Bardissi Enterprises Blog

A new type of identity fraud, which sees hackers tapping into voice-over IP telephony accounts, has been highlighted by a VoIP equipment maker.

Usernames and passwords from voice-over IP (VoIP) phone accounts are selling online for more than stolen credit cards, Newport Networks has found.

The information allows someone to use the telephone service for free.

Net telephony fraud is still in its infancy, with eavesdropping on calls being the most common security flaw.

Capturing accounts

But the move into stealing usernames and passwords which are routinely sent across the network when a call is made, is a worrying new trend thinks Dave Gladwin, vice president of products at Newport Networks.

“It is still at an embryonic stage but as voice adoption increases it becomes more of a problem and needs addressing,” said Mr Gladwin.

By Eric AuchardWed Apr 16, 8:09 PM ET

EBay Inc (EBAY.O) posted a 22 percent rise in quarterly net profit, topping Wall Street’s average estimate, as pricing changes increased online auction listings and pushed revenue above all forecasts.

The company also raised its 2008 revenue target, but its stock barely rose as executives said the softening U.S. and UK economies had modestly slowed demand and that auction customers at the end of the quarter were less inclined to buy.

“While we are raising our full-year outlook, we still remain cautious about the economic environment,” Chief Financial Officer Bob Swan told investors on a conference call following the report on Wednesday.

“We saw a slowing in terms of buyers’ propensity to buy toward the end of the first quarter,” Swan said.

EBay is in the midst of a long-term plan to revive growth in its core auctions business that involve sweeping changes to how buyers and sellers deal with one another on the site.

Chief Executive John Donahoe said eBay sellers had responded to pricing changes and stepped-up customer service requirements by increasing the volume of new auction listings during the last six weeks of the first quarter.