VoIP Security? Is that "MagicJack" the reason you get the next telemarketing call?

[W4GPL]

As some of you may know, my business mostly involves doing telecom technical consultation for call centers, private communities, and hotels/casinos. So my focus with VoIP has always been at a more 'enterprise' level, for lack of a better term. But obviously I've been paying attention to various consumer offerings like Vonage, MagicJack, etc. Last night I decided to take a small sampling of both a /16 netblock of business cable service and /16 netblock of consumer cable service.

I was astonished to see that of approximately 65000 IP address there were at least 100+ VoIP devices on the standard UDP port of 5060 and of those, I was able to direct dial.. a lot of them. I suspect if I had opened the range of ports from 5060 to 5062 and a few other vendor specific ports, I'd have found even more.

Then I started thinking about the laws associated with the Do Not Call list and the other laws regarding accessing of systems on a public network (the Internet). And as far as I've been able to come up with, if the call is IP to IP, none of existing laws apply -- minus those pertaining to harassment (sans the technology).

What, if anything, is stopping telemarketers from culling a list of IPs with 'vulnerable' VoIP ATAs and servers and skating around the DNC and other regulations relating to telemarketing?

Admittedly, it seems the more professional operations like TWC and Comcast are doing it properly and their digital phone offers remain on their private network and are not accessible from the Internet (thankfully). But a lot of the more generic services haven't done this -- yet. Perhaps once a few more trouble makers realize the potential, we'll see them changing to a more secure and private solution.

Even creepier, I (let's say in theory) would be able to inject images or videos into some of the newer IP based video phones. A new tool for perverts, perhaps? :chin:

God knows as soon as people start taking advantage of this, Congress will overreact and write some silly new law that goes way too far, way too fast.

So now..how many of you have MagicJack and wondered where all those strange calls were coming from? ;)

[suddenseer]

I switched from TWC to ATT DSL, and Vonage a few months ago. I was wondering if this was possible. What concerned me more is a bunch of pimple faced hacks doing this from Russia, or such. I imported my TWC phone number. You just confirmed my concern.

I would still be a TWC roadrunner customer if, they repaired their plant. I am a rural customer. I started experiencing severe packet loss. Long story short, I gave them 2 months to repair the problem, they would not. Their chief engineer told me there were multiple leaks picking up a FM broadcast station. They could not isolate it to one place, and were not going to replace miles of fiber optic cable to fix my problem. I am stuck with DSL for now.

Vonage is my cheapest way to go for now. I cannot hear cell phones very well, so I am down to fewer options. So far, so good.

[kb2vxa]

"Their chief engineer told me there were multiple leaks picking up a FM broadcast station. They could not isolate it to one place, and were not going to replace miles of fiber optic cable to fix my problem."
I see I'm first recognizing the problem, fiber OPTIC cable is immune to RF issues and the CE is clueless... or you are. (;->)

[suddenseer]

"Their chief engineer told me there were multiple leaks picking up a FM broadcast station. They could not isolate it to one place, and were not going to replace miles of fiber optic cable to fix my problem."
I see I'm first recognizing the problem, fiber OPTIC cable is immune to RF issues and the CE is clueless... or you are. (;->)I think the cable in front of my house is hardline, not fiber-optic. Their plant leaks like a sieve. A trip up & down the road with a mobile scanner demonstrates this. I am clueless on many things, but not leaky cable.

[N1BHH]

I have Magic jack and never get any calls from telemarketers or anyone who doesn't need to call me. If you are unlisted and on the no call list, you are safe. And on top of it I don't have to spend any money on a monthly basis. I just paid for the 5 years and I'm all set.

[KG4CGC]

I have Magic jack and never get any calls from telemarketers or anyone who doesn't need to call me. If you are unlisted and on the no call list, you are safe. And on top of it I don't have to spend any money on a monthly basis. I just paid for the 5 years and I'm all set.That's like what? $100, contact?

[ad4mg]

That's like what? $100, contact?

Under ...

[suddenseer]

Skype you too.

[kb2vxa]

"I think the cable in front of my house is hardline, not fiber-optic."

I was just being my usually sarcastic, grumpy old bastid self. (;->) FiOS is fiber direct while cable uses hardline for distribution and fiber for head end to head end links. You reminded me of an old QTH where I had severe scanner interference and using my 2M HT located a major leak half a block away and BTW could see the head end out the back door. Interestingly enough when I rotated my BMF TV antenna toward the leak and switched to cable mode I got free "over the air" cable. Funny thing, my 2M home station finally resolved the problem, channel 18 was extremely popular and the QRM I caused raised a storm of complaints. Soon enough they came out and replaced everything, main feeder, local feeders, cable drops and all, everybody's problems including mine solved in a day.

[suddenseer]

"I think the cable in front of my house is hardline, not fiber-optic."

I was just being my usually sarcastic, grumpy old bastid self. (;->) FiOS is fiber direct while cable uses hardline for distribution and fiber for head end to head end links. You reminded me of an old QTH where I had severe scanner interference and using my 2M HT located a major leak half a block away and BTW could see the head end out the back door. Interestingly enough when I rotated my BMF TV antenna toward the leak and switched to cable mode I got free "over the air" cable. Funny thing, my 2M home station finally resolved the problem, channel 18 was extremely popular and the QRM I caused raised a storm of complaints. Soon enough they came out and replaced everything, main feeder, local feeders, cable drops and all, everybody's problems including mine solved in a day.
The electronic gurus they sent to fix the problem all noted a 40db ingress @103 Mhz. I showed each one of them the TX tower for our local 102.9 shoving 50K watts my way. The tx is 2 miles away. One of the subsystem feedpoints of the fiber optic is about a half mile away from said transmitter. I have to filter cheap speakers in my house because they detect the signal, and I can hear Hip Hop on my computer speakers (I do not care for Hip Hop) I think the fillings in my teeth are detecting the signal.JK. They cannot find the leak. They are not going to do what it takes to fix the problem. I could not deal with the severe packet loss anymore, so DSL is my only affordable alternative.($15.00 /month). It's ALWAYS something.

[KA5PIU]

Hello.

We had el cheapo cable out in the sticks for a while.
They had an amp that leaked bigtime, so I simply set up a small loop and an amplifier.
Called the cable guy and pointed out the leakage, and the fact that I got every channel for free.
He was more concerned over WHAT leak I was getting signal from than the fact that the system was leaking.
I pointed out that it was several and carried a portable TV around and showed him.
"Well, as long as it is not just one".
Free TV was worth it. ;)

[WV6Z]

Dumped Vonage for MagicJack about 3 years ago now...... maybe 4, I dunno...... it was when nobody had heard of them. Anywho, here's my $0.02 worth, we have never had so much as wrong number, let alone telemarketers or any other such stuff as that..... EVER...... nice theory and interesting reading though.

[KC2UGV]

That's like what? $100, contact?

29.95 per year... No contract. A buddy at work from India buys 5 or so at a pop, and gives them away to family. 39.95 for the device, and it comes with one year of service.