If you have the resources, the best thing to do would be to set up a
VPN protected VoIP system. Barring that, you should have a look at
Phil Zimmermann's Zfone. The code is available for review, so you're
not just trusting Skype's claims. Zfone works with any SIP
softphone; I personally use it with Gizmo, which is a free Skype-like
service (based on SIP, of course). You should also be able to use
Zfone with hosted VoIP services, if you go that route.
I remember reading a powerpoint produced by a French group that used
some pretty advanced reverse engineering techniques to get into
Skype's guts. If I remember correctly, they concluded that the way
the Skype network is managed provided a few possible avenues of
attack. Unfortunately, I can't quite remember the link.
Daniel DeLeo
On Jul 21, 2006, at 10:33 AM, Andrew Stewart wrote:
I work for a SMB automotive manufacturer based in the US. In the
process of planning for a new project for which we
will have a number of people traveling international, there was a
proposal to use Skype to save on long distance phone
charges when they travel to Europe and Mexico. Skype kind of
concerns me as an unknown quantity. They do have some
security information, including one security evaluation report,
listed on their site <http://www.skype.com/security/>.
They claim to use 256-bit AES "in order to actively encrypt the
data in each Skype call or instant message." Has this
claim been substantiated by any neutral third-parties?
I see that a Chinese company claims to have "cracked" the Skype
protocol <http://www.voipwiki.com/blog/?p=16>
<http://www.voipwiki.com/blog/?p=31>. Does anyone see any security
risks coming out of this?
What about hosted VOIP services like NewCross Technologies <http://
www.newxt.com/> and Pandora Networks
<http://www.pandoranetworks.com/> that use open protocols (ie.
SIP)? Has anyone used any of these? What security
features should I look for in choosing one?
-------------------
Andrew Stewart
astewart@notre1.com
(205) 585-2980 - cell
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