Are the NSA's PRISM slides photoshopped?

(Updated: June 10, 2013)

Yesterday, Thursday June 6, The Washington Post and The Guardian came with a breaking news story about a Top Secret NSA program called PRISM, which reportedly collects data directly from the servers of nine major internet companies like Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Skype and Apple.

Many of these firms have already denied that the government has access to their networks. Today both president Obama and director of National Intelligence James Clapper said there is no gathering of information about US citizens or of any person located within the United States.

> The latest information: What is known about NSA's PRISM program


The Guardian claimed to have obtained 41 slides of an NSA presentation about the PRISM collection program, and showed some of them on its website. But some strange looking details caused a number of people, especially on Twitter, think the slides might be fake.

Here we take a more close look at these slides, which, if genuine, give a very rare look at a recent Top Secret document from the US National Security Agency.

The strangest thing about the slides is probably the PRISM program logo, which is shown at the top right side of each slide. On the Guardian website this logo is also shown separately with an orange background box - the same way it appears on their slides. But as we look at the same slides on the website of The Washington Post, we see that the orange background has been cropped away.

This can only mean that the logo was added somewhere afterwards, and therefore wasn't part of the original slide deck. On Twitter, it was also noticed, that the PRISM logo was made by using a standard clipart image.

UPDATE:
One of the journalists of The Guardian explained on twitter, that these differences between the slides are caused by using different powerpoint readers (The Guardian using OpenOffice).



Details and explanation of the first PRISM slide

This does not automatically mean the whole slide deck is fake, so let's take a closer look at the rest of the slide contents:

- At the top left and the bottom right corner of each slide we see the standardized classification marking line, showing the classification level and the dissemination control markings. In this case the slides are marked: TOP SECRET // SI // ORCON // NOFORN, which combines:

TOP SECRET - the classification level, meaning that public disclosure of the document would cause 'exceptionally grave damage' to national security.

SI - Special Intelligence, formerly known as COMINT or COMmunications INTelligence, which means this document is part of a control system for Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI).

ORCON - ORiginator CONtrolled, meaning the originator controls dissemination and/or release of the document. Therefore these are always viewed in secured areas that are cleared for top-secret data and one cannot view or copy such a document without leaving an audit trail.

NOFORN - NO FOReign Nationals, meaning distribution to non-US citizens is prohibited, regardless of their clearance or access permissions.

- At the top of each slide we also see the logos of the internet companies involved in the PRISM program. The way these logos are grouped at the top of each slide looks not very professional, it distracts from the content and there's also no good reason for showing them on every slide. Therefore this part is also seen as a typical photoshop work.

- Top left we also see a seal with the words Special Source Operations, which is a department of the NSA responsible for important intelligence collection programs. This seal cannot be easily found elsewhere on the internet and looks well designed, so is most likely real.

- The title of the presentation is: PRISM/US-984XN Overview or The SIGAD Used Most in NSA Reporting Overview. SIGAD is the abbreviation of SIGINT Activity Designator, which is a unique addresss for every signals intelligence collection station, ship, or method and consists of a country code followed by alphanumeric characters. Thus the second part of the title (The SIGAD Used Most in NSA Reporting) refers to the first part, where US-984XN is the SIGAD of the PRISM program.

- Underneath the title there's a line which is partly (Guardian) or fully (Washington Post) blacked out. From what we can read, this line most likely started with the name of the person being the PRISM collection manager, followed by a kind of service/department number. Understandably the name has been blacked out because of privacy and security reasons, and the American paper even blacked out the rest.

- Finally, at the bottom right we see a red bordered box with three lines:
Derived from: NSA/CSSM 1-52 - meaning this was derived from the NSA/CSS Manual 1-52 about Classified National Security Information, which describes additional responsabilities of holders of NSA/CSS protected information.
Dated: 20070108 - meaning the presentation was derivative of work dated January 8, 2007, which appears to be the date of the NSA/CSS Manual 1-52.
Declassify On: 20360901 - meaning the slide deck was meant to be declassified on September 1, 2036. In general, this has to be 25 years from the date of the document’s origin, which seems to indicate that this presentation was classified on September 1, 2011, allthough the first slide itself is dated April 2013.

After this close look at the first slide of the PRISM presentation we have seen that there are a few strange elements, but also that most of the content looks realistic.



Another difference between the slides

Not only there's a difference between the PRISM logo on the slides at the Guardian and the Washtington Post websites, but, as noticed at this website, also on the slide showing in which years the various internet companies were "added" to the program:

As we can see in the picture, the slide on the Guardian website shows a different green arrow underneath the yellow circles than the Washington Post slide does. Both papers each seem to have some slightly different slides, which is quite strange if they really obtained a copy of such a higly classified slide deck.

UPDATE:
One of the journalists of The Guardian explained on twitter, that these differences between the slides are caused by using different powerpoint readers (The Guardian using OpenOffice).

As the presentation concerns signals intelligence, it has to be handled either trough the highly secured JWICS network used by the US intelligence community, or through NSAnet, which is the classified intranet of the NSA. It looks like PRISM is related to NSAnet, as one of the slides says: "Complete list and details on PRISM web page: Go PRISMFAA". Using a command like this appears to be common practice for NSAnet.

