How to keep your VoIP systems safe

While investing in Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) systems is known to help businesses reduce their telecommunication costs, failing to secure these can nullify the financial advantages gained and even lead to some serious consequences. If VoIP systems are left vulnerable, hackers can eavesdrop on your conversations and steal sensitive information. It’s therefore crucial to take the necessary measures to protect your VoIP systems. Here are 6 solutions to help you do just that.

Strong and often-updated passwords

Just as the rest of your data, your VoIP phone system requires careful handling of the passwords. Create passwords that contain a minimum of 12 characters, including numbers, letters (lower and upper case), and special characters.  Remember to set a password immediately after setting up the VoIP system, or else you won’t remember to do that later, or it even may be too late. VoIP phones often come with factory-set passwords that can be available publicly on the web. Passwords should be regularly changed – every two to three months!

Virtual private network (VPN)

A VPN encrypts all the data passing through it, including voice and video calls. This makes it much more difficult for hackers to eavesdrop on conversations or steal sensitive information. VPNs are particularly useful when people are calling over public Wi-Fi networks, as they make it much more difficult for someone to intercept the data being transmitted.

VoIP firewalls

VoIP-specific firewalls can filter malicious network traffic based on known IP addresses, port numbers, and data packets. If a hacker is trying to access your VoIP system, a well-configured firewall will be able to block their attempts. This is especially important for stopping denial-of-service attacks, a common cyber threat that involves flooding a system with so much traffic that it crashes. Firewalls can also be used to limit which devices are able to connect to your VoIP system, further increasing security.

Call behavior monitoring

Call behavior monitoring is a process of monitoring and analyzing the way users make and receive calls to identify any unusual or suspicious activity. For instance, if there are sudden spikes in the number of calls being made to a particular number or if calls are being made outside of normal office hours, this could indicate a security breach. Call behavior monitoring uses automated tools to help identify these patterns and can be a useful way to keep an eye on activity without having to constantly monitor calls manually.

Train your employees

Just as mentioned earlier, a lot of weakness of VoIP security comes from irresponsible users’ behavior. All the users need to know how to handle passwords, how to spot unusual network activity, and which security protocols to follow – to ensure safety. Besides the on boarding training in cybersecurity, organize training periodically to keep the system tight and safe!

Multifactor authentication (MFA)

VoIP accounts are often protected with just a username and password, which isn’t enough to deter the most determined hackers. Even if users set strong passwords, these can still be stolen using brute force attacks or social engineering.

MFA can make it much more difficult for hackers to gain access to VoIP accounts. With MFA in place, users have to provide additional verification, such as a one-time code from a mobile app, in order to log in. This means that even if hackers manage to steal a password, they won’t be able to access the account without the additional authentication factor.

Use data encryption

Speaking of encryption, VPNs are not the only element of encryption. Basically, there are three “doors” that can let in intruders. The first one belongs to the initiator of a call and their device. The other end is the one that belongs to the receiver of the call. In the middle, there is the data within the phone call (the conversation that we hear). VPNs make sure that these ports are secure, but you’ll need other protocols and layers to encrypt the actual data – voice conversations. As a result, encrypted data can’t be used by hackers, even if they manage to intercept the calls.

Contact Beringer Today!

Protecting your VoIP system requires a comprehensive and multilayered approach. If you need any help securing your system, our team of VoIP experts can provide expert advice. We can also carry out a full security audit to identify any vulnerabilities and recommend the best course of action to address them. Reach out to Beringer Technology Group today. We can help evaluate your current cybersecurity posture with our Cyber Security Risk Assessment Solution, and implement the right security solutions for your organization.

Beringer Technology Group, a leading Microsoft Gold Certified Partner specializing in Microsoft Dynamics 365 and CRM for Distribution also provides expert Managed IT Services, Backup and Disaster Recovery, Cloud Based Computing, Email Security Implementation and Training,  Unified Communication Solutions, and Cybersecurity Risk Assessment.