Technical information

Issue 7 June 2001 2-1
2
Introduction
Background
Telecommunications fraud is the unauthorized use of a company’s
telecommunications service. This type of fraud has been in existence since the
1950s when Direct Distance Dialing (DDD) was first introduced.
In the 1970s Remote Access became a target for individuals seeking
unauthorized network access. Now, with the added capabilities of voice mail and
automated attendant services, customer premises equipment-based toll fraud has
expanded as a new type of communications abuse.
Today, security problems are not just limited to toll fraud. There have been sharp
increases in reported incidents of hackers: criminals skilled in reprogramming
computer systems, accessing telecommunications systems through remote
administration or maintenance ports. These ports cannot be used to place phone
calls, but hackers can gain control over the setup of the system. Through these
ports, hackers create security “holes” to allow unauthorized calling — a serious
form of electronic vandalism.
A company’s “information resources” are yet another target for modern criminals.
They are invading voice mailboxes and eavesdropping on cellular phone calls to
obtain proprietary information about your products or your customers.