If you are looking to SIP Trunking as your new phone service, you should aim to make sure it is highly secure. If your SIP Trunking or phone service, in general, is not secure, you may risk being a victim of a cyber-attack.
Without the proper security, your company might have to pay thousands of dollars to resolve a cyberattack. Security for your voice network is often overlooked but is very important in keeping your overall network secure.
Coeo has implemented hundreds of SIP Trunking services and has helped secure many customers’ networks. We want to make sure you have all of the information to secure your SIP Trunks and avoid becoming a victim of a cyberattack.
By the end of this article, you will know what SIP Trunking is, what an SBC is, and how to secure your SIP Trunking service.
What is SIP Trunking?
Session Initiation Protocol Trunking, or SIP Trunking, is a protocol that allows you to run your phone system over the internet rather than on traditional landlines.
The main objective of SIP Trunking is to bring a traditional PBX phone system to the cloud. This allows you to achieve lower costs and more scalability through the cloud-based phone system without the hassle of purchasing a new phone system.
SIP Trunking is more scalable and reliable than a standard phone line. This scalability allows you to set up or take down phone lines much easier since there is no copper wire required like traditional phone lines.
SIP Trunking can also save your organization money because it uses internet bandwidth to make calls as opposed to legacy copper technology, like traditional phone lines.
What is an SBC?
A Session Border Controller (SBC) is a software or hardware device that controls how phone calls are initiated, conducted, and terminated on a voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) network.
SBCs act as a router between a network and a carrier service which helps ensure all calls are secure and have the highest quality of service possible. An SBC can also serve as an additional firewall for your network and can identify incoming threats.
SBCs are typically deployed at the edge of an organization’s network as well as at the demarcation points between users and other service providers. SBCs in today’s technology are usually provisioned to support and secure SIP infrastructures.
How to secure SIP Trunking
SIP Trunking can secure your voice service in a variety of ways. And while voice network security is highly overlooked, it can cost your organization thousands of dollars if not managed properly.
A toll fraud attack is one of the most common forms of voice network cyberattacks. Toll fraud is when a cybercriminal gains access to your phone system to make artificially generated calls to expensive rate numbers.
These calls are usually made to numbers across the world to drive up the cost as much as possible. Organizations spent over $9 billion in 2021 due to toll fraud losses making it one of the more costly forms of cyberattacks.
Your organization must secure your SIP Trunking service so you do not end up a victim of a toll fraud attack. To secure your SIP Trunking service you can purchase SBCs, limit devices with access to SIP Trunking, hide your network, and control privacy settings.
● SBCs
As mentioned above, SBCs are software or hardware devices that can help protect your network. One of the biggest benefits of having an SBC is that it serves as an additional firewall, protecting your network from cyberattacks.
However, it also secures your calling paths which will protect you from voice-specific attacks such as toll fraud, compliance violations, and corporate/state espionage.
SBCs also use pattern recognition to flag any unusual activity detected on the network. Pattern recognition is the method used to recognize patterns and regularities in data and flags any irregularities.
● Limit access to devices
If your organization has too many devices connected to your SIP Trunking service, you may increase the chance of becoming a victim of a cyberattack. Limiting device access to your SIP Trunking service might add additional protection to your network.
● Hide your network
Another way you can secure your SIP Trunking service is by hiding your network from the outside world. Your network may be visible to the outside world without you even knowing.
Hiding your network from being visible on the internet can help you avoid being a victim of a cyberattack and avoid damage to your organization’s network. You can go to the network settings of your router to hide your network from outside exposure.
● Control privacy settings
To better secure your service you can control the privacy settings on your SIP. By doing this, you can control sensitive data such as originator information.
The privacy settings allow you to hide your sensitive information from access inside and outside of your network. This keeps your data safe from malicious actors.
Next steps to securing your SIP Trunking
Now you know what SIP Trunking is, what SBCs are and how to secure your SIP Trunking service. This will help you avoid being a victim of a cyberattack and potentially spending thousands of dollars to resolve the attack.
Nobody wants to be a victim of a cyberattack and have to pay thousands of dollars to repair their network. Being able to secure your SIP Trunks will help secure your network and avoid these consequences.
Coeo understands how frustrating it is to become a victim of a cyberattack and has helped secure hundreds of customers’ networks. We want to make sure you have all of the information you need to secure your network and avoid being a victim.
If you would like to speak with our team to learn more about SIP Trunking or ask any questions you may have you can schedule an appointment.
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