SESSION BORDER PROTCOL AND CARRIER PEERING:
Important security issues for voice over internet protocol voip technology transactions are carrier peering and Session Border Control. Hence before we proceed, it is necessary to clarify the concepts of the above two issues. The ability to interconnect networks is known as the Carrier Peering (Handley, M.1998 p.2). Interconnecting their switching nodes directly is a possibility however found vague and such interconnections do not provide the required control. Hence the utilization of interconnects or peer points to control the traffic. Digital manipulation, parameter interpretation, screening, route prioritization are found to be complex to be processed by Peering. The primary role of peering device is to secure the carrier’s networks and adapt to the specific requirement and protocol changes that are based on the peering point and its location in the network topology. The role is based on SIP protocol which is standard for VoIP communications.
Below are certain factors are a necessity on the functionalities of Carrier peering:
An intrinsic ritual that raises call costs and degrades performance that bundles data into packets according to a specific protocol, causes delay and back to back conversions through a pair of media gateways. Internetworking problems are solved when signals are converted from SIP to H.323 that is widely used in VoIP protocols.
With reference to VoIP and mobile communications, Security Carrier Peering functions as:
Billing: To generate billing records when the service is used to make calls
Routing: when ring tones, announcements are used on a mobile network.
Going to Session Border Controls, commonly also termed as Session Awareness Firewalls, like any security firewall, the device is designed to primarily secure the network. Issues such as Denial of Service and unauthorized interference by illegal users can be eliminated when the SBC performs its functions. All medium and signaling passes when SBC provides a single or a range of IP addresses. Other functions of SBC are similar to the Carrier Peering, for example- billing and routing devices, traffic flow management.
Sonus and Juniper are 2 such companies that provide the above mentioned services; both these companies are based in California, USA. Session Border Control Solutions is a comprehensive package that includes guarantee in service, hosts NAT traversal mechanism, managed enterprise IP telephony, and most importantly legal formalities.