Preventing Phone-Tapping
Category: Cellphone Application and Cellphone DIY -
Information is very precious, especially when it’s about a country’s secret or business competition. Information is very priceless that various phone-tapping techniques are often employed to obtain valuable information.
Thus, is communicating through cell phones secure enough? Though communicating via cell phones is already quite sophisticated, it doesn’t mean that cell phone is free from phone-tapping.
There are numerous techniques to tap messages. Remember articles about the simple ways to phone-tap conversations and SMS in other’s cell phones? Then, how to avoid phone-tapping? Here are some applications you can use.
Avoiding Voice Phone-Tapping
Talking via cell phone is actually quite secure. However, cell phone bugging devices are already available. To be more secure, encryption techniques can be applied in voice communication.
Encryption technique works by adding codes or locks. The conversation you have in the phone will be encrypted into codes, which could only be read by the phones that have the appropriate code-breaker.
Communication with encrypting technique could run only if both you and the receiver have the same tools (application) for the encryption and decryption (the opposite of encryption).
Symbian & Windows Encryption Applications
For users of 2nd edition Symbian (Symbian OS version 8), such as Nokia 6630, 6680, N70 and N90, Cellcrypt could guarantee the security of your communication. Cellcrypt is made by Voylent developer which is based in Silicon Valley.
Cellcrypt’s communication route makes use of Circuit Switch Data (CSD). So, besides requiring 2nd edition Symbian phones, Cellcrypt also requires CSD-support providers.
To test this application, please visit Voylent’s site. To directly download it, simply follow this link. These are the steps to use Cellcrypt:
1. Install Cellcrypt in your phone and in phone of the person you are going to talk to. The installation process takes quite time, 10 minutes approximately.
2. Restart the phones as the procedure to activate Cellcrypt.
3. Before calling, type 888 (triple 8s) in front of the destination number. For example, if your destination number is 08567795xxx, you should dial 88808567795xxx. If dialing phone with a certain country’s code, such as +628567795xxx, you should dial +888628567795xxx.
After that, you can communicate like usual. You need to know that the encrypting and decrypting process require longer time, so there will be delays in your communication.
Besides that, this application is designed to be hidden or invisible, so you cannot use the normal way to uninstall it. To remove Cellcrypt, you have to install its uninstaller application, which can be downloaded at http://www.cellcrypt.com/vxrm.sis.
For Windows Users (Smartphone and PDA)
For users of Smartphone and Windows-based PDA-phones, SecureGSM application has been provided. SecureGSM is similar to Cellcrypt in terms of function, except in the ways of operating it.
In SecureGSM, users do not need to insert extra numbers in front of the destination numbers. When receiving a call, the receiver will be given verification codes. The codes are the same like what are shown in the caller’s screen (look at the picture). Every call going through SecureGSM will look like the following picture:
Preventing SMS-tapping
There are a few techniques to tap SMS. In the former edition, PULSA have reviewed the techniques by installing a phone-tapping application in the target phone.
To avoid being the victim of SMS-tapping, we can add encryption to our text-messages. At least there are two encryption applications that we demonstrate in this article, the application for Symbian phones and for Java-based phones.
Symbian
To protect SMSs and emails, Symbian users can rely on Fortress SMS application. Its trial version can be downloaded at http://www.fortressmail.net/ fortress_sms.htm
Fortress SMS is easy to use. Add password on each SMS you are going to send. The receiver who doesn’t know the password will not be able to open it. Here are the steps to operate Fortress SMS:
1. Activate Fortress SMS, and select option ‘Send message’.
2. Select ‘Option’, find ‘Password’, after the screen shows the menu, enter your password.
3. The SMS that have been sent can be opened if the password is entered correctly. Of course, the receiver’s phone should also have Fortress SMS application.
For Users of Java-based Phone
SMS encryption applications are not only available in phones which have operation system. One supporting application for Java-based phones (MIDP 2.0) is SMS007. This application has better compatibility since it uses general user interface (GUI).
The encryption ability is not only applicable for SMS, but also for data in the phone. If you lose your phone, people will not be able to open the data. Here are the steps to operate SMS007:
1. First, set your password. Do not forget your password or you will lose the data on your phone.
2. Log in, and enter your password to start SMS007.
3. To send confidential messages, you can select it from the available contact menu. The secret messages can be sent to more than one receiver.
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