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U.S. Team To Study Potential Problems in Internet Phone Systems

Researchers aim to plug holes in Voice-over Internet Protocol

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is funding a multi-university collaboration to develop a secure test bed for analyzing vulnerabilities in Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP).

VoIP is an increasingly popular technology that turns audio signals into digital data that can be transmitted over the Internet. With VoIP, users with a computer and a standard Internet connection can make toll-free calls anywhere in the world.

Four awards totaling $600,000 will go to the University of North Texas (UNT) to lead the three-year project, according to an April 4 NSF press release.

Researchers will investigate voice spam prevention (VoIP phone systems can be spammed like e-mail), attacks on networks and Internet resources that render them unavailable (denial of service), quality of service and 911 service dependability. In most areas of the United States, callers dial 911 for police, fire, ambulance or other emergency services.

The unique test bed also will be used to find security holes arising from operating VoIP with conventional phone networks.

"Proactively securing the next-generation infrastructure for voice communications is critical for us all," said UNT project leader Ram Dantu. "Our research will identify vulnerabilities in the technology and establish solutions - before damage is done."

VoIP also handles video and instant messaging. Companies such as Vonage and AT&T are aggressively deploying the technology, and one study predicts some 24 million U.S. households will be using VoIP by 2008.

The team is committed to disseminating its findings throughout academia, industry and government, giving all technology developers guidelines for preventing security breaches.

Government agencies already are implementing strategies to use VoIP-based systems.

"VoIP security requires immediate attention," said NSF program director Rita Virginia Rodriguez, "and this research addresses a number of critical aspects needed to help prevent imminent threats."

Rodriguez believes the work will have immediate and long-term impact for the technology, and will give faculty and students at each university telecommunications research experience.

Since 2005, NSF has supported Dantu research on specific methods to prevent voice spamming.

In addition to UNT, the project includes researchers and resources at Columbia University in New York, Purdue University in Indiana and the University of California-Davis.

Source: U.S. Department of State