On 2025-10-16 09:39, D. Hugh Redelmeier
via Talk wrote:
I finally ported my old home phone to VoIP.ms, and installed their softphone
on my cell phone. FYI,
Do any of these VOIP providers (ITSPs) offer secure connections? Do the
softphones support these protocols?
I cannot comment on all the VOIP providers but VoIP.ms does provide
call encryption.
I have had mixed luck with the clients/devices.
Older ATAs and SIP handsets sometimes to not support encryption.
The soft phones that I have used seem to all support encryption now.
One obvious protocol is SRTP but if I remember correctly, its key
handling was not useful.
These days, HTTPS functions as a secure transport protocol that firewalls
let through. Unfortunately, it does not normally authenticate the client
side. It could do so seamlessly by requiring client certificates, but
that's an obscure feature that almost nobody knows how to configure
(including me)
Out of the box VOIP does not come secure but I am not sure how many
of the existing carrier based services are secure either.
The old POTS system can be bypassed with embarrassingly trivial
hardware.
The various mobile networks are also subject to snooping but with a
bigger investment in fancy hardware.
The digital Home-Phone services may or may not run securely but I
would not put much faith in Rogers or Bell for making sure their
services are secure.
If you want end to end security then you do not want to use any
incarnation of the telephone system.
--
Alvin Starr || land: (647)478-6285
Netvel Inc. || home: (905)513-7688
alvin@netvel.net ||