Wireless technology is part of everything we use today.

From our wireless

internet in our computers, wireless remotes for our car locking mechanisms

and, arguably the most popular, cell phone communications. The problem

with all wireless technology, though, is its insecurity and its ability to be

traced, hacked and interfered with. In previous papers, I have explored the

insecurity and ease that comes with Bluetooth technology. Bluetooth, being

equipped on almost every cell phone on the market today, is a security risk

in and of itself. But what about cell phone technologies? Consider the

following: President Elect Barack Obama had his cell phone records snooped

through by employees of Verizon wireless (http://www.sciam.com/blog/60-

second-science/post.cfm?id=obamas-cell-phone-hacked-privacy-is-2008-11-

21). The most protected person in the United States, who is constantly

covered by secret service agents with fully automatic weapons and rides in

bomb proof cars, had his one vulnerability exploited without even knowing it.

If those conversations had been to private parties, or the conversations

recorded without his knowledge, significant amounts of damage could have

been done. He will also have his Blackberry taken away once he takes office

on January 20th.

(http://www.economist.com/world/unitedstates/displaystory.cfm?

story_id=12865117)

For exactly these reasons, General Dynamics and C4 systems have created

the first ever fully secured smart phone for use by government agencies and

anyone who needs their communications to be guaranteed private and

unable to be listened in on by a third party. In the following paper, I will

address the need for secure smart phones, how the Sectera Edge works, and

some other products similar to the Sectera Edge, also developed by General

Dynamics for secured communications.

On March 6th , 2008, General Dynamics issued a press release about its

newest product, the Sectera Edge smart phone. The Edge was developed in

addition to the STU-III technology, a technology which allows for encryption

enabled phones to send encrypted signals to other encryption enabled

phones to allow for secured conversations. The STU-III technology standard

is classified into four separate categories ranging 1 through 4, with 1 being

to most popular and allowing for secured communications up to a Top Secret

government security level. (http://www.tscm.com/STUIIIhandbook.html).

STU-III works by utilizing the Electronic Key Management System, an

encryption technique in which asymmetric cryptography is used, and uses

what is called a KSD-64A or a key shaped piece of plastic with a Read Only

Memory chip installed in it. This memory chip is assigned and programmed

by the National Security Agency. The KSD-64A contains a CIK or Crypto

Ignition Key which is similar to a digital password which allows for the key to

be used within the STU-III device. This key is provided by the National

Security Agency through the Electronic Key Management System, who also

maintains a list of keys that may have been compromised. In general, the

way that a device utilizing the STU-III technology works is by the operator
asking the other party to “go secure” at which time a button is pushed which

transmits the device’s key to the other device. The keys are then compared

to a “key revocation list” which the devices compare the age of to one

another and exchange more updated lists if necessary

(http://www.tscm.com/STUIIIhandbook.html). Once the keys have been

verified and key revocation lists updated accordingly, the phones are in an

encrypted mode which, as previously mentioned, has been approved by the

Department of Defense up to a Top Secret clearance rating.

The greatest asset to the STU-III technology is that it allows for the device to

place both unsecured calls to other unsecured lines under the Plain Old

Telephone System (POTS), and also that it allows for secured calls to be

made as well. Because of this fact, STU-III systems can be used by any

authorized government agency, with no special equipment is needed.

(http://www.tscm.com/STUIIIhandbook.html). The only time this is untrue is

if the device is used over Voice Over IP (VOIP) communications, in which the

phone must be hooked up to a secured network, such as the military’s Secret

Internet Protocol Routing Network (SIPRnet)

(http://www2.hawaii.edu/~wes/ICS623/Reports/WYip.html).

With this in mind, General Dynamics C4 Systems created the Sectera Edge,

the first smart phone to be classified by the NSA as Top Secret voice enabled

and Secret data enabled. The phone, in its most basic sense, is a Motorola

phone with GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) technology built
into its architecture. Therefore, it is able to place unsecured calls over the

GSM system in both the United States and any other country which allows

access to the GSM system. It can also be used on any wireless carrier which

utilizes GSM, specifically AT&T and T-Mobile in the United States, as well as

Sprint which utilizes the CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) system for

cellular phones.

The Edge is quite different than many other devices that came before it. As

mentioned, it allows for both secured and unsecured conversations, and it is

one of the first of its kind in that it is a wireless device which does not need

to be connected in a wired fashion to utilize the encryption. It also is the

first of its kind because instead of merely a cellular phone which allows for

wireless communications, it is also a handheld computer, or Personal Digital

Assistant (PDA), as well. The PDA is able to be connected to a computer

terminal and maintain secured or unsecured information as well. The

operations of this will be covered later in the paper.

Though the Edge is touted as being similar to most other wireless phones,

there is the difference in that it needs two separate phone numbers to

operate. The first is the standard voice number that all cell phones are

issued and is used for unsecured operations. The second, is “for secure

encrypted phone calls using 9600 BPS asynchronous transparent circuit

switched data service, with mobile originate (MO) and mobile terminate

(MT)” (http://www.gdc4s.com/content/detail.cfm?item=97aef0a4-96e4-4ab2-
b33b-eb832c4bb4c2). To simplify this explanation a bit, secured

conversations and data transfers that take place on the Sectera Edge are

done so over the data portion of the cell phone, similar to accessing the

internet over any wireless phone or viewing a secured internet page.

The features of the Sectera Edge are plentiful, and make for a phone that

any authorized government agency, as well as most civilians, would be more

than happy to have. It is generally network neutral, so long as the cell phone

provider is able to handle GSM or CDMA communications, two of the most

popular in the United States. Unlike many other phones used on these

common carriers, there is no need for it to have to be unlocked with special

codes, instead it comes with a cross-vendor compatibility.

Unlike other models that have been rated for secured wireless

communications, such as the General Dyamics TalkSECURE, the Edge also

has a PDA built into it, also containing the ability to store and view classified

materials on it. The phone has two separate screens for exactly this reason:

one being used for unsecured wireless technologies, utilizing Windows Mobile

for an operating system and allowing for basic internet browsing, calendar

operations and common smart phone usage, and the other being a black and

white “trusted LCD display”

(http://www.ruggedpcreview.com/3_handhelds_gd_sectera_edge.html) for

secured messaging and viewing. The Edge also has a full 47 key QWERTY
key pad, similar to most other smart phones, allowing for full messages to be

typed out with ease.

Similar to the separate screens that the Edge has for the two different modes

of data, it also has two separate USB ports for the same reason. This allows

for USB transfers to different parts of the phone’s memory, specifically to a

secured storage versus a regular storage chip. The phone also contains the

Common Access Card (CAC) card reader slot for verification of identity,

public key signing and to access secured government websites and portals.

As can be seen, the Sectera Edge is one of a kind and one of the few

solutions that can be used for a fully secured mobile work environment for

authorized government employees and contractors. With its large number of

features, secured communication and data transfer ability and a fully

functional PDA built in, it is exactly what is needed for any government

contractor.

http://www.gdc4s.com/content/detail.cfm?item=82337f34-170b-4d11-8e5d-

83e7e5299918

http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS201411+06-Mar-

2008+PRN20080306

http://www.policeone.com/police-products/communications/secure/press-

releases/70138/

http://www.ruggedpcreview.com/3_handhelds_gd_sectera_edge.html
http://www2.hawaii.edu/~wes/ICS623/Reports/WYip.html

http://www.tscm.com/STUIIIhandbook.html

http://www.sciam.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=obamas-cell-

phone-hacked-privacy-is-2008-11-21

http://www.economist.com/world/unitedstates/displaystory.cfm?

story_id=12865117