Dealing With The Most Common Telecommunication Security Threats

Cybersecurity has been labeled a top priority by chief information officers following frequent criminal activity targeting business operations. A recent release by the FBI states that just shy of a million complaints were received by their Internet Crime department with potential losses valued at around $6.9 billion. Additionally, Statistics Canada reported that one in five businesses were impacted by cybersecurity incidents in 2021. Over one third of these attacks were reported to have no clear motive. In accordance with the escalating nature of these events it is beneficial to turn the focus towards a particularly important field of cybersecurity—this being telecommunication. The intricate, ever-evolving, nature of this industry makes achieving the primary goal of sound telecommunication security very difficult. Any experienced IT team knows this is no walk in the park, yet in today’s day and age it is essential. A breach can mean lost time, lost resources, lost profit, jeopardized customers and a deteriorated reputation. Just to keep you updated, here are some of the most common telecommunication security threats currently, along with how to deal with them:

Toll Fraud

This is a scheme where criminals take control of your telephone and use the number to artificially generate a large quantity of expensive foreign calls. Those who manage to pull this off make a profit off of the revenue from the calls. Many businesses are often unaware this is occurring until they receive their phone bill and realize they’ve been taken advantage of. This fraudulent activity contributes to billions of dollars in lost revenue worldwide each year. Typically, obtaining credentials to voicemail boxes, a VoIP account or any other telephone grants criminals the capability to conduct toll fraud. 

Eavesdropping

It is possible for intruders to tap into all sorts of devices connected to your telecommunication system. Faxes, computers, office desk phones, and other endpoints, if unsecured, can become a target for fraudulent eavesdropping. Also known as a ‘sniffing’ or ‘snooping’ attack, VoIP eavesdropping takes many forms. Criminals can plant and hide malware designed to record and transmit sensitive data. They also may manually tap into unencrypted calls. Regardless, this poses a threat to the privacy of your customers, and the reputability of your company.

Denial of Service

Denial of service (DoS) and distributed denial of service attacks (DDoS) both entail the generation of an unrealistic amount of requests towards a server network which overwhelms the system and forces it to shut down. The difference is that a DoS attack uses a single computer and internet connection whereas a DDoS attack uses an army. Businesses who do not have the security system in place to detect and deter these attacks can have their infrastructure shut down indefinitely. 

Internet of Things (IoT) Vulnerabilities

IoT is defined as the array of technological devices which are equipped with an ability to process and transmit data over a communication network (i.e. the internet) to other devices. The things, or technological devices, in IoT entail ubiquitous computing and are typically classified as devices which have some sort of utility and can be controlled remotely. These consist of smart homes, home cameras, home speakers, digital implants, transponders, and other appliances with unique uses in a variety of industries. All of which have an internet protocol (IP) address. The possibilities are essentially endless for what can be added to the IoT.

With tens of billions of devices now comprising the IoT, the large-scale nature of this system entails that it is also a large target. Every device connected to the system, if unsecured, can be a vulnerability to telecommunication. Depending on the various data stored and communications transferred between this device and others, sensitive information may be leaked. As such, preventative security measures should be implemented. It is common for people to overlook such a requirement because they do not understand how such a seemingly simple device could pose such a big risk. A VPN is useful in this regard because it ensures the data traveling between devices is encrypted in the network. Likewise identity authentication mechanisms offer security because intruders will be denied access through a credible firewall.

Cloud Security Threats 

Due to telecommunication being largely cloud based nowadays, security threats to the cloud can mean the downfall of the latter. 

The possibility of data loss, breaches and leakages means that IT teams need to implement redundant backups, foolproof disaster recovery, brute force attack mitigation strategies and infrastructure overview procedures.

Account hijacking is another threat to the cloud where cyber criminals will steal account credentials and obtain unauthorized access to sensitive information or take control of the system internally.  This is known as ‘phishing’. To do so, fake material such as emails are sent out in mass quantities, disguised as legitimate work-related material, which trick users into providing credentials.

Additionally, it is ideal for a security system to be well organized and easily configurable. For a wide array of cloud deployments there is typically a plethora of security controls. However if the cyber security system is impossible to navigate or operate, then it is pointless how foolproof the security system is. This is why misconfiguration is a formidable cloud security threat. Lack of control and visibility can result in unprotected infrastructure. If you are interested in how one can combat common pitfalls to cloud security you can read more here.

Telecom Metric’s Solution

In order to identify these common forms of telecommunication security threats, before they impact your business, call monitoring and call statistics are essential. To ensure the protection of your infrastructure, automated software which identifies suspicious call activity, and regulates traffic, is necessary. We offer secure voice connectivity for Microsoft Teams through direct routing. This entails active monitoring and end-to-end data encryption. Additionally, our 24/7, multi-tiered, support means we maintain seamless communication with our customers throughout all stages of the deployment, and operation, of the telecommunication system. Our top priority for customer service is transparency. We believe our formidable security and comprehensive support sets us apart from the other telecommunication alternatives. If you are interested in learning more about how these security threats apply to your business, reach out to us today!