Cisco Confirms Its VOIP Phones Spies On Remote Calls

Linda Leung

Cisco confirmed it is possible to eavesdrop on remote conversations using Cisco VoIP phones. In its security response, Cisco says: "an attacker with valid Extension Mobility authentication credentials could cause a Cisco Unified IP Phone configured to use the Extension Mobility feature to transmit or receive a Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) audio stream."

Cisco adds that Extension Mobility authentication credentials are not tied to individual IP phones and that "any Extension Mobility account configured on an IP phone's Cisco Unified Communications Manager/CallManager (CUCM) server can be used to perform an eavesdropping attack."

The technique was described by Telindus researcher Joffrey Czarny at HACK.LU 2007 in Luxembourg in October.

Cisco has published some workarounds to this problem in its security response.

Also in October, two security experts at hacker conference ToorCon9 in San Diego hacked into their hotel's corporate network using a Cisco VoIP phone.

The hackers, John Kindervag and Jason Ostrom said they were able to access the hotel's financial and corporate network and recorded other phone calls, according to a blog on Wired.com.

The hackers used penetration tests propounded by a tool called VoIP Hopper, which mimics the Cisco data packets sent at three minute intervals and then trades a new Ethernet interface, getting the PC - which the hackers switched in place of the hotel phone - into the network running the VoIP, according to the blog post.

The Avaya configuration is superior to Cisco, according to the hackers, because you have to send requests beyond a sniffer. Although it can be breached the same way, by replacing the phone with a PC.

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"The Basics of Voice over Internet Protocol" By Frank M. Groom & Kevin M. Groom

OVERVIEW

Voice over Internet protocol (VoIP), the transmission of person-to-person voice conversations over IP–based networks, is a topic of great interest within the telecommunications industry. With VoIP service, customers see an opportunity to significantly reduce their local and long-distance calling expenses, while long-distance carriers have seen an opportunity to possibly avoid sharing a large portion of their revenues with the local telephone companies for use of their access links to originate long-distance calls. Moreover, service providers and customers see an increasing appeal in the rich array of services that VoIP enables. Among these are a range of Web-like phone displays, information services, and data exchange.

The Basics of Voice over Internet Protocol examines the fundamentals of delivering VoIP service while exploring its potential in the communications market. VoIP is now becoming a mainstream service offered by RBOCs, CLECs, long-distance carriers, international carriers, and virtually any entrant to the transport business. Yet despite this, multiple standards for VoIP still exist, making the interworking of vendor products and the myriad alternative protocols—H.323, SIP, MGCP, etc.—a continuing issue. Further, the quality of VoIP telephone conversations is still under question, and the seeming significant initial costs of setup, including the change-out of phones and PBXs, as well as the addition of gateway and gatekeeper devices, may undermine the benefits to be had from implementing VoIP.

As the industry moves forward, the direction of the complete national network is toward an IP–based architecture, and voice traffic seems to be moving in this common direction. There are many challenges still to be addressed, but the benefits of VoIP continue to draw mounting levels interest, pushing this technology ever further into the mainstream of communications. The Basics of Voice over Internet Protocol analyzes this trend in depth while bringing readers up to date on the evolution of VoIP service.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1: Introduction
The Opportunity for Voice Traffic in IP Networks
Open Standards for VoIP

Chapter 2: Characteristics of Voice and IP Traffic
Public Telephone Network Service versus IP Networking
IP Voice Standards
Basics for Transmitting Voice in IP Packets
VoIP Overhead and Its Effects
The General VoIP Architecture Model
Voice Content Packetization
Voice Packet Transmission
Voice Packet Reception
Standards for VoIP Beyond H.323
Interconnecting VoIP Nets to the Public Telephone Network
Assigning IP Telephone Addresses – DHCP

Chapter 3: VoIP Models for Connection
Enterprise Connection over Public and Private Networks
Residential Connection over Networks
VoIP Terminals

Chapter 4: VoIP Using the H.323 Protocol
The ITU H.323 Protocol
Terminals
Gateways
Gatekeepers
The Operation of an H.323 Network
The H.323 Frame
H.323 Audio Coding and Compression
H.323 Call-Setup Signaling and Message Flow
Operation of Gateways and Gatekeepers in an H.323 Network
Real-Time Transfer Protocol

Chapter 5: SIP for Voice Transmission
SIP Messages
SIP Headers and the TCP/IP Packet
SIP Addressing and Operation
The Specifics of User Agents Using SIP Proxy Servers
The More Detailed Flow Using Proxy and Redirect Servers

Chapter 6: Gateways and Gatekeeper Protocols
Media Gateway Control Protocol – MGCP
The MGCP Commands
Media Gateway Control Protocol – MEGACO
Simple Gateway Control Protocol
Skinny Protocol – An Alternative to MGCP and MEGACO
Summary Comparison of the Protocols

