We've know for a while that the A5/1 encryption used by most carriers is vulnerable to exploitation, especially since they seemed not to care at all about its vulnerabilities, but now it looks like the system has been cracked to the extent that the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA), and presumably other intelligence agencies around the world, can listen in on and read our private conversations and text transmissions. The Washington Post:
The extent of the NSA’s collection of cellphone signals and its use of tools to decode encryption are not clear from a top-secret document provided by former contractor Edward Snowden. But it states that the agency “can process encrypted A5/1” even when the agency has not acquired an encryption key, which unscrambles communications so that they are readable.
Experts say the agency may also be able to decode newer forms of encryption, but only with a much heavier investment in time and computing power, making mass surveillance of cellphone conversations less practical.
A5/1 was originally devised in the 1980s for 2G GSM radio, and while many carriers now provide 3G voice channels, they still fall over into 2G often enough for it to be problematic. WaPo states that 80% of worldwide calls still use the old, or no, encryption. The leaked documents do not provide any information on CDMA network vulnerabilities.
There's no Voice over LTE (VoLTE) yet, but when that technology gets deployed, better encryption should proliferate along with it. A5/3, for example, requires 100,000 times the compute power to attack. AT&T already provides better encryption on 3G, but will be upgrading "parts" of its 2G network to A5/3 as well.
Regardless of how you feel about government surveillance, these exploits never remain solely in the hands of governments, or of people who we would trust with our private conversations, texts, and data. Should the carriers be doing more? Should the manufacturers and service providers be doing more? How important is your privacy?
We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.
Apple's global head of accessibility interviews with Evening Standard
Apple's head of privacy Sarah Herrlinger has sat down in an interview with Evening Standard to discuss customization, design and privacy.
Someone actually grated cheese on the Mac Pro
The iFixit team has grated cheese on the Mac Pro in its uncasing and first impressions video of the new machine.
Waymo One, Google's self-driving pickup service now has an iOS app
Google's Waymo One pickup service is now available on iOS, giving some users the chance to take part in Waymo's early rider program.
Webcam hacking is real, but you can protect yourself with a privacy cover
Here are the best webcam privacy covers available for your MacBook that’ll give you some serious peace of mind.
