About Vonage VoIP service security?

Question

I have heard some real good things about the new phone service Vonage and I am planning to swtich my phone service to them. But I am more concerned about the security of this phone service as it's a voice over Protocol Serive. I wold like to know "if it is Secure enough to switch over to Vonage? Is there any way that this Voip service can be hacked? or Should I stay with my regular phone service provider?"

Answer 1

This is a complicated subject with no easy answer.

Services like Vonage are SIP-based VoIP.  In simple form, SIP protocol is a lot like email, except it sets up voice calls over Internet.  Just as email can be intercepted, so can VoIP.

So, you can never be absolutely sure if a call is being snooped on or not (takes special equipment to do this, though).

However, some services are now beginning to "encrypt" the data.  Just like email can be encrypted, so can VoIP.  But, it is not generally done, because of the extra bandwidth, overhead, and delays required to implement.  However, it will probably become more common place in future, because of your very concerns over security.  But, even if calls are encrypted over Internet, once the reach a PSTN telephone network portal, they become "un-encrypted" again to pass over PSTN phone network.  Regular phone calls are not encrypted, and can be tapped, too.

Skype is one of the few well known services that Encrypt all its calls over Internet. But, Skype uses a proprietary protocol and is not publicly disclosed what protocol they use (SIP, H.323, IAX, etc...?)

All that said, I now only use VoIP for all my phone calling.

And, I use SIP-base VoIP services, and Skype too sometimes.

Answer 2

most VoIP providers have better security then any other! You will have a build-in router with firewall! I have VoIP for over 5 years and never had any problem with security!!