Evaluation of VoIP Security for Mobile Devices

Abstract: Market research reports by In-Stat, Gartner, and the Swedish Post and Telecom Agency (PTS) reveal a growing worldwide demand for Voice over IP (VoIP) and smartphones. This trend is expected to continue over the coming years and there is wide scope for mobile VoIP solutions. Nevertheless, with this growth in VoIP adoption come challenges related with quality of service and security. Most consumer VoIP solution, even in PCs, analog telephony adapters, and home gateways, do not yet support media encryption and other forms of security. VoIP applications based on mobile platforms are even further behind in adopting media security due to a (mis-)perception of more limited resources. This thesis explores the alternatives and feasibility of achieving VoIP security for mobile devices in the realm of the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS).