Cellcrypt Secure VoIP Heading to BlackBerry

Cellcrypt, a British vendor of software for encrypting cell phone calls, has set up shop in Silicon Valley and is getting a product ready for North America's beloved BlackBerry.

The aggregation sellscomputer appliance to enterprises, government agencies and individuals who appetite to accomplish abiding their adaptable buzz calls are private. Its Cellcrypt Adaptable artefact is a downloadable, phone-based appliance that encrypts VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol) calls all the way from one handset to the other. Unlike added corpuscle encryption systems, it allows users to accomplish calls appealing abundant as they would normally, and alike to use all-embracing roaming, according to Ian Meakin, Cellcrypt's carnality admiral of marketing.

Versions of Cellcrypt Adaptable are already accessible for Nokia N-Series and E-Series phones and abounding Windows Adaptable devices, and by the end of June the aggregation will acquaint a applicant for BlackBerry phones, Meakin said. Meanwhile, Cellcrypt appear this anniversary it has opened an appointment in Palo Alto, California, to abode growing appeal for its articles in North and South America, Meakin said. The aggregation develops itscomputer appliance for assorted platforms appliance accepted tools.

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion, based in Waterloo, Ontario, appear beforehand this ages it had alien a almanac 7.8 actor accessories in the division concluded Feb. 28 and surpassed an best absolute of 50 actor devices. The BlackBerry is the accepted accessory for users in the high-level controlling bazaar that Cellcrypt targets, abnormally in North America.

Security advisers affirmation the encryption acclimated for accepted GSM (Global System for Adaptable Communications) articulation cartage has been compromised. Hackers could breach into GSM networks in about 30 minutes, with bargain tools, and accept to calls from 20 afar away, some advisers said aftermost year.

Cellcrypt avoids this aerial hacking as able-bodied as adulterous borer of the active networks abaft cellular abject stations, according to Meakin. It avoids the acceptable circuit-switched arrangement altogether by appliance VoIP, and encrypts the VoIP packets with 256-bit AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) and 2048-bit Diffie-Hellman encryption. This encrypts the alarm all the way from one buzz to the other, Meakin said. In accession to cell-to-cell calls, Cellcrypt can be acclimated for calls to fixed-line phones, and the aggregation additionally offers a aperture appliance for use with action PBXs (private annex exchanges).

Because it uses VoIP, Cellcrypt Adaptable works on any 3G arrangement including the EV-DO (Evolution-Data Optimized) abstracts networks acclimated by U.S. CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) operators such as Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel. The aggregation is additionally gluttonous acceptance beneath the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology's FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standards) 140-2 regulation, which would authorize it for affairs with U.S. government agencies.

Although adaptable operators accept a sometimes-uncomfortable accord with VoIP, they don't abhorrence Cellcrypt because it is aimed at a bound bazaar and not advised to advice users abstain advantageous for articulation minutes, according to Meakin. Thecomputer appliance doesn't appear cheap: A authorization for one user costs about £2,500 (US$3,732) per year, admitting the amount varies based on aggregate and added factors, Meakin said.

Cellcrypt was founded in 2005 but spent abundant of its activity developing thecomputer appliance to bear high-quality articulation calls with able encryption, according to Meakin. The aggregation has been affairs articles broadly for alone about six months, he said.