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Your VoIP system is at risk from hackers and criminals who want to steal your information.
Here is what you need to do:
VoIP phone systems offer your business tremendous advantages, but they have one glaring vulnerability that you need to prepare for. Since they are managed through the internet, they can be hacked.
Businesses across the country have turned to VoIP systems because of the tremendous flexibility, better pricing, and integrated systems that this technology offers. However, having a phone system breached by hackers can create a devastating situation for businesses like yours. You need to know how criminals can access and use your VoIP and what to do if you find yourself the victim of this type of attack.
How Criminals Can Access Your VoIP System
VoIP phone systems can provide hackers with a goldmine of information and access to other sensitive areas of your business. Like other computer systems, they can be hit with a wide range of cyberattacks, but a large portion of them originate because of a simple employee mistake. A full 97% of malware attacks happen because an employee inadvertently gives a criminal access to sensitive information.
It can happen in a variety of different ways, such as an employee getting tricked into believing that the criminal is a member of their organization, or it can come from an employee clicking on an emailed link that appears legitimate. Regardless of how it happens, once the attackers gain access, they have the ability to damage the business in a variety of ways.
How criminals can use their access to your VoIP system
Once the criminal has gained access, their criminal activities can include:
- Using your VoIP system to gain access to other sensitive areas of the business, such as payment processes
- Accessing your phone system and pretending to be you while calling customers and vendors to steal more information
- Using your phone system to make long-distance calls, resulting in large charges appearing on your bill
- Listening to conversations to gain access to sensitive customer information
- Using your phone system to spoof caller IDs when calling customers or employees to try and steal more information and potentially hack other areas of the business or to directly steal bank account information
If you discover that someone has breached your phone system, you want to have a plan so you know exactly what to do.
What To Do if You’ve Been Hacked
Realizing that criminals have accessed your phone system can feel overwhelming and quickly lead to panic. However, if you have a plan in place so that you know what steps to take, you can help you and your employees keep calm and take the best possible steps to protect your business from further damage.
What to do after discovering a VoIP data breach
Disconnect any devices or systems that have become infected as quickly as possible to stop the problem from spreading.
Do not attempt to solve the problem yourself, such as restarting devices. Disconnect everything and wait for instructions.
Call Gregg Communications. Gregg Communications partners with Quality VoIP providers who have trained experts in cybersecurity, with the latest qualifications. We are ready to help! Let us know everything you know about the breach so we have the necessary details to begin the investigation.
Let anyone potentially impacted by the breach know about it. Letting customers know that your hack may have compromised their security can be damaging for a company, but having a breach and not telling customers will be worse, and even illegal. This can be particularly true since hackers can use your VoIP system to gain more sensitive information from customers. You need to let customers know so they can take the proper precautions. Articulate how they will know if it's really you calling and what you are doing to correct the problem.
Take the steps needed to secure your business. Before you go back online, make sure you have taken steps to protect your business further. All passwords should be changed, and review who has access to protocols such as your administrative controls. Review your security plan with your VoIP provider.
Taking Your VoIP Protection to the Next Level
While knowing what to do if you get hacked remains critical, businesses have to also remember that a pinch of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Taking the time to improve your VoIP security now can protect your systems better and ensure that any breaches are caught and rectified faster. Your VoIP provider should have a dedicated security policy that you can review so that you know your systems have the protection you deserve.
At Gregg Communications, we offer you security-first unified communications services. As your VoIP provider, you will know that we have highly equipped security practices designed to keep you and your data safe. We will develop clear security practices with you so that you know precisely what to do if you experience a breach and how we will help you protect your information.
Your data remains critical to your success, and you need a VoIP provider who can provide you with the security you need to relax and experience the benefits of an internet-based phone system.
Reach out to our team today to learn more about how we can provide you with the right security-minded VoIP services for your business.