With a rise of cyber threats, government agencies and handset owners world over are worried about the usage of mobile networks/devices impacting security. Hence, to curb such apprehensions AT&T has introduced AT&T Encrypted Mobile Voice for smartphones which is claimed to be the first carrier-provided two factor encryption service. It provides high-level security on calls made and received over the AT&T wireless network.
This security solution has been targeted at government agencies, financial services institutions, law enforcement organizations and international businesses. The service couples KoolSpan’s TrustChip and SRA International’s One Vault Voice. TrustChip is known to be a hardened, self-contained crypto engine incorporated in the smartphone’s microSD slot. With AT&T TrustGroup, the KoolSpan TrustChip provides an additional hardware authentication that allows encrypted calling interoperability. This is managed over-the-air and conducted along with a definite group of AT&T TrustGroup subscribers.
“With the adoption of smartphone use in government and businesses, it’s clear that the security ecosystem requires an approach that incorporates both wired and wireless,” commented Ed Amoroso, Chief Security Officer, AT&T. “We’re continuously working to stay ahead of evolving technologies and threats, and have a specialized team within AT&T Labs that is dedicated to investigating security challenges in the wireless space. AT&T Encrypted Mobile Voice is the product of such innovation.”
SRA’s One Vault Voice incorporates the security functions of the TrustChip coupled with feature rich software which endows an intuitive user interface. The blend of these two provides users with the ability to place and receive encrypted calls with the handset’s normal address book and functions. The on-demand security function deploys a mutual authentication and end-to-end encryption proffering a high-level security call mode.
AT&T Encrypted Mobile Voice is compatible with BlackBerry smartphones and Windows Phones operating on the carrier’s wireless network. The service is not restricted by the availability of legacy Circuit Switched Data coverage. It can be accessed in more than 190 countries where the network operator proffers data roaming. This solution adheres to government information classification standards for Controlled Unclassified Information. Furthermore, the service provides ‘The National Institute of Standards and Technology’ (NIST) FIPS – 140-2 validation.