Staying Safe with Asterisk: Your Role in Securing Open-Source VoIP
Who is the target audience for the Asterisk VoIP platform?
If you wish to build a versatile and potent communications system, the Asterisk IP communications engine is for you. Numerous pre-packaged IP PBX solutions based on Asterisk have become available, allowing configuration via a web GUI. Asterisk configuration is carried out using a series of ascii text files.
Why open source?
In addition to wanting to free up the staid, closed telecom industry, Mark Spencer, the CTO of Digium and the man behind Asterisk, also made the decision to make Asterisk open source to facilitate contributions from people around the globe who are especially eager to see Asterisk developed in particular directions (such as contact center and conference applications).
VoIP systems constructed using Asterisk, an open-source phone platform, are prone to frequent hacking attempts and are to be avoided.
What VoIP security precautions can Asterisk implement to keep hackers out of their systems?
Even though Asterisk has several locations where security settings can be adjusted, I would like to highlight a few more broad points:
Point 5's security discussion that solely mentions asterisks is blatantly deceptive. In background, PBXs have always been vulnerable to several types of assaults, even prior to the emergence of IP communications. These attacks can range from voicemail box hacking attempts to extensive toll fraud via PRIs or analog lines.
* • Hacking efforts will be made against ANY* SIP IP PBX that has an open connection to the internet (that is, not connected to a VPN or restricted to a specific IP address or addresses).
There are millions of Asterisk-based IP PBXs worldwide, making Asterisk the most widely used and well-established open source communications engine available; nonetheless, problems of this kind are not especially common with them. It all comes down to implementation, just like with any other kind of system. Things could go wrong if something is done carelessly.
Numerous online resources exist regarding specific proprietary IP PBX brands and their possible vulnerabilities. However, concentrating solely on the PBX would overlook the primary concern when it comes to IP system security, which is to guarantee appropriate protocols are implemented at the network level prior to considering network-based applications such as CRM or PBX systems.
You can be certain that a thief would have broken in through a window, the front door, or the back door if you discovered him in your kitchen. To prevent the thief from entering your home, the best course of action would be to strengthen the external security! Similarly, with your network... Originally, stop the evil guys from gaining access to your network!
Any action you take within a specific application or appliance, such as a CRM system or IP PBX, ought to be considered a backup plan
There are actually more ways to identify and stop any kind of compromise on an Asterisk PBX than there are on any other PBX system because of its strength and versatility. Naturally, ideas need to be put into practice and modifieby experts in the field.