies of all sizes can benefit from the features and advantages found with VoIP service.

But what about security?

Hackers of malicious intent may threaten the security of the attractive service. VoIP gateways must be guarded in the same way as other portals to the Internet.

Security options abound for those interested in a solution, but how many are aware that such a solution is necessary? Perhaps more commonly among individuals rather than business VoIP users, it’s hard to view your telephone as a security risk. Traditional phone services do not face the same vulnerabilities.

Perhaps it’s like the seatbelt issue. While many VoIP users (drivers) are aware of the risks VoIP (driving) presents, they still do not take measures to protect their network (wear a seatbelt).

Security experts say that VoIP’s security risks aren’t threatening enough to be a deal-breaker when choosing a telecommunications network, but they do advise a certain amount of “vigilance.”  

“Some industries are very aware, while others are taking more of a wait and see attitude,” said Brendan Ziolo, director of marketing for Sipera, which sells enterprise security appliances. “We don’t see companies saying they don’t believe vulnerabilities exist, but some haven’t seen the attacks yet so they’re waiting to do anything until they see the risk affecting their network.”

Whether you’re closing the barn door before or after the horse escapes, security for VoIP networks is an issue worth looking into.

Possible attackers fall into two different categories, according to Ziolo; one tries to deny the user access to the system. The other uses the VoIP network to mine information about the owner.

Similar to most other malicious web and e-mail attacks, VoIP hackers are especially threatening because of the importance of telecommunications to most users.

“People don’t want to wait for the telephone system to reboot if there’s a problem,” says Ziolo.

Whether your VoIP account is used for a busy call center or a small home business, attacks can cause irreparable damages. Experts recommend a firewall as the first line of protection.

One security threat that’s hardly new is telemarketing or spam, though some consulting firms say they won’t reach the scale of e-mail spam.

More serious are attacks on the network to gain access to sensitive or financial information. Hackers have been caught using illegal access to VoIP networks to make unbilled long distance calls, as well as selling calling cards and disguise phishing.

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