Which is More Secure VoIP or Cell Phone?
Data security is a top concern for many businesses and individuals, and the same is true for leading VoIP vendors and users alike. As VoIP is overtaking the traditional landline system in popularity, concerns regarding its safety protocols have also arisen. With cell phones becoming an integral part of our lives, there is a debate about whether to make VoIP calls or mobile phones.
With a rapid transition towards VoIP services, we can expect businesses to get rid of landline services sooner in favor of embracing more advantages from VoIP. Nevertheless, we will help you out by telling you all the security of VoIP and cell phone calls.
Can a VoIP Number Be Hacked?
Just like devices that are linked to the internet, VoIP can be subject to data breaches. Hackers can commit fraud, theft, or get access to your personal information. It can open up businesses to cyber threats. Let's get a deep understanding of what VoIP hacking is and its types.
VoIP Hacking
The definition of VoIP hacking is intruders penetrating through your communication systems. The main aim of the hackers is to listen to your calls and carve out sensitive data. It can include details of your customers, personal or business account details, or other confidential information.
In addition, VoIP hacking can also be due to your employees giving out data to any scammers. They can allow access to any user or click on any links which give hackers access to your business phone systems. VoIP hacking has many different types that you need to be aware of.
Types of VoIP Hacking
The VoIP phone can be subject to different types of hacking. Here are the five most common ones:
1. Unauthorized Usage of Your Business Phone System
One of the most common ways hackers use your business system is for calling other people. They get access to your company's number and can impersonate as the company's representative to get confidential information from your customers.
The receiver will have your called ID showing up on their phone. It is why the receiver can't determine if it is a hacker's call. Above all, it is almost impossible to identify such fraudulent calls if you fix try to find them on your own.
2. Spoofing of Caller IDs
Another hacking trick that is common is called ID spoofing. It is when a hacker will contact you through fake caller IDs. Without knowing, your employees can end up revealing crucial data and information to them. Moreover, it can also give them access to your customers' data and business phone system.
3. Social Engineering
In this type of hacking, the hackers don't target any technology; instead, they target people. The hackers try to win the trust and the confidence of your employees and trick them into giving out sensitive data. They use a fake caller ID to show they are calling from a legitimate source.
However, that is not the case, and people give away crucial information to hackers. They try to persuade victims with their sweet talk into giving away business info. It gives the receiver no doubt not to trust them, which the hacker then takes advantage of. Also, it won't necessarily be a local call as sometimes hackers make international calls to win the victim's trust.
4. Toll fraud
Another type of VoIP hacking that costs many companies billions of dollars is toll fraud. The hackers use your VoIP phone network to place international calls. Since international call charges are higher, they will come from your accounts.
Usually, the hacker calls up one of your departments and asks them for verification codes. Your employees cannot identify it as a spam call, and they give away sensitive information to the hacker.
5. Eavesdropping
This type of hacking gives the hackers access to you or your customer's personal details. By listening to the call recordings or live calls, attackers note down the credit card or bank details. Eavesdropping is possible if your private network doesn't have proper encryption to protect you from such data breaches.
The hackers can use the information from the call in multiple ways. They can use the information to take money out of the account or sell it to someone else. Furthermore, in a worst-case scenario, they can also use it to blackmail you or your customers as per the nature of the call.
Is Mobile VoIP Safe?
As mentioned earlier, the use of landlines is rapidly declining due to the availability of VoIP and accessibility to mobile phones. One stat shows that landline cost is rising in urban areas, whereas wireless costs have reduced by significant number in the past decade.
However, the question regarding the safety of other options, such as mobile VoIP, is still there in people's minds. VoIP services have become much safer since their invention in 1995 and more and more companies think VoIP is a better option than PBX phone systems.
A VoIP system works by facilitating calls through an internet connection, and as a result, can come with the same risks that other online systems and programs contend with. With constant changes in the security systems and VoIP applications, data breaches and cyber-threats are no longer major issues for businesses. Strong passwords and other verification processes make it nearly impossible for hackers to enter your mobile VoIP applications.
Moreover, there are security measures you can take to ensure your VoIP is not vulnerable to any cyber-attacks. Let's look at some of the defensive measures you can take to prevent hackers from controlling your business phone systems.
How to Make Your VoIP More Secure?
VoIP technology is an internet-powered phone system making our lives much easier. It is helping businesses to become more efficient and streamline their business communication processes. By following some of the safety methods below, you can prevent hackers from entering your business phone system.
Keep an Eye on Your Phone Logs
One of the easiest ways to prevent any security breaches or attacks is by monitoring your call logs. You can find out about the call details, numbers, locations of the call (both on your side and the receiver's side), and the number of calls to a particular number.
By checking your logs regularly, you can identify any inconsistency in the call logs. Moreover, if you see a different IP address accessing your Voice over Internet Protocol services or at an unusual time, you can identify it as a possible hacking attempt.
Select a Reliable Provider
A good VoIP provider is responsible for providing you with high-quality security, which includes any online services they provide as well as proper hardware and special VoIP router protections. If your provider cannot give you reliability in terms of security, hackers can easily infiltrate your VoIP system and steal your sensitive data.
Therefore, you need to discuss and check the security measures before signing up with a VoIP provider. You can ask your provider to give information about their security certifications.
Additionally, it is important to have a reliable internet connection. When using open networks, use a secure VPN to protect your data. Data encryption through VPN will make it impossible for hackers to access your information.
Educate Your Employees
The primary cause behind any VoIP hack is a mistake of one of your employees. It is not something that they have deliberately done but a mistake due to incomplete knowledge. Therefore, it is imperative to educate your employees about the threats and train them regarding how to deal with such issues.
One mistake can do significant damage to your business. So, you must train and give your employees a brief understanding during the orientation process. In addition, you can conduct training seminars from time to time so the people in your company are aware of the different VoIP hacks.
Is Cell Phone Call Secure?
The benefits of cell phones are simply unmatchable with a landline. You can use it to make calls to emergency services without using a handset. In addition, cell phones are secure and safe, but they are still prone to cyber-attacks.
Since there is no involvement of wires, there is the possibility to intercept the signals of your calls. Also, if the hacker can hack your phone, they can access your personal information and make calls or send messages.
If your battery timing is dropping quickly or there are unusual calls or SMS to other mobile devices, it means your phone is hacked.
Which Is More Secure VoIP or Cell Phone?
If we talk about security, hackers can find a way to infiltrate both VoIP systems and cell phones. It is why users are having a difficult time choosing whether to make VoIP calls or cell phone calls. Over time, VoIP is making staggering strides in improving its security.
With a secure internal IT system, you can securely make calls without worrying about hacks. Also, with safety measures, like password, pin authentication, you can make your VoIP system safer.
VoIP has become an integral part of business communications in the past decade. With the world moving towards remote working, we can expect to see a rise in the demand for VoIP services and applications. As for landlines, they won't go extinct, but it will be rare to find one in the next decade as most companies are choosing to switch to VoIP.
People will also make cell phone calls for emergency purposes. Since VoIP calls are placed over the internet, it is impossible to track them for services such as 911. Therefore, they are likely to stay but with their usage only for emergency services.
