Detection and mitigation of spam in IP telephony networks using signaling protocol analysis

We propose an innovative method to detect and block spam (unsolicited bulk calls) in IP telephony networks. Rapid adoption of voice over IP (VoIP) technology introduces new powerful options for spammers and telemarketers to increase their productivity and effectiveness. To date a few concepts have already been proposed in the VoIP spam prevention area. These prior solutions focus mainly on identity control and reliable authentication and follow in this regard the email spam solutions approach. Such measures imply at least strong collaboration of service providers and universal standardization. In this paper we describe a new method based on the analysis of the VoIP signaling messages which can assist service providers in detecting spam activity targeting their customers. This "locally centric" approach would enable a service provider to handle the call before the actual voice spam content reaches the recipient. The detection parameters depend solely on the local service provider\´s policy; no end-users participation/compliance is required