VoIP traffic 'must be secure'

VoIP traffic must be correctly configured to ensure that it is safe, according to a security firm.

NTA Monitor warns that while having VoIP traffic and data traffic on the same network has "significant" efficiency gains, there can be access problems if the system is not properly set up.

For instance, errors may allow users on the network to listen in on phone calls or vice versa and the potential problems could be larger if wireless VoIP phones are being used.

However, the security threats can be avoided if certain rules are followed, according to Roy Hills, technical director at NTA Monitor.

"The route to a robust VoIP deployment and the efficiencies that an integrated network can provide is via careful configuration, particularly separation and encryption, and a considered view of the implications, policies and procedures associated with VoIP," he said.

A study by BT, the University of Glamorgan and Edith Cowan University in Australia released last month warned that many companies put themselves at risk by not erasing data from mobile devices when they no longer needed them.