VoIP Security – 5 Ways to Secure Your VoIP Connection

VoIP security is a priority for everyone now that we’re moving to the cloud. Whether you’re already making calls over VoIP or just thinking about making the switch, you need to know how to keep your VoIP connection safe and secure. Email and voicemail hacking, eavesdropping, and hacked gateways are just a few of the ways cyber criminals can harm your business.

Although these malicious acts have become more common in the recent years, you shouldn’t let the fear of cyber attacks stop you from reaping the benefits of VoIP telephone services. In this article, we’re going to discuss the top five ways you can keep your VoIP connection secure from cyber criminals.

1. Investigate Your VoIP Service Provider

Before you even consider signing up with a VoIP service provider, you need to see what security measures they have in place. Evaluate certain services, such as: User authentication, encryption, VLAN configuration, firewalls, etc. It’s also a good idea to check out how long they’ve been in business. The more years, the better.

2. Set up Firewalls

Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) is a tool used for controlling communication sessions during VoIP calls. This protocol defines the messages that are sent between two endpoints. A SIP-based firewall can inspect these voice and data packets as they pass through your network.

3. Encrypt Voice and Data Traffic with Protocols

When you encrypt something, you’re actually converting information or data into a code that prevents unauthorized access. With VoIP, voice and data packets are sent over the internet and there’s no way to control how the packets are routed, so there are some inherent risks involved. Fortunately, there are various protocols available to help secure your voice and data traffic.

4. Use Strong Passwords

A strong password is one of the easiest ways to improve your VoIP security. We suggest using no less than 8-16 characters, and including numbers, symbols, and uppercase and lowercase characters.

If you can’t come up with a password on your own, there are online password generators available. However, these passwords may be saved to a database that can be accessed by cyber criminals so we don’t suggest using them. Most VoIP service providers will auto-generate secure passwords for you.

Don’t use the same password for multiple accounts, or for different customers. If one account becomes compromised then the next one in line can be, too. Changing your password every 60 – 90 days can also reduce the risk of security breaches.

5. Educate Your Employees on VoIP Security Procedures

If you don’t have a VoIP security plan already in place, make sure you create a thorough VoIP security plan and share it with your Network Administrator and IT staff. This will help them identify any irregular behavior or considerable reduction in the speed of the data network.

The security plan should also include policies on blocking or closing customer accounts, sharing passwords across employees or departments, deleting voice mails, and reporting anomalies.