This week, at the VON Conference & Expo in Miami, expert panelists will address one of the most talked about areas of IP communications – security. Richard Stiennon, chief research analyst at IT-Harvest, will moderate the panel discussion about the primary security threats to IP networks and the tools and tactics for dealing with them. VON associate editor Cara Sievers spoke with Stiennon about his thoughts regarding the upcoming session, and what follows is a transcript of that discussion.

VON: You said, “If it’s IP, it’s sniffable.” Could you please elaborate on that statement a bit?

Richard Stiennon: Analog communications over copper was easy to tap into but it required physical access to the wiring closet and some suspicious looking equipment from Radio Shack. Once voice moves onto an IP digital network, it is exposed to all of the vulnerabilities that network has. IT administrators are already monitoring traffic using packet sniffers. Any end user can see the traffic on their local network segment. And hackers can gain access to routers, switches and other network devices that are able to capture packets. If the voice packets are not encrypted, it is a simple matter to listen in on conversations.

VON: Do you feel enterprise Internet security concerns are on the rise? Why or why not?

RS: Oh yes. Security concerns continue to mount because each new threat is additive. Viruses, worms, adware, spam and spyware have not gone away as phishing, targeted attacks, and Denial of Service Attacks have risen.

VON: What do you expect the panel, “The Danger Zone: Dealing With the Top IP Network Security Threats,” to address?

RS: Two areas that I expect us to get into are end-user VoIP concerns – what the enterprise faces, and carrier security issues. Both are seeing innovation in the technology to intrude on or interfere with voice communication.

VON: What do you hope the other panelists, Tekelec’s Jiri Kuthan and Sipera Systems’ Andy Asava, will bring to the discussion?

RS: They have domain expertise. Their exposure to real-world VoIP security scenarios will be enlightening for attendees.

VON: What kinds of opportunities are presented by security threats to IP networks?

RS: Every threat leads to technology and service opportunities. Secure VoIP phones, software and key management solutions will benefit from the rise in concern over these issues. The carriers can provide protections around VoIP that mirror the security solutions they offer today for data. Security is a differentiator that is getting more and more attention in product and service selection.

VON: Where do you see the IP security market heading in the coming years?

Stiennon: There will be a continuing flurry of innovation coming from startups that address the new threats. At the same time, larger and larger players will become security vendors. Look at how quickly U.S. government contractors are adding cyber divisions. That will be mirrored in telecom and the rest of the private sector.