Can SIP Trunks be Hacked?

We all can agree–the benefits of SIP trunking are endless; they’re inexpensive, easy to install, and easy to maintain. But with all the good, we have to accept some bad. SIP trunks, like most other internet systems, can be hacked. Fortunately, there are ways to prevent or mitigate the possibility of hackers looking to exploit vulnerabilities in your customers’ systems. Educate your customers on being aware of possible hacking issues and how to minimize them.

Vulnerabilities in SIP Trunks

While there is a variety of ways that a hacker can get into a network and steal data, there are three common weak points that most hackers use.

Weak Security
If users on the network have weak logins or passwords, the entire network becomes more vulnerable to hacking. Culprits include default usernames and passwords or login credentials that are easily guessed by a computer program such as birthdates or sequences of numbers. Hackers take advantage of this inadequate security to access an organization’s data.

Volume
Some security incidents are caused when huge volumes of access requests are made by outside parties. High volumes of requests often cause the whole network to fail and waste the organization’s money and time as it seeks a solution.

Eavesdropping
Hackers sometimes listen in on calls or voicemail, unbeknownst to the organization, potentially overhearing private information. Eavesdropping hackers are often difficult to detect, but often are able to access calls made over public IP connections.

Prevention

Work together with your customers to prevent or mitigate the risk of hackers in a few simple ways.

Good provider
A good provider is the first step in hacking prevention. Such a provider will offer secure SIP trunking options such as dedicated IP connections and will isolate a customer’s telephony on a VLAN instead of using the same LAN used for other traffic. Good providers will be transparent with customers on how any hacked networks will be handled. A provider who makes its customers’ security a priority will also have strong detection practices in place and will explain to customers how and why they have those practices.

Secure PBX
A secure PBX comes when the provider and the customer work together to prevent hacking attempts. On the customer’s end, network users will employ strong login credentials to prevent outsiders from easily guessing usernames and passwords. The provider will provide secure real transport protocol and transport layer security for data connections as well using SIP best practices to prevent hacking.

Physical security
Physical security is mostly the task of customers. They need to be educated on how to keep their hardware secure. As their provider, help them determine the best location for hardware and how to limit access from unauthorized employees or visitors to the facility.

Conclusion

Yes, SIP trunk hacking does happen, but it doesn’t have to if you and your customers work together to prevent outsiders from accessing their most important information.