Chapter 7: Transmitting Voice over a Public WAN and IP Network
IP Voice over Frame Relay – IP VoFR
IP Voice over ATM – IP VoATM

Chapter 8: Service-Provider VoIP Offerings
RBOC VoIP Services
CLEC VoIP Services
Long-Distance Carrier VoIP Services
Cable VoIP Services
Small Service-Provider VoIP Services

Chapter 9: Strategies for Vendors, Regulators, and Customers
The Federal Communications Commission
Interexchange Long-Distance Carriers
Regional Bell Operating Companies
Competitive Local-Exchange Carriers
Service Providers
Enterprise Businesses
Residential Customers
VoIP Hardware and Software Vendors

Chapter 10: Conclusion
Appendix: VoIP Terminals and Other Equipment
IP PBX Components and Prices
IP Phones and Prices
H.323 IP Phones and Prices
SIP–Only Phones
General List of IP Phones and Vendors
Cisco Systems Gateway and Module Component Costs
Avaya Gateway and Module Component Costs

FEATURES
· Provides the essential fundamentals of how VoIP functions
· Offers an encompassing overview of the evolution of VoIP services
· Analyzes current market conditions for VoIP and the drivers behind its movement into the mainstream of communications
· Explores the myriad challenges involved in implementing VoIP
· Discusses the various protocols available for VoIP delivery, fully explaining the functionality and benefits of each
· Examines the opportunities and benefits that VoIP presents to RBOCs, CLECs, long-distance carriers, and service providers
· Highlights current VoIP offerings from today's service providers and vendors
· Offers informed strategies on deploying and utilizing VoIP for long-distance carriers, RBOCs, CLECs, service providers, and enterprise businesses, residential customers, and hardware and software vendors
· Provides a comprehensive glossary that defines key terminology
· Presents easy-to-digest graphics, charts, and tables that illustrate important aspects of VoIP

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Frank M. Groom is a Professor at the Graduate Center for Information and Communication Science at Ball State University. His research is concentrated in the areas of high-bandwidth networking, distributed systems, and the storage of multimedia objects. Dr. Groom is the author of six books-among his best known are "The Future of ATM" and "The ATM Handbook". Dr. Groom received his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee in Information Systems and was formerly Senior Director of Information Systems for Ameritech.

Kevin M. Groom is a Senior Member of the Technical Staff for AT&T, where he is involved in provisioning the network that supports the operations support systems that provide information and functionality to the carrier's long-distance and metro networks. Mr. Groom has a B.A. in Telecommunications and an M.S. in Information and Communication Sciences from Ball State University. He is the co-author of "The Future of IP and Packet Networking" and has presented numerous talks on managing the metropolitan and national carrier networks at networking conferences.

Get A Copy Of "The Basics of Voice over Internet Protocol" By Frank M. Groom & Kevin M. Groom

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Using Skype On Mobile Phones

eBay's Skype is working with British cell phone service operator 3 to produce a handset that will allow users to make free calls on the internet, a spokesman for the company said.

A spokesman for 3 confirmed that the group was working to make internet calls mobile but would not confirm any further details or who it was working with.

The phone is expected to work in the normal way but to include a Skype function to contact other Skype customers.

Skype uses an internet connection to place a voice call, cutting out the telephony network for which telecoms operators charge by the minute.

Skype calls to other broadband-connected Skype users are free.

The Skype spokesman did not give any further details but said the phone would be out later this year.

3 is the British cell phone business of Hong Kong conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa.

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Avoid Cunning VOIP Service Providers

You can find offers for VOIP service all over the place. You get them in various monthly bills, you see them scattered all over at Best Buy and Circuit City, and your DSL or cable provider is probably offering it to you as well. How to choose which one is best?

The answer to this is that the one that is most convenient to purchase is RARELY going to be your most cost effective option. People like "easy", but at the same time, "easy" costs more money than you need to be spending. Let's look at some examples.

With my cable bill every month, the cable carrier includes a flyer about how great their VOIP service is and offer me a gazillion reasons I should sign up for it. Oh really? What they offer for $39.95 per month is less than what I would get from Packet8 VOIP service or SunRocket VOIP service, yet they want me to pay $15 more each month for getting less. But I have the convenience of ordering through my cable provider, and the convenience of having my VOIP bill on the same invoice as my cable bill. While I like convenience, is paying $15 more per month, or $180 more each year, really worth it, especially when I am getting LESS service than I would for less money with VOIP options? I don't think so.

What about Vonage, with their huge TV advertising budget, and offers all over the place, is Vonage a good deal? In my own use of the Vonage VOIP system, I am not impressed. There are more features to be found for the same or less money with other VOIP services, and the quality of the Vonage connection was not as good as even my cell phone. That is my personal experience and your mileage may vary, but I am just reporting what I have found.

