IT Baseline Protection Manual - The Information Warfare Site

Threats Catalogue Deliberate Acts Remarks
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T 5.44 Abuse of Remote Access Ports for
Management Functions of Private Branch
Exchanges
Private branch exchanges have remote access ports for management functions.
It is possible to execute all administration and maintenance tasks as well as
other management functions such as alarm signalling and processing via these
access ports.
Such remote access ports are particularly useful and sometimes indispensable
in connected PBX installations (corporate networks). It is possible to
distinguish between two types of remote access:
- "Modem" access via dedicated management ports and
- Direct dialling via DISA (Direct Inward System Access).
. Furthermore, in more recent logging procedures such as QSig and some of
the other proprietary protocols, management functions are already contained
within the signalling spectrum. This results in the potential for abuse.
In the case of insufficiently secured access ports for remote maintenance, it is
conceivable that hackers could gain access to the PBX’s management
programs. Consequently, once they had mastered the system password they
would perhaps be able to perform all administration tasks. The resultant
damage may range from failure of the complete system, via the most serious
operating malfunctions, loss of confidentiality of all data present on the
system, through to huge direct financial loss, e.g. through call charges fraud.
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IT-Baseline Protection Manual: Oktober 2000