Phone Hacking

Your computer system in their hands
The attack of computer systems (hacking) has long been publicized (and in some films even romanticized). However the reality of criminals abusing a computer system to carry out their illegal activities is concerning - especially when it’s your company server that is getting the attention. With technology ever expanding the new target is now company phone systems (technically referred to as PABX systems).

Phone Hackers: Phreakers
By compromising unsuspecting companies’ telephone systems today’s phone hackers (or phreakers by definition), are able to fund international crime and terrorism. Exploiting a company telephone system is worryingly straightforward; once a system has been hacked access to the system passwords and a free reign on placing calls is in the phone hacker’s hands. The calls are typically routed through the invaded system outside of office hours and during weekends so the activity goes unnoticed (that is, until the next phone bill comes through). The criminals translate these calls to cash by selling “pre-paid” phone cards to unsuspecting members of the public. The calls cost the criminals nothing so the phone card proceeds are pure profit.

The criminal world’s latest money spinner
Globally phone fraud is four times bigger than credit card fraud and the UK is one of the top 5 countries to be targeted by phone hackers. Companies with affected systems have found their phone bill leap to 20 times the standard cost – some have experienced even greater amounts and the first they knew anything about it was on receipt of their phone bill. A security breach on an unprotected system can take milliseconds to initiate. Once inside the phone system hackers will, by default, avoid all network and internet security and thus gain backdoor access to PCs and data networks.

Help is at hand
There is, you’ll be relieved to hear, a solution. These days firewalls are a standard feature on computers and data networks, and now there’s a firewall for your phone system. When it comes down to guarding your company’s assets the use of a phone system firewall can detect and kill diverted calls – the preferred route for hackers. Talk to one of HJS Essentia’s telecommunications experts today about protecting your office telephone system from attack.