Securing Wireless Voice - Who is listening to your phonecalls

Wireless voice communication is increasingly the lifeblood of enterprise, government and industrial workflow. But as mobile phones, smartphones and voice-enabled PDAs become more and more like full-fledged computing platforms (e.g., mobile Linux, Java, Symbian, Windows), they are exposed to vulnerabilities that were previously associated only with wired IT systems, such as eavesdropping on calls and data sessions (mobile intercept), user masquerading, theft of service, theft of personal data, session spoofing, device cloning, backdoors and mobile identity theft.

Like any IT resource, smartphones, mobile phones and PDAs are potentially vulnerable to viruses, worms, Trojans and spyware. Malware threats that were once targeted at LAN-based desktop and data center computers are now attacking mobile devices and mobile service provider networks. Mobile malware has been found to be very effective at attacking mobile voice and data sessions through open protocols and services.

With conventional security software, encryption routines running on mobile platforms are largely defenseless and vulnerable to a large number of hacker exploits and viral threats at the application, operating system and network levels. In the current era of escalating cyber threats, mobile platforms need a better approach to network encryption and authentication. This new approach must shield device-based security software from the vulnerabilities of open platforms and networks, so that wireless mobile CDMA and GSM voice traffic can be fully protected, end to end.