Frequently Asked Questions

As the name suggests, nG SecurePhone secures your voice conversation, hence it is suited for those who discus sensitive matters over the phone. This includes key decision makers for corporates, audit and tax consultants, contract negotiator, journalists, government officials, law enforcement agencies or anyone concerned about the privacy of their conversation.
nG SecurePhone is the only secure, reliable and usable solution to safeguard the privacy of your conversation. 

In corporate world it is often said “This is not for phone”, typically for matters which are sensitive in nature. With advancement in technology, it has become possible to tap in to conversations using commercially available off the shelf hardware.

Mobile networks, particulary GSM can be intercepted by hardware devices costing less then 1,000 US dollars. This implies that GSM interception capability is no longer restricted to the law enforcement agencies alone. However, at the same time there have been cases where the para legal infrastructure for mobile interception, for the purpose of national security has been abused by rogue elements for personal interests. GSM interception is highly lucrative as it does not leave any digital signatures; hence it is a gold mine for criminals.
Failure to protect business critical communication from eavesdropping and industrial espionage can be extremely harmful for any organization and can result in operational and reputational risks. Such risks can include public embarrassment for a company, the tarnishing of a corporate image, loss of business confidence from partners or shareholders and a public misconception that a company is a security risk because it cannot protect its sensitive information. Last but not the least, such reputational risks rapidly materialize in to financial losses.

Text messages are equally sensitive, if not more, in terms of value to the criminals. However, SMS messages are more vulnerable due to the fact that they are transmitted in form of plain text. Secondly, they can be accessed on the handset, this can be achieved via a number of methods, commonly regarded as mobile phone hacking.

CSD based solutions have their limitations, particularly in terms of latency and dependency on cellular network. nG SecurePhone uses data channel instead of CSD, this delivers unparalled voice quality along with a number of advantages. Some key advantages are as follows:

Advantages

• Worldwide availability, including USA
• Available on most networks, even when on roaming
• No need of a special SIM card
• No conspicuous CSD activity
• Excellent voice quality, stable connection
• Compatible with other secure voice solutions.

• Active GSM-Interception (IMSI-Catcher)
• Passive GSM-Interception
• Spyware, Malware (e.g. FlexiSpy)
• Viruses, Trojan Horses, Worms
• Man-in-the-middle attack
• Operator-sided tapping
• Link analysis, as operator has no log of calls.
• Unauthorized access to text messages
• Disclosure of sensitive data in case of loss or theft of the device

The nG SecurePhone protects mobile calls and text messages with highly secure end-to-end encryption.
The encryption and key exchange algorithms in use are globally standardized and certified and provide a reliable protection against all kind of different tapping scenarios.

For the voice encryption only the highest available encryption standard AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) with 256 bit key length is used. The call partners exchange an encryption key using the secure Diffie-Hellman key exchange method.

Text messages are secured by an AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) with 256 bits key strength. Text messages are stored in an encrypted format in a password protected folder. This prevents unauthorized access if the phone is lost or stolen.

No – your information is protected.  nG nG SecurePhone offers not only secure communication, but also anonymity. Therefore the contact list is based on nicknames aliases only – in case of loss or theft of the device no sensitive contact data are revealed.
Moreover the nG SecurePhone offers a special data-theft-protection: with a pre-set code the owner can remotely lock, trace or wipe a stolen phone via SMS, even if the original SIM card is replaced.

On special request, we can arrange source code review of our solution.

No, this is not possible. With every call a new key is generated within the mobile application, using a true random number. Therefore it is impossible to generate the key retroactively.

nG SecurePhone has very low latency, the solution works well on GPRS. 3G or WIFI connectivity yields even better results than a conventional landline call. Despite very strong cryptography, nG SecurePhone solution is unmatched in terms of voice quality.
The connection is very stable and the call does not drop when travelling at high speed, as this is a major usability limitation for CSD based solution.

No - it’s quite easy. nG SecurePhone has been designed with   paramount importance to usability.
Anyone who has used a mobile phone before should not have any difficulty in using the solution. ItUnsing it is as simple as making a normal mobile call. It was developed and certified according to Nokia and Symbian specifications; therefore the look and feel is very similar to any other mobile phone application.

Additional to the high security features, nG SecurePhone comes along with the full capacity of a modern business phone, according to the respective base device. Our standard models are based on Nokia E51, Nokia N73 or, Nokia N95 or Aero Wireless A25.
On request, the nG SecurePhone can be delivered also on the basis of other Smartphones. Compatible are Smartphones of the Nokia E- or N-series and Windows Mobile based devices (version 5 and 6).

nG SecurePhone does not clash with any other applications, it further protects the phone against malicious malware or unauthorized access.

nG SecurePhone has no  boundaries when it comes to operability. The solution is compatible worldwide and only requires access to data channel, such as EDGE, GPRS, 3G or WIFI.
nG SecurePhone can be used with almost any SIM card. You have the flexibility to choose from a broad variety of competitive plans for data-roaming, from an operator of your choice.

No, nG nG SecurePhone uses the data services (GPRS, UMTS, Edge, Wifi, “Internet”) for secure calls and does not require a special SIM card. nG SecurePhone can even be used without a SIM card, as far as you have access to a WIFI network
For reasons of economy, we recommend the use of a data option when operating via cellular network.

Since nG SecurePhone is using the data channel, encrypted calls are not charged per minute, but per data volume.
The actual costs depend on the data tariff of your mobile network provider. The most cost-effective way is a plan which covers your expected data usage.
A data option of 5 MB, for example, is enough for approx. 140 minutes call time.

Since nG SecurePhone uses end-to-end encryption to ensure highest security, both parties require  nG SecurePhone or another compatible nG device to conduct secure communication.
However, unsecured GSM calls are possible to any telephone extension.

Please contact us for further information and purchases.