Summary

SS7 was designed without integral security in mind. Its design is based on the use of dedicated physical facilities, making it difficult to compromise externally. In addition, at the time of design, fewer network operators existed, and the number of interconnections was limited. With the increasing convergence in communications, SS7 is no longer as isolated as it once was. To minimize the risks, screening may be implemented and monitoring systems put in place. Screening lets you establish rules governing whether to receive SS7 packets based on sender, destination, service requested, and so on. Monitoring systems allow operators to diagnose and resolve network failures, whether because of security lapses or otherwise.