In the digital world, eavesdropping is a form of cyberattack in which hackers intercept and record Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone calls, usually to steal personal or business information. Since the attack does not affect call quality, it’s hard to tell if you are being spied on.

Hackers go for the gold. This means that banking information makes for the number one target. These cyberattacks lead to the theft of large sums of money, undermine the economic stability of individuals and organizations, as well as destroy the reputation of banks and other financial institutions.

Eavesdropping has recently been making headlines, but this form of cyberattack has been around for years. Cybercriminals have been listening in on VoIP phone calls since the tech was introduced to the market, and they show no sign of stopping their malicious activities anytime soon.

As of late, eavesdropping has been making the headlines due to the surge in frequency. Making it an ideal time to review how well your Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) phone systems are protected. However, this isn’t entirely new to VoIP, Vomit and Peskyspy are just some of the prolific VoIP eavesdropping attacks that have gained infamy since 2007. Spare your business from VoIP eavesdropping with these tips:

Never deploy with default configurations
Everyone wants to get things rolling as quickly as possible, but this often results in VoIP phones being deployed with their default configurations.

Picture yourself receiving a phone call from kidnappers saying that they have snatched your only child while demanding a ridiculous amount of money for their safety. Now imagine a similar scenario, but this attack is geared towards Microsoft Office 365 users, complete with a ransom note and an audio message informing victims that their files have already been encrypted.

The time to increase cyber situational awareness and establish better security strategies has never been more opportune. Since 2015, the number of attacks on the financial services sector has increased and shows no signs of letting up. Whether it be extortion or credential-stealing malware, different tactics are utilized to target desired areas.