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Wireless Telephone Systems: Information Technology IT Security Assessments Annotated Bibliography

Security Assessment Services, Inc. New York New York 10201

Ms J.S. Johnson, Security Director

Company Z

New York, New York 10211

Enclosure: Company Z. Security Assessment

Network security threat assessment

Company Z. is faced with some serious challenges in responding to a number of significant trends that have emerged in recent years that will invariably affect security procedures and processes. For example, in 2013, there were more smartphones in use than personal computers as more telephony customers abandoned their landlines and wired Internet services and replaced them with Web-enabled mobile handheld devices (Booth, 2009). The typical method for the transmission of VoIP digital information between stations is through the use of a network of expensive microwave transmitters (Spasic & Nesic, 2008).

It is important to point out, though, that even VoIP transmissions that are routinely transmitted between microwave transmitters are frequently routed through analog systems as well as part...

For instance, Booth (2010) reports that, "VoIP phones differ from their analog counterparts in underlying connection infrastructure, provide additional features (transcribed voicemail to e-mail, SMS messaging and emergency notifications) and are typically less expensive to operate" (p. 12). Despite these digital advantages, Booth emphasizes that, "VoIP phones are intricately interconnected with the existing telephone infrastructure, often using older-generation phone lines to initiate and terminate calls" (p. 12). Therefore, Company Z's security network is lagging in this area because it does not take these interconnected routes into account.
Network security vulnerability assessment

Because of their near-universal use, telephone networks security systems are vital to telephone service providers as well as their customers. In this regard, Zirille (2009) emphasizes that, "In this high-technology world, the ubiquitous telephone has become a powerful weapon in the hands of thieves. It can be used as a 'key' to unlock a wide assortment…

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Network security vulnerability assessment

Because of their near-universal use, telephone networks security systems are vital to telephone service providers as well as their customers. In this regard, Zirille (2009) emphasizes that, "In this high-technology world, the ubiquitous telephone has become a powerful weapon in the hands of thieves. It can be used as a 'key' to unlock a wide assortment of confidential data" (p. 22). Currently, Company Z. simply discards all internally generated paperwork concerning customer accounts and applications. Therefore, it is recommended that Company Z. improve its physical and environmental security by shredding all internal fax sheets and identification codes for telephony applications (Zirille, 2009). According to Zirille, "Some thieves, known in the trade as "dumpster divers," go through garbage dumpsters looking for such proprietary data" (2009l p. 22).

Company Z's security network is also deficient in virus detection and protections for its VoIP services, an issue that has assumed increased importance in recent years (Bagchi & Tang, 2004; van Burken, 2013). According to Panettieri (2009), "More than 100 viruses now target smart phones running mobile operating systems from Microsoft Corp., PalmSource Inc. And Research in Motion Ltd. To name a few" (p. 18). As an example of how such viruses could disrupt Company Z's operations, Panettieri cites the Cabir and Commwarrior worms that target mobile telephones. For instance, Panettieri advises, "Consider the Cabir worm, which targets mobile phones running Symbian OS and Nokia's Series 60 user interface. Once triggered, Cabir uses Bluetooth to send itself from one phone to another" (2009, p. 19). Likewise, the Commwarrior worm also uses Bluetooth and multimedia messaging service to achieve the same outcome that adversely affect network operations and consumer convenience (Panettieri, 2009). In addition, Unuth (2013) reports that, "VoIP is particularly vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks, in which the attacker intercepts call-signaling SIP message traffic and masquerades as the calling party to the called party, or vice versa. Once the attacker has gained this position, he can hijack calls via a redirection server" para. 3). Other common types of security threats to
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