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VOIP Tricks You Cant Wait To Try

The really nice thing about VOIP is that it is a service that you can take with you when you travel. For example, most hotels now have high-speed Internet service, and if you take your VOIP phone with you, you can plug in at the hotel and continue to make and receive calls at your regular phone number as if you had never left home. Keep in mind that if the hotel offers ONLY a wireless Internet connection, as many of them do as your only option, this presents another problem and you will need additional hardware to convert that wireless signal into an RJ45 jack that you can plug your VOIP DTA box into.

I know of one business person who does not leave home without his VOIP phone, it is always one of the first things that gets packed. So when he gets to his hotel in Chicago or New York or Denver or even Germany or Hong Kong, he plugs in his VOIP phone and is back to work. While it may seem strange to have a VOIP phone plugged into your Hong Kong hotel room, and have people call you on it by dialing an Orlando phone number (if you live in Orlando), that is how VOIP works and it really is nice.

Another thing you can do is say you have relatives in Europe or the UK that you like to talk to but it is prohibitively expensive to call overseas very often. To solve this problem, what you should do is get a VOIP phone for you, and have them get a VOIP phone from the same provider. Now even though they are living in London or Munich, they will have a Detroit or Houston phone number. They can call you and talk as long as you want, or you can call them on their assigned phone number (which might appear to be Detroit or Denver) and talk as long as you want. The only thing they need is that high-speed Internet connection, and of course an electrical adapter to accommodate the different voltages overseas.

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Leverage Your AudioCodes Gateways with Virtual Contact Centers from CosmoCom

Virtual contact center, unified customer communications and call center consolidation are all hot topics these days as companies align their core business strategies around the quest for customer service excellence. Contact center decision makers are now under pressure to increase customer satisfaction and reduce costs at the same time, all while managing complex day-to-day operations.

One of the most effective ways to further all of these challenging and sometimes conflicting objectives -- service improvement, cost reduction, and operational streamlining -- is through the deployment of a virtual contact center. Agents at multiple locations within the call center, throughout the enterprise or at outsourced operations can be managed and utilized as a single entity, enabling organizations to benefit from economies of scale and better control.

IP-based voice technologies are inherently virtual, so solutions based on IP are the only practical choice for call center virtualization. IP-based contact centers offer enterprises endless possibilities for how, when and where they want to communicate with their customers. Consolidating technology on a single, unified, multi-tenant platform like CosmoCom’s CosmoCall Universe (CCU) is the best way to give organizations the flexibility to rapidly deploy agents and applications wherever and whenever needed.

The core value propositions are further enhanced by leveraging AudioCodes technologies – from the mid- to high-end VoIP communication devices that support enterprise unified customer communications and contact center consolidation; to the carrier grade equipment for Contact Center On-Demand (CCOD) deployments.

CosmoCom (www.cosmocom.com) pioneered VoIP contact center technology in the mid-90s with the original patent on multimedia routing. For over a decade CosmoCom has been a global leader in Unified Customer Communications, revolutionizing the whole range of business/customer interactions, not just in formal call centers, but for all information workers. Its technology improves customer service and increases revenue while reducing cost by supporting many independent virtual contact centers on one all-IP platform that integrates easily with other VoIP network components and with the Information Technology environment. Organizations can obtain the full benefits of this technology by deploying it themselves or by working with a network service provider that hosts it on a dedicated or shared-platform basis. Its multi-tenant platform, CosmoCall Universe, is a Contact Center On-Demand system designed to unify all communication channels and all major contact center functions.

CosmoCom architected CosmoCall Universe from the ground-up as a high-capacity, high-availability and highly-scalable multi-tenant platform to meet the mission-critical contact center needs of service providers and distributed enterprises. Naturally, the VoIP network has to be equally as robust, so CosmoCom needed to team up with a VoIP company that matched our requirements. AudioCodes is just such a partner.

AudioCodes provides our mutual customers with world-class VoIP infrastructure that is as cost-effective as it is reliable. They can count on good VoIP quality that is essential to customer communications in a high-density infrastructure that is easy to use.

CosmoCom’s all-IP virtual contact center platform and AudioCodes’ leading VoIP infrastructure technology is a winning combination to help enterprises benefit from virtualization and unified customer communications.

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Deverto Systems At A Glance

The time for Next Generation Networks has arrived. Despite the several technological and organizational differentiating factors among the operators, there is one which seems to be the most important element. This is Flexibility. It is about how well the telco – regardless of the size, history in the industry, network capacity, etc. – can meet the requirements of its different users. A user may be a residential client using an ordinary telephone service but wants it cheap, an industry that needs specific, sophisticated telco services in a special bundle or a particular company in an industry who would like the standard services a “bit differently” than the others to have a market differentiator.

