VoIP Security:  myths and realities

With VoIP deployments increasing in number and size, there is a growing clamour over VoIP security. The openness of the Internet enables amazing new forms of end-to-end communications but also unlocks the door for criminals and causal hackers to compromise IP-based communications.

Amidst this clamor, what are people really afraid of? What are the real risks and how can they be mitigated or controlled? This session will establish a VoIP security framework to identify the risks, understand the impacts and assess the cost of controlling or mitigating these risks. Some specific topics that will be addressed include:

What resources are likely targets of DoS/DDoS attacks and how can these resources be protected?

What service theft opportunities exist and how can the risk be mitigated?

When is encryption of voice signalling and media really required and where should it be done?

Will viruses and worms impact voice services?

What is SPIT (SPam for Internet Telephony), when will it appear and how can it be controlled?

While not all VoIP security threats are equal, an attack that causes a compromised, degraded or lost VoIP service is more than just loss of revenue for the service provider.  It has the potential for devastating long term effects in terms of customer defections, tarnished brand reputation and lawsuits.