Data security should be a concern for any organization. It goes beyond offering server protection to span the IP telephone networks, which also transmit information — even when the edge infrastructure is still analog.
It is worth remembering that telephone networks are open and, therefore, they must connect to external terminals in order to complete the connections.
When poorly managed, this vulnerability results in major costs for users, companies, and carriers, since intrusions allow hackers to use and even sell access to all available services.
So, how can we avoid this?
How to protect a telephone network
Encryption is the first step in protecting calls by making it harder to read the transmitted data.
This has to be performed at the gateway, which will encode the information before sending it to an external environment. The Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol performs this task, and so does the Secure Real-time Transport Protocol (SRTP).
Another major security requirement is to hide the topology of your network. Without knowing the details of how your network works, hackers will have more difficulty finding a breach to attack.
In fraud prevention, another action that can help to enhance security is call blocking by destination and origin. By identifying and blocking certain phone numbers, the system also prevents intrusions and unauthorized use of the network.
Khomp Gateways with SBC
All the security measures described here and many others are performed by a Session Border Controller (SBC) that is shipped embedded in the gateway. This smart, SIP-based solution offers VoIP service providers the ability to control VoIP calls signaling and media streaming from a single location.
Khomp’s KMG MS line products offer this solution, bringing more security to your network. Khomp’s UMG and Kmedia families of media gateways also support the use of an SBC.
Follow Khomp’s blog
Khomp has prepared a series of articles outlining in detail what is a SBC, motives and benefits to using it. Subscribe to the Khomp newsletter and never miss a post.
Read the second article here: Is your voice network protected? If it is not, then you are running the risk of having your PBX invaded