Packets in peril [voice over IP security issues]

Finally, after a number of false starts and much scepticism from the telecommunications establishment, voice over IP (VoIP) services are finally starting to take off in many countries around the world. However, as the VoIP wave begins to swell, with significant amounts of traffic migrating from traditional public networks onto this new technology, questions about its security and reliability are starting to arise, both from users and governments. This article first examines the various VoIP services available and then outlines the security threats to them along with measures to counteract there threats.