 Convergence & VoIPThis newsletter is sponsored by Fluke NetworksNetwork World's Convergence & VoIP Newsletter, 11/05/07VoIP security notices show security remains a multi-vendor issueBy Steve Taylor and Larry HettickTwo VoIP services and equipment alerts were issued late last month. The first advisory, issued to residential and SMB VoIP users was sent by the Sipera VIPER Lab, operated by Sipera Systems. The lab disclosed multiple threat advisories for VoIP services and equipment users from Vonage, Globe7 and Grandstream. Among other threats, VoIP users can be subjected to eavesdropping, spam, spoofing and denial-of-service attacks, according to a statement issued by the lab. Full details on these vulnerabilities are posted as an educational security service to Sipera’s customers and the general public. The lab’s test also showed that Globe7 (a European provider) had deployed a weak encryption scheme that allowed hackers to attack a user’s online account access, providing an opening for “hackers to access confidential name, password and account balance data, as well as steal VoIP service to make and receive calls, masked as a legitimate Globe7 user.” The Sipera VIPER Lab also found that “the Grandstream HandyTone-488 PSTN-to-VoIP adapter is vulnerable to buffer overflows and fragmented packet attacks. By sending a specially crafted SIP INVITE message to public IP addresses, attackers can disconnect legitimate Grandstream users,” according to the report.
Additional details can be found here and are available for free as a public service offered by the Sipera. The second security threat disclosed last month was posted after two hackers gained access into a hotel’s corporate network using a Cisco VoIP phone. The two hackers, who were attending the ToorCon9 in San Diego, said they were able to access the hotel's financial and corporate network and recorded other phone calls, according to a blog on Wired.com. They used penetration tests “propounded by a tool called VoIP Hopper, which mimics the Cisco data packets sent at 3 minute intervals and then trades a new Ethernet interface, getting the PC - which the hackers switched in place of the hotel phone - into the network running the VoIP,” according to the blog post. More details on their attack, along with some blogger comments can be found here. Our comments: While VoIP can be solved, the first step in finding the solution is finding the problem. Our hats off to those who help others by identifying potential VoIP security weaknesses so the problems can be proactively addressed. Editor's note: Starting the week of Nov. 12, you will notice a number of enhancements to Network World newsletters that will provide you with more resources and more news links relevant to the newsletter's subject. The Convergence & VoIP Newsletter, written by analysts Steve Taylor and Larry Hettick, will be merged with the VoIP News Alert and will be newly named the Convergence & VoIP Alert. You'll get Steve and Larry's analysis of the convergence and VoIP market, which you will be able to read in full at NetworkWorld.com, plus links to the day's convergence news and other relevant resources. This Alert will be mailed on Mondays and Wednesdays. We hope you will enjoy the enhancements and we thank you for reading Network World newsletters.
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| Contact the author: Steve Taylor is president of Distributed Networking Associates and publisher/editor-in-chief of Webtorials. For more detailed information on most of the topics discussed in this newsletter, connect to Webtorials, the premier site for Web-based educational presentations, white papers, and market research. Taylor can be reached at taylor@webtorials.com Larry Hettick is a Principal Analyst at Current Analysis, the leading provider of competitive response solutions. A 25 This newsletter is sponsored by Fluke NetworksARCHIVEArchive of the Convergence & VoIP Newsletter. BONUS FEATURE90% of IT Managers are leaving their company at risk for a DNS ATTACK. Get the tools and resources you need to keep your DNS healthy and secure. Run a DNSreport on your domain today - 56 critical tests run in 8 seconds. Visit www.dnsreport.com to learn more. (apply coupon NWW2007NLA for a 25% membership discount) PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE International subscribers, click here. SUBSCRIPTION SERVICESTo subscribe or unsubscribe to any Network World newsletter, change your e-mail address or contact us, click here. This message was sent to: networking.world@gmail.com. Please use this address when modifying your subscription. Advertising information: Write to Associate Publisher Online Susan Cardoza Network World, Inc., 118 Turnpike Road, Southborough, MA 01772 Copyright Network World, Inc., 2007 |
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