MERLIN LEGEND Communications System Release 6.0
System Manager’s Guide
555-660-118
Issue 1
February 1998
Customer Support Information
Page A-17
Other Security Hints
A
■
Never distribute the office telephone directory to anyone outside the
company; be careful when discarding it (shred the directory).
■
Never accept collect telephone calls.
■
Never discuss your telephone system’s numbering plan with anyone
outside the company.
Educating Operators
1
Operators or attendants need to be especially aware of how to recognize and
react to potential hacker activity. To defend against toll fraud, operators should
follow the guidelines below:
■
Establish procedures to counter
social engineering. Social engineering is a
con game that hackers frequently use to obtain information that may help
them gain access to your communications system or voice messaging
system.
■
When callers ask for assistance in placing outside or long-distance calls,
ask for a callback extension.
■
Verify the source. Ask callers claiming to be maintenance or service
personnel for a callback number. Never transfer to
*
10 without this
verification. Never transfer to extension 900.
■
Remove the headset and/or handset when the console is not in use.
Detecting Toll Fraud
1
To detect toll fraud, users and operators should look for the following:
■
Lost voice mail messages, mailbox lockout, or altered greetings
■
Inability to log into voice mail
■
Inability to get an outside line
■
Foreign language callers
■
Frequent hang-ups
■
Touch-tone sounds
■
Caller or employee complaints that the lines are busy
■
Increases in internal requests for assistance in making outbound calls
(particularly international calls or requests for dial tone)
■
Outsiders trying to obtain sensitive information
■
Callers claiming to be the “phone” company
■
Sudden increase in wrong numbers
