How Do Hackers Hijack Online Accounts through Voicemail?


With each passing day, we are becoming more dependent on technology, leading to the number of cybercriminals. They try to find a way to get into your device each day to attack and utilize the loopholes, and your voicemail platform is one area that is infamously vulnerable to hackers.

How a Voicemail Gets Hacked?

A four-digit passcode protects the majority of voicemail accounts. Because voicemail is usually accessed using a phone, the passcode can only be made up of numbers. Brute-force attacks against the four-digit personal identification numbers (PINs) that safeguard voicemail systems are vulnerable to compromise. To get in and access the data in your device, a hacker can use brute-force software to guess the numeric code.

The attacker, who already has your email and phone number, can request a password reset by calling you and giving you the reset code.

The hacker can then utilize several call flooding techniques using another script to ensure that all of your calls go to voicemail.

A hacker dials a voicemail system to see if any mailboxes are still using default passwords or have passwords with easily guessable combinations. The culprit modifies the outgoing greeting to anything indicating that they accept all charges after locating such a number. Such keywords and phrases are encoded into automated collect call operating systems. The hacker then dials the phone on a collect call. The collect call is connected when the operator hears the outgoing message. The hacker can then utilize the connection to make other international calls for extended periods.

A hacker sneaks into a voicemail system's call forwarding feature, sets the system to route calls to a foreign number, and then uses it to make calls in another variant of this scam.

Hackers usually target business voicemail systems, but customers with home voicemail should be cautious as well.

How to Keep Your Voicemail Protected?

You can take the following precautions to keep your voicemail protected −

  • Constantly update the default passwords on your phones when they are first set up.

  • Consider turning off voicemail if you don't use it frequently.

  • Instead of utilizing simple pins, try 6-digit pins.

  • Change your pin frequently.

  • Activate two-factor authentication since getting into your account will be twice as difficult as before. To obtain a second verification code, hackers will need physical access to your phone.

  • If you don't need your phone number for two-factor authentication, don't offer it to online services. In any case, switching to app-based authentication, such as Google Authenticator, rather than SMS-based codes is recommended.

Updated on: 03-May-2022

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