Last week, we talked about encryption during the VoIP Tech Chat podcast and posted a small blurb as well. A recent story shows how important this encryption can be to protecting privacy.
We first read the compression vulnerability on Network World, but the story has spread like butter. Like freshly opened, room temperature butter.
In a nutshell, many VoIP telephone conversations compress to save internet bandwidth. The compression allows conversations to flow with a reduction of bandwidth. As long as both parties have the same variable bitrate compression technique (or VBR), the conversation will sound “fine.”
Here’s where it gets neat…
Basically, the compression uses a method that keeps intact the voice patterns. In other words, when the voice is translated into a digital signal, the voice patterns create signal lengths. These lengths create identifiable voice patterns. So, although you wouldn’t be able to hear the voice, just knowing the lengths could give you 90% accuracy in identifying what was spoken.
Think of it as VoIP lip reading. You can’t hear, but you know what they’re saying.
How to get around this?
Use an encryption method that also changes lengths of packets or pads them to avoid detection. Encryption, like Ben Affleck, is still the bomb.
