With the ever increased threat of hacking, it is very important to follow proper steps in securing your public facing devices. Breaches can occur from multiple fronts, i.e., allowing any SIP and VoIP traffic in your system, improper firewall configurations, and of course not changing default passwords. With Avaya IP Office, there are several steps in making sure your system is locked down as much as possible. Avaya has issued a technical bulletin on doing this with the following basics:

Review your existing installations and/or new deployments.  Determine any security risks and requirements then implement these changes:

  • Change security defaults and passwords
  • Remove any unnecessary accounts
  • Disable any unused services/interfaces
  • Enforce strict password policies
  • Make sure users and extensions are secure
  • Make sure trunks/lines are secure
  • Prevent and block unwanted Calls
  • Secure user voicemail and one-X Portal accounts
  • Block unnecessary and limit IP network exposure
  • Make sure management applications & configuration data are secure
  • Make sure servers running IP Office applications are secure
  • Activate reporting/monitoring of your system
  • Test for vulnerabilities
  • Install latest software updates/service packs

Even with these steps taken, you will want to continually monitor your alarms and logs to detect any unusual activity.  Always keep up with security advisories and make sure to keep your system up-to-date with the latest patches and upgrades.

Please read the document, Securing your IP Office Guidelines, for full detail on securing your IP Office.