Default Password Use Opened Telephone Networks to International Hacking Scheme

An international telephone network hacking scheme resulted in $55 million of hijacked calls,

Federal authorities in New Jersey have indicted three individuals in the Philippines who must now either be extradited or volunteer to come to the US to face charges. Cheap international calling time was sold through call centers in Italy. Italian authorities have also arrested 5 Pakistani nationals in connection with the scheme. Authorities indicate that the plan was somehow connected to funding terrorist plots.

The calls were made through corporate networks that the suspects hacked into using a brute force attack, finding access through PBXs that had default passwords.The indictment says that Pakistani operators of the Italian call centers paid the Philippine hackers $100 for each open PBX they found.

Default passwords are a common and easy way for hackers to attack systems. It's important for you to use strong passwords to protect your systems.