Obama private encryption smart phone exposure using Win CE kernel

The White House press office said that President Obama still continue to use his BlackBerry; him this Blackberry with close personal friends to keep in touch, but if he wants to deal with confidential government official, you need to use the Sectera Edge or the L3 Guardian These two are Windows CE smart phones.

Randy Siegel, Microsoft's chief enterprise mobile strategist, he said, the U.S. National Security Agency has sponsored a project to develop confidential Smartphone, a cost of $ 18 million, the Edge and the Guardian is the results of this project.

The Sectera Edge's product manager, said Tom Liggett, most BlackBerry and Windows Mobile phones can handle "sensitive but unclassified" data. These smart phones using the FIPS 140-2 standard, encrypted data stream and voice calls to a certain extent. A lot of work in the government departments does not belong to the level of confidentiality, even if the same is true in the war. Windows Mobile devices such as in Iraq, the use of FIPS 140 - 2 standard used in the casualty triage, roadside bomb detection, or even to prevent AIDS, Randy Siegel said.

However, about 30 million Americans can be connected to a secret, controlled Internet called SIPRNet (Secret Internet Protocol Router Network). This is a confidential network, Edge and Guardian is the only Smartphone on the net.

For example, during voice calls, Edge uses an encryption protocol called SCIP (Secure Communications Interoperability Protocol). Four national phone carriers in the United States, it can be run on a network in which any one - you can manually switch the phone mode - but call "end-to-end encryption, so only another one SCIP phone to decrypt it.

Liggett said that all data on this phone are encrypted "NSA 1 algorithm, which is a prohibited use of civilian’s algorithm. Seen spy movies, people understand.

Edge system is not running Windows Mobile, but Windows CE. Windows CE is the underlying kernel of Windows Mobile, but compared with the standard Windows Mobile kit, Edge upper application more secure. Tom Liggett said, it can still complete the Windows Mobile device can complete most of the things, such as push email with Microsoft Exchange Server through Windows Media Player to play media files, edit documents with Word (yes, the government is also using Microsoft Exchange) . Tom Liggett said, the DoD users want it looked much like with Windows computers.

Edge can also be switched to the normal mode. Switching principle, of course belong to the confidential information, but in use, you just press a button to switch between separate "confidential" and "non-confidential" system can understand. Each system has its own calendar, applications, data and voice call data. That the system is not currently used in the background waiting for, as long as you press the button, it will switch to that system. Therefore, Obama is not necessary to carry a Blackberry separate contact with friends and family.

We cannot get Edge to do the evaluation, because in order to buy this phone, must first pass a security review of the job. If you're lucky enough through the review, you can spend $ 3,300 to buy an Edge bulk purchases will be cheaper.