Setting up your VoIP system makes communicating with your customers easier and your employees happier.
Almost. What happens when everything is smooth and someone quickly steals your data with a phishing attack. Just a quick, ‘Who clicked that link?’ to disturb the peace.
The good news? There are ways to simply protect your VoIP system from phishing attacks. Here is your guide to communicating scam-free.
What are Phishing Attacks and What’s the Big Fuss?
Phishing attacks are the cyber criminals getting the better of unsuspecting employees to get sensitive documents, passwords, credit cards or access to your VoIP system accounts.
Fake Links or Logins
Hackers might send fake login pages and links that look exactly like those from credible companies, such as VoIP providers. One click of your mouse and just like that, your credentials could be in the hands of criminals.
Spoofed Caller IDs
Scammers can disguise phone numbers. It may appear as though the call is coming from your provider or your boss. Then, they may attempt to steal your login and payment information. (Pro tip: your VoIP provider will never ask for passwords over the phone).
Voicemail Phishing (Vishing)
You may receive a message saying, ‘You’ve missed an important voicemail, click here to listen!’ But the message is a trick and the link is a trap.
How to Secure Your VoIP System Like a Pro
Strong passwords, encryption and ensuring you choose a trustworthy VoIP provider will enhance your security:
Use Strong and Unique Passwords
Yes, ‘Password123’ might be easy to remember, but it is also easy for someone else to figure out. Your passwords should have letters, numbers and symbols and should never be reused across accounts. It is also a good idea to use a password manager. It will save passwords for you in an encrypted format.
Turn On Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
MFA is the best way to protect your accounts from hackers, even if they have your password. It requires an additional step before granting access, such as a code sent to your phone.
Keep Software Updated
Those update notifications are necessary. Regularly update your VoIP software, routers and devices to security holes.
Train Your Team
Your workforce constitutes the first line of defense. Conduct brief training to help them understand how to identify and handle suspicious links and phone calls and detect phishing emails.
Set Up Network-Level Protections
Setting up network-level protections are simple and enhance your phone system’s security. From firewalls and encryption to monitoring suspicious activity, there are multiple ways to protect your communication system:
Firewalls and Encryption
Utilising firewalls to prevent unauthorised access and applying encryption to your calls are effective ways of keeping your conversations and sensitive information secure.
Secure Your Wi-Fi
Employing a strong Wi-Fi password is essential and consider setting up a separate network for your VoIP systems. This way, if your guest Wi-Fi is compromised, your main network stays secure.
Monitor for Suspicious Activity
Check for suspicious activity on your call logs, data usage and login attempts. Other signs include calls to random countries and strange usage patterns. It is important to react immediately: change all passwords, notify your provider and restrict access.
Steps to Protect Your Business from Phishing
Checking links before clicking on them, restricting access and 2FA are all ways to prevent cyber attacks:
- Check Links Before Clicking: Hovering your mouse over links in emails is a good way to identify a phishing scam. Check to see if the URL redirects to your VoIP provider’s official site.
- Check Confirmations: Use a known phone number and a validated portal to respond to a request, instead of an unsolicited email and text for confirming a request for sensitive data, to avoid a phishing scam.
- Restrict Access to Employee Accounts: Admin accounts are not a requirement for every user. Access should be assigned according to user responsibility. The less access an account has, the less chance a cyber intruder has of breaching the system.
- Data Backups: It is best practice to regularly backup important data and call logs to recover within a timely manner without compromising key info.
Try Our VoIP Phone System – Free for 7 Days
Curious about how a digital phone system could benefit your business? With our 7-day free trial, you can explore everything our VoIP service has to offer – completely risk-free. There’s no commitment, no payment details required, and zero pressure to continue after the trial ends. You’ll get full access to over 45 powerful features built for small businesses, like professional call routing, music on hold, call tracking, CRM integration, call recording, and more. It’s a no-strings way to see how smarter business calls can work for you.