Deverto Systems, a successful software development company with excellent references in the NGN and IMS arena, offer a unique combination of IT and telco expertise to design, build and run an efficient and highly performing VoIP network.

The architecture of the platform and the implementation of features enable the operators to use the same software image as Class 4 or Class 5 switch, or provide IP Centrex or other Value Added Services from the same platform thus increasing flexibility and reducing the Total Cost of Ownership.

From the start, the system,is built on standards, hence the integration into the operator’s network (signaling, back office, OSS, CRM, databases, etc,) is made efficient and fast, saving money and time when launching VoIP services or new features on the VoIP network.

Deverto’s solution is a “real” softswitch i.e. there is no proprietary hardware needed to its operation but industry standard components. Therefore, the development is not hindered by bespoke hardware architectures and manufacturing bottlenecks. Moreover, the solution is meeting industry standards on all interfaces, hence the operator is not bound to purchasing and deploying specific or proprietary servers, CPEs, MTUs, Gateways, IP phones, Soft clients, set-top boxes, etc. hence enjoying the freedom to buy the best of the needed components.

The references show a large variety in access technology. They include Cable TV operators of different capacities, ISPs, ADSL resellers, Condominium complex telcos, incumbent wireline operators, challengers and even a member of one of the largest telcos of Europe who practically has all existing access technologies deployed in its access network. Due to the flexibility of the platform the size of the references range from a couple thousand lines to several ten thousand line networks.

The licensing scheme which Deverto offers is simple and is closely linked to the capacity used thus the investment is closely following the served capacity and makes the calculation of the future investment predictable.

In order to meet customer requirements in connecting the VoIP network to legacy telco networks, Deverto has selected AudioCodes to be its gateway partner in delivering signaling and media gateways.

Deverto and AudioCodes with their high quality technologies can meet high standards and can fully satisfy the needs of telcos to provide VoIP service to their clients.

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ITS Telecom – Boosting All Businesses

ITS Telecom, an Israeli high-tech company with 14 years of experience and comprehensive business communications solutions, is a major player in its field.

With a global network of distributors in 45 countries, the company enjoys long-term relations with different partners, including AudioCodes, for which it is an OEM partner and a master distributor in Israel.

Integration, Flexibility, Excellence

Together with VoIP gateways, ITS Telecom's products close the circle of business communication options available today. This union enables businesses to expand their offerings by providing a four-pronged connection: VoIP, cellular, fixed line and PBX. Suited to commonly used interfaces – ISDN PRI, BRI and analog – ITS Telecom's products also fit all communication capacities and budgets. Offering instant integration with existing technologies, these technologies represent a virtually ‘plug and play’ solution.

The CGW-PX (see diagram below) is an AudioCodes OEM that with ITS Telecom's cellular gateway yields an integrated solution for cellular, PSTN and VoIP. Comprised of a high performance ISDN PRI CGW-P (see below) and an AudioCodes VoIP gateway, the CGW-PX is perfect for clients demanding a packaged, tested and approved solution.






CGW-PX: ITS Telecom converged connectivity solution

The CGW-P, a high performance ISDN PRI, is suited for corporations and carriers with heavy communication traffic. This product supports up to 30 simultaneous cellular channels and is flexible enough to support different cellular carriers, and varied technologies such as CDMA, GSM or UMTS . Supporting four SIMs for each channel, the CGW-P enables a total of 128 SIMs to provide valuable communication applications and savings on call costs.

The CGW-I is an ISDN BRI that reduces costs for those companies with an ISDN PBX that require only two or more simultaneous channels.

The CGW-D, an analog FXO/FXS, connects to the trunk or operates as an extension. Incorporating such useful features as call through and call back, this product is ideal for organizations with a low cellular call capacity and with highly connectivity demands.

The analog CGW-T (FXO) is compatible with the analog trunk interface of the PBX. An entry level gateway, the CGW-T perfectly meets the needs of small companies or enterprises with a low cellular call capacity.

Customers Win

For years, ITS Telecom cellular gateways have been integrated with AudioCodes VoIP gateways, and have successfully passed repeated tests and checks. ITS Telecom’s status as a master distributor and OEM partner of AudioCodes make it a vendor of choice for those seeking to incorporate VoIP with cellular gateways.

More ITS Telecom Offerings

In addition to its firm footing in the area of converged connectivity, ITS Telecom supplies a wide range of cellular gateways compatible with different interfaces, cellular networks and customers.

Regarding service and operations, the company’s access control door phones and remote video monitoring contribute to customers’ efficiency, profitability and safety.

Likewise, ITS Telecom control and monitoring products – voicemail and automated attendant, call recording, and promotion-on-hold – enhance clients’ productivity and general business functions.

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