As it is very difficult and risky to get the slides themselves out of NSA's control, it is of course far more easy for someone who has seen the presentation, to tell a journalist what was in it. Then some graphic artist at the newspaper could have made these slides according to what was told to him. In this way, the differences between the slides of both newspapers can easily be explained by an internal messing up of some different versions.



The story revised?

Meanwhile, the Washington Post (because they had rushed the publication?) had to walk back a bit from its initial claims by citing a second classified report that identified PRISM as a program to "allow ‘collection managers [to send] content tasking instructions directly to equipment installed at company-controlled locations,’ rather than directly to company servers."

Also the New York Times came with a story which says that each of the large internet companies negotiated with the government about handing out information. As far as this concerns non-US citizens, they are legally required to share the data under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and in this way these companies are providing intelligence agencies like NSA with specific data in response to individual court orders.

These FISA orders can range from inquiries about specific people to a broad sweep for intelligence, like logs of certain search terms. Last year there were 1856 of such FISA requests. In order to make this more easy, some companies agreed with NSA to transmit these data electronically, using company’s servers or even government equipment at a company location. This however is different from giving the NSA wholesale bulk access to user data.

This version of the PRISM story was more or less confirmed by Director of National Intelligence (DNI) James Clapper, who released a statement with a fact sheet (PDF), which says "PRISM is not an undisclosed collection or data mining program. It is an internal government computer system used to facilitate the government’s statutorily authorized collection of foreign intelligence information from electronic communication service providers under court supervision".



More about classification markings

Earlier on the evening of June 8, The Guardian published another slide, to clarify that PRISM, which involves data collection from servers, is distinct from four different programs involving data collection from "fiber cables and infrastructure as data flows past".

This newest slide (shown left in the picture above) seems to have an omission, which can also be seen in some of the earlier slides: allthough they have the obligatory classification line (as described above), and the slide title is marked with the so called portion marking (the (TS//SI//NF) which is an abbreviation of the full classification line), this portion marking is missing in the content.

As the DoD and intelligence community Classification Markings Manuals prescribe, all content of briefing slides, including bullets, captions, titles, and embedded graphs, charts and figures, have to be marked with portion markings at the beginning of each portion (except when a waiver for the portion marking has been obtained). This because parts of a document classified as Top Secret can have a lower classification level or can even be unclassified, which also clearly applies to some of the paragraphs of the slides.

Again, this omission alone does not mean these slides are fake, it's also possible that the author of the presentation was simply somewhat lazy. At least in case of the slide titled "Introduction. U.S. as World's Telecommunications Backbone" the content is public information, for which the overall Top Secret classification would clearly not be justified.

A correct implementation of the portion marking can be seen in some slides about the NSA's BOUNDLESSINFORMANT data mining tool, which were disclosed by The Guardian on June 8. Here we see the slides are marked as TOP SECRET // SI // NOFORN within an orange bar, which is the color code for Top Secret, but with the separate text portions marked as (U//FOUO) as they are Unclassified // For Official Use Only:

With correct markings and a more professional look, these new slides look more credible than those of the PRISM presentation. As government agencies apparently often produce bad looking presentations, this alone doesn't make the PRISM slides fake, but we always should be aware of things like hoaxes, sensationalism and disinformation from whatever source, and at the same time don't get trapped into conspiracy theories.



Other PRISM programs

As there are still questions about what exactly NSA's PRISM program does, it became clear that there are also a number of other intelligence and security related programs called PRISM, which may cause some confusion:

The journalist Matthew Keys discovered that in 2007 a classified Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) intelligence job listing mentions "national intelligence community collection management systems" like PRISM, COLISEUM and HOT-R. A DIA job listing from earlier this year requires "Experience working in collection requirements management systems and procedures, to include PRISM, HOT-R, GIMS, NSRP, TORS, OSCR, COLISEUM, and CMST"

As this are DIA jobs, it seems however that this PRISM system is different from the one of the NSA. At the website of defense contractor IIT, PRISM is explained as an abbreviation of the "Planning tool for Resource Integration, Synchronization and Management", which just like COLISEUM, seems to be used in the field of Geospatial Intelligence, which analyses satellite imagery of the earth. In this way, PRISM is also mentioned in a number of documents on the Cryptome website. These are dating back to 2003, which is four years before the alledged start of the NSA PRISM internet program in 2007.

> More about this confusion: Is PRISM just a not-so-secret web tool?

The existence of what looks like a third PRISM system was unveiled by this PDF document at the Cryptome website. This document, dated March 21, 2004, describes PRISM (Protect, Respond, Inform, Secure, and Monitor) as a Homeland security Command and Control (C2) decision support system, providing a single end-user application for messaging, alerting, geo-referenced mapping, and asset tracking.

A program called PRISM is also used by the US Secret Service, where this is an acronym which stands for Protective Research Information System Management (PRISM-ID). This system is used to record information that required to assist the agency in meeting its protective mission that includes the protection of the President, and other top level officials. More about this program can be found in this PDF document from 2010 at the Cryptome website.



