Businesses 'failing' on IP telephony security

Upgrading to voice over internet protocol (VoIP) for phone calls can bring a number of benefits, but firms have been warned that they must secure their network from hackers.

Cisco engineer and IP telephony author Eric Vyncke told a London conference that despite the efforts of manufacturers and providers, VoIP security is being comprised by a lack of knowledge from the firms paying to install it.

"Nearly nobody is deploying secure IP telephony," he said. "Why? It's a lack of information."

Improvements in technology have made sure that the integrity of a device can be checked and an IP phone authenticated before it becomes involved in a call.

Mr Vyncke supported the idea of the IT department in a firm holding certificates for each of the devices used for business, giving them the ability to quickly revoke the access privileges of the device if it is lost, returned or stolen.