New security and control protocol for VoIP based on steganography and digital watermarking

In this paper new security and control protocol for Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service is presented. It is the alternative for the IETF's (Internet Engineering Task Force) RTCP (Real-Time Control Protocol) for real-time application's traffic. Additionally this solution offers authentication and integrity, it is capable of exchanging and verifying QoS and security parameters. It is based on digital watermarking and steganography that is why it does not consume additional bandwidth and the data transmitted is inseparably bound to the voice content.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, 1 tabl

SecMon: End-to-End Quality and Security Monitoring System

The Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is becoming a more available and popular way of communicating for Internet users. This also applies to Peer-to-Peer (P2P) systems and merging these two have already proven to be successful (e.g. Skype). Even the existing standards of VoIP provide an assurance of security and Quality of Service (QoS), however, these features are usually optional and supported by limited number of implementations. As a result, the lack of mandatory and widely applicable QoS and security guaranties makes the contemporary VoIP systems vulnerable to attacks and network disturbances. In this paper we are facing these issues and propose the SecMon system, which simultaneously provides a lightweight security mechanism and improves quality parameters of the call. SecMon is intended specially for VoIP service over P2P networks and its main advantage is that it provides authentication, data integrity services, adaptive QoS and (D)DoS attack detection. Moreover, the SecMon approach represents a low-bandwidth consumption solution that is transparent to the users and possesses a self-organizing capability. The above-mentioned features are accomplished mainly by utilizing two information hiding techniques: digital audio watermarking and network steganography. These techniques are used to create covert channels that serve as transport channels for lightweight QoS measurement's results. Furthermore, these metrics are aggregated in a reputation system that enables best route path selection in the P2P network. The reputation system helps also to mitigate (D)DoS attacks, maximize performance and increase transmission efficiency in the network.Comment: Paper was presented at 7th international conference IBIZA 2008: On Computer Science - Research And Applications, Poland, Kazimierz Dolny 31.01-2.02 2008; 14 pages, 5 figure

Prevalent Network Threats and Telecommunication Security Challenges and Countermeasures in VoIP Networks

Due to the recent global popularity gained by VoIP network while many organisations/industries are employing it for their voice communication needs, optimal security assurance has to be provided to guarantee security of their data/information against present day teeming security threats and attacks prevalent in IP-based networks. This research paper has critically investigated and analysed most of the security challenges associated with VoIP systems and traditional IP data networks; and has proposed several defence measures which if designed and implemented will prevent most (if not all) of the security threats plaguing these networks. Keywords: Network security, VoIP, Computer attack, Security threats, SIP, H.323, Defence measures, IPSec

SecSip: A Stateful Firewall for SIP-based Networks

SIP-based networks are becoming the de-facto standard for voice, video and instant messaging services. Being exposed to many threats while playing an major role in the operation of essential services, the need for dedicated security management approaches is rapidly increasing. In this paper we present an original security management approach based on a specific vulnerability aware SIP stateful firewall. Through known attack descriptions, we illustrate the power of the configuration language of the firewall which uses the capability to specify stateful objects that track data from multiple SIP elements within their lifetime. We demonstrate through measurements on a real implementation of the firewall its efficiency and performance

VOIP vs GSM Technology: The Way of the Future for Communication

This chopter presents ~·(;/?as o disruptive lechnology to GSM technnfog_1· as \l'c/1 os the issues. controFersies, and problems surmunding its deployment. It gin•s o gent'ral introduction oftlze evolution o/ communication svsten1s fim11 thE! POTS. /u (}SAf, and IWW ~'(J/P Se1•ur~.d issues that swTound the deployment of Voir such tiS [Jrovision of PSTN equivalent sen ices hy Voir scf'l'i<:c pml'iclers. regulation ofthe service. introduction (~{latency and other counter measures bv some operators. threat posed io PSTN providers due to eme1gence ol T-iJ!P. the needfin· technical stundardi:::ation of Vu!P. securill' issues, different cost structure, and cjuality ofservh:e pruvided H'<:'re alsu discussed in details Solutions and recommendations wei·e suggested to overcome rheclwllenges outlined. Tli)[P is eri!sented us the trul· o/the.fillurcj(n' communication T1'hen thisfinallv happens depends 011 how .fits! I he choll<'llges outlined in this chapter are addressed Fulurc and ell/crging re.\'Curdltrends in the dep/ovmenl of Vn!P such cts locating users in a st!cure a11d reliahle wuy, monitoring IIJ!P 11Cllt'ork.1·. as ll;elf us inrrusion derecriun and prevention on SIP tt•ere also considered. alter whic/1. conc/usiun ti'US made This dWjJ/er is hnth informative and interestin

Preventing Distributed Denial-of-Service Attacks on the IMS Emergency Services Support through Adaptive Firewall Pinholing

Emergency services are vital services that Next Generation Networks (NGNs) have to provide. As the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) is in the heart of NGNs, 3GPP has carried the burden of specifying a standardized IMS-based emergency services framework. Unfortunately, like any other IP-based standards, the IMS-based emergency service framework is prone to Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. We propose in this work, a simple but efficient solution that can prevent certain types of such attacks by creating firewall pinholes that regular clients will surely be able to pass in contrast to the attackers clients. Our solution was implemented, tested in an appropriate testbed, and its efficiency was proven.Comment: 17 Pages, IJNGN Journa

Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP): Overview, Direction And Challenges

Voice will remain a fundamental communication media that cuts across people of all walks of life. It is therefore important to make it cheap and affordable. To be reliable and affordable over the common Public Switched Telephone Network, change is therefore inevitable to keep abreast with the global technological change. It is on this basis that this paper tends to critically review this new technology VoIP, x-raying the different types. It further more discusses in detail the VoIP system, VoIP protocols, and a comparison of different VoIP protocols. The compression algorithm used to save network bandwidth in VoIP, advantages of VoIP and problems associated with VoIP implementation were also critically examined. It equally discussed the trend in VoIP security and Quality of Service challenges. It concludes by reiterating the need for a cheap, reliable and affordable means of communication that would not only maximize cost but keep abreast with the global technological change. Keywords: Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), Session Initiation Protocol (SIP),  multipoint control uni