Securing VoIP Networks: Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Countermeasures (Paperback)

by Peter Thermos (Author), Ari Takanen (Author)
Key Phrases: crypto session, component discovery, group key management architecture, Security Descriptions, United States, Frame Relay (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

In Securing VoIP Networks, two leading experts systematically review the security risks and vulnerabilities associated with VoIP networks and offer proven, detailed recommendations for securing them. Drawing on case studies from their own fieldwork, the authors address VoIP security from the perspective of real-world network implementers, managers, and security specialists. The authors identify key threats to VoIP networks, including eavesdropping, unauthorized access, denial of service, masquerading, and fraud; and review vulnerabilities in protocol design, network architecture, software, and system configuration that place networks at risk. They discuss the advantages and tradeoffs associated with protection mechanisms built into SIP, SRTP, and other VoIP protocols; and review key management solutions such as MIKEY and ZRTP. Next, they present a complete security framework for enterprise VoIP networks, and provide detailed architectural guidance for both service providers and enterprise users.

 

1       Introduction

2       VoIP Architectures and Protocols

3       Threats and Attacks

4       VoIP Vulnerabilites

5       Signaling Protection Mechanisms

6       Media Protection Mechanisms

7       Key Management Mechanisms

8       VoIP and Network Security Controls

9       A Security Framework for Enterprise VoIP Networks

10     Provider Architectures and Security

11     Enterprise Architectures and Security

About the Author

Peter Thermos is CTO of Palindrome Technologies, which provides information

security consulting services to government and commercial organizations.

Peter started his career at Bellcore (now Telcordia) as a member of the technical

staff and later as a principal technical expert on key information security and

assurance tasks. He is a frequent speaker at conferences and industry forums

including the IEEE, MIS, IEC, ISACA, VON, and others. Peter is also known

for his contributions to the security community for discovering software

vulnerabilities, the release of SiVuS (The First VoIP Vulnerability Scanner)

and the vopsecurity.org Forum. Peter holds a Masters Degree in Computer

Science from Columbia University where he is currently furthering his

graduate studies.

 

Ari Takanen is founder and CTO of Codenomicon. Since 1998, Ari has

focused on information security issues in next-generation networks and security

critical environments. He began at Oulu University Secure Programming Group

(OUSPG) as a contributing member to PROTOS research that studied information

security and reliability errors in WAP, SNMP, LDAP, and VoIP implementations.

Ari and his company, Codenomicon Ltd. provide and commercialize automated

tools using a systematic approach to test a multitude of interfaces on mission-critical

software, VoIP platforms, Internet-routing infrastructure, and 3G devices.

Codenomicon and the University of Oulu aim to ensure new technologies are

accepted by the general public, by providing means of measuring and ensuring

quality in networked software. Ari has been speaking at numerous security and

testing conferences on four continents and has been invited to speak at leading

universities and international corporations.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional; 1 edition (August 11, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321437349
• ISBN-13: 978-0321437341
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #228,846 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #56 in

  Books > Computers & Internet > Networking > Telephony

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you have any doubt whether VoIP is vulnerable . . ., September 16, 2007

By	Stephen Northcutt (Kauai, HI USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A quick read of the first 1/3 of the book will cure you of your doubts VoIP can be attacked forever! It was almost painful reading; exploit approach after exploit approach, but I mean that in a good way like the pain you feel in your muscles after exercise.

I was excited when this book came out, I have been following some of the author's Thermos and Takanen work and I think they were the perfect team for this book.

I feel that Chapter 3 and 4, threats and attacks and VoIP vulnerabilities are by far the strongest chapters and they alone are worth the purchase price of the book.

The majority of the rest of the book is focused on mitigating controls and it is solid writing, solid research, but not quite at the level of the pen test side of the book.

Chapters 10 and 11 are invaluable to anyone considering a VoIP deployment including a deployment where you are depending on a service provider. The charts and diagrams are clear and easy to understand, the whole book team is to be commended for that, this is a complex subject.

If you are even thinking about VoIP, you should read this book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Valuable VoIP Security Information, April 21, 2008

By	Tony Bradley "s3kur3.com" (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews

There are many benefits to VoIP and IP-based communications. However, relying on your network infrastructure to transport your telephone communications renders your telecommunications vulnerable to virtually all of the same issues and threats as your network. On top of that, there are also unique attack vectors introduced by VoIP. As organizations race to deploy VoIP and experience the benefits, most would probably benefit from slowing down to consider the security implications and develop appropriate controls to protect their communications.

In Security VoIP Networks: Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Countermeasures, authors Peter Thermos and Ari Takanen do a superb job of illustrating the insecurities of VoIP. Not to suggest that it is just so inherently insecure that it should never be used, but C-level execs, and IT managers and administrators should be familiar with the information in this book before moving forward to deploy VoIP.

Chapter 2, 'VoIP Architecture and Protocols', provides a solid foundation on the basic components and technologies that make up VoIP. It is the next couple chapters that are the most valuable though. In 'VoIP Vulnerabilities', and 'Threats and Attacks', Thermos and Takanen demonstrate the weaknesses of VoIP and the simplicity with which VoIP communications can be disrupted or intercepted if not set up properly.

Chapters 5 - 8 analyze different security controls and protection mechanisms. One issue I had was that it was difficult to draw a one-to-one correlation and find the security countermeasures to defend against attacks identified earlier. The information is solid though.

The book wraps up by providing a look at what a VoIP security framework should entail, and architecture diagrams to help you create and deploy a secure VoIP solution.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good introduction to VoIP security, November 15, 2007

By	B. Robert Helm - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book was useful for understanding VoIP security protocols, including somewhat obscure ones such as SIP over TLS. The threats section looks like it will be valuable for convincing managers to take VoIP security seriously. I used the book to evaluate Microsoft's new VoIP products (I work for an analyst firm, Directions on Microsoft, that covers the company) and found it very helpful.

I wish that the book were organized to relate the threats and attacks to the countermeasures more clearly -- I find it easier to understand a security protocol when someone shows me what attacks it can and can't block. I'd like to see a book like this that focuses on SIP/RTP VoIP in more depth and leaves out H.323 -- I know H.323 is more widely deployed, but SIP/RTP seems to be where the big vendors are headed. Still, these are minor quibbles -- I would recommend this book to anyone who needs an introduction to VoIP network security.

Rob Helm