Internet Telephone Service

Congress Will Look at VoIP Vulnerabilities

May 11, 2005

The Cyber Security Industry Alliance (CSIA) has asked the Congress to examine the vulnerabilities that Voice over Internet Protocol has and provide security recommendations when looking at the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

The CSIA has noted that VoIP can be affected with the same types of hazards that all Internet material is subject to such as denial of service, viruses and worms. The CSIA feels that such attacks could limit the use of VoIP based emergency systems and weaken the response in the event of an attack.

CSIA executive director Paul Kurtz stated, "Because IP telephony depends solely on the Internet for operating, it is subject to all the same vulnerabilities that our corporate networks face. As Congress considers revisiting the Telecommunications Act of 1996, CSIA strongly recommends that the serious implications of VoIP cyber attacks be addressed since they can affect critical government services such as 911 and other emergency first responder services."

The CSIA has offered some security suggestions and are holding a conference in Washington DC with the University of North Texas and George Mason University, "Securing voice over IP," June 1-2.



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