14 DAY TRIAL // It's a known fact that in order to reach at least a decent level of online security, firewalls, antivirus and anti-spyware programs are a must. But what about phone calls? A recent warning issued by experts shows that crackers have found a way to tap into phone calls and emails with the same ease.
According to Ralph Echemendia, head of Intense School, responsible for training executives in network security risks, Telecom providers are the newest target for hackers because these companies control communications for everybody, whether mobile or fixed lines are the support of communication.
Since all information has to be stored somewhere, telcos servers are an attractive target, especially those that provide wireless and Internet access, although you have to leave your home computer to do it.
There's not all very high tech cracking going on since the attackers cheat their way into the network by passing as one of the company tech staff in order to get the right passwords.
What they do next is tap phones and save customers personal data. Security company Intrusic showed Reuters hacks how it captured 4,466 passwords and 103 master passwords allowing global access to corporate databases while monitoring one Internet service provider for a day.