Security expert taps VoIP as new malware target

VoIP is a relatively new field, which makes it difficult to keep up with attackers and fight malware, says security expert

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Voice over IP technology could become the new malware battle zone, according to Enrique González-Ochoa, a researcher with Panda Software’s surveillance department in Spain.

The security expert thinks VoIP threats will become more prominent in the near future.

González-Ochoa will be speaking at the AVAR (Association of Antivirus Asia Researchers) conference, which is being held today and Tuesday in Auckland. There will also be speakers from Symantec, McAfee, Microsoft, IBM, Trend Micro and F-Secure.

VoIP is a relatively new field, which makes it difficult to keep up with attackers and fight malware, says González-Ochoa.

A VoIP-related attack could involve fake emails made to look like emails from a bank and sent out to the bank’s customers, asking them to call a local number to confirm personal information. This recently happened to an American bank, says González-Ochoa.

“[The phone number was] a false automatic system asking for details about the customers’ accounts. That way the attacker got access to [the accounts],” he says.

The ninth annual AVAR conference is expected to draw about 300 delegates from AVAR member organisations in the Asia Pacific region, according to joint conference sponsors Eset and its New Zealand distributor Chillisoft.

AVAR is a not-for-profit organisation that aims to prevent the spread and damage caused by malicious software. Its members include security experts, government agencies and corporations in the Asia-Pacific region, the US and Europe.

Computerworld is a media partner of AVAR 2006.