Monday, January 26, 2009

Phone security is much better, says UC Berkeley Professor

The Akron Beacon Journal relayed comments by UC Berkeley Professor David Wagner, regarding current telephone security. When asked if there were any difference in security between using a corded phone and a cell phone, Wagner replied
"Assuming your cell phone is digital, there's not enough difference to worry about. Back when cell phones were analog, eavesdropping was easy." However today most cell phones are digital and while eavesdropping with a digital cell phone is possible, "it's pretty much out of the reach of casual interception," he said.

Wagner notes that wired phones aren't completely secure either, but said both digital cell phones and wired phones are secure enough for most people to use for everyday business. In truth, the weakest aspect of cell-phone use is the frequency of having sensitive conversations in public places without thinking about being overheard.

See more at Ohio.com.