Links and Sources
- The Washington Post: U.S., British intelligence mining data from nine U.S. Internet companies in broad secret program
- The Guardian: NSA Prism program taps in to user data of Apple, Google and others
- Business Insider: Is The Claim That The Government Has A Direction Connection To Tech Companies A Lie?
- Forbes: Startup Palantir Denies Its 'Prism' Software Is The NSA's 'PRISM' Surveillance System
- New York Times: Tech Companies, Bristling, Concede to Federal Surveillance Program
- ABC News: 4 Unanswered Questions About NSA Leaks
- The 2011 Intelligence Community Classification and Control Markings Implementation Manual (PDF)
- The 2012 DoD Marking of Classified Information Manual (PDF)
- ZDNet: The real story in the NSA scandal is the collapse of journalism
- The Week: Solving the mystery of PRISM

General Dynamics secures commercial smartphones for classified information

(Updated: November 2, 2016)

In February this year, the communications division of defense contractor General Dynamics presented a software platform called GD Protected. This is the first product that secures commercial available Android smartphones in a way that they can be allowed to handle classified information.

For decades, General Dynamics has been manufacturing devices for securing top level communications of the US government and armed forces, like the Sectéra voice encryption family. One of those products was a highly secure cell phone for GSM, which was produced from 2002 until 2012.

Securing common cell phones generally requires hardware solutions, but to keep in pace with the fast evolving commercial smartphone technologies, security measures are now being implemented by using software applications. For smartphones there are already quite a number of apps for encrypting voice and data, but GD Protected also secures the Android operating system (OS) in order to meet the requirements for handling classified communications.


Dual systems

To achieve a high security level, the phones need a specific hardware feature called TrustZone. This is a set of security extensions programmed into the ARM processor of the smartphone, which make that a single processor core can run a dual operating system, a secure and a normal one. The specific implementation details of TrustZone are proprietary and have not been publicly disclosed.

Initially, GD Protected comes in two different versions, one for the LG Optimus 3D Max, and one for the Samsung Galaxy S IV smartphone. General Dynamics is looking to converge the two approaches in the future, as well as supporting a broader range of Android devices. The pricing has yet to be disclosed, but the company said it would be licensed on a "very competitive" basis.

Both versions make it possible to use the same smartphone for both accessing commercial phone and internet services as well as making encrypted voice calls, using secure email and even accessing classified networks.


Secure voice and data apps

These secure communications are provided by a number of approved apps from a controlled government or enterprise app store. These include a Secure Voice over IP (SVoIP) app which encrypts voice communications and runs over the data network. Other app offerings will include secure chat and secure video conferencing. These are expected to be available in 2014.

With these apps the (voice) data will be secured using two independent layers of encryption, one at the VoIP layer, and the other at the VPN layer, using IPsec. Finally, these double encrypted data will go through servers of the NSA to be verified, logged, and re-encrypted, before being sent back out to the carrier data network and on to its destination.

For authentication there are a pair of authentication certificates residing on the handsets, as well as users being required to log-in with a password before they can use the SIP server.


GD Protected for the LG Optimus

General Dynamics first presented GD Protected at the Mobile World Congress (MWC), which was held in Barcelona from February 25-28, 2013. For this occasion, the product was installed on an LG Optimus 3D Max smartphone and demonstrated to press and public:

Demonstration of the LG Optimus 3D Max, secured by General Dynamics

For this phone, GD Protected provides two separate copies of the Android operating system, one for personal use and the other for business use. A dedicated hardware button on the phone is used to flip between the two environments. This so-called dual-persona feature allows users to seamlessly switch between personal and secure operating modes, indicated by thin green and red borders, respectively.

The personal side is completely open and acts just like a conventional smartphone, whereas the secure side is more restricted. Data is firewalled between the two sides so, for example, data from the secure side cannot be accessed or copied over to the personal side, and the secure side cannot be tampered with by malware.

This partition of the handset into two separate virtual smartphones is controlled by the OKL4 mobile hypervisor or "microvisor" platform, which was gained by General Dynamics from its acquisition of Open Kernel or OK Labs in September 2012.

Additional security is provided by the Fixmo Sentinel Integrity Services. This offers an integrity verification through advanced monitoring and remediation techniques, proactively detecting and preventing mobile device operating system tampering, policy violations, system-level state changes, and the presence of unverified third party apps. The Fixmo Sentinel Integrity Service was developed as part of an agreement with the NSA and is also used by other governments.

Overview of the GD Protected solution for the LG Optimus smartphone
(source: Engadget.com)

Compared to the solution for the Samsung Galaxy smartphone (see below), the use of a dual Android operating system for the LG Optimus offers slightly less security, but almost complete freedom on the personal side of the phone. The secured LG Optimus 3D Max will be available through General Dynamics from the end of July 2013.


GD Protected for the Samsung Galaxy

For the new Samsung Galaxy S IV smartphone, the GD Protected software comes on top of Samsung's KNOX platform, which was also presented at the Mobile World Congress in February and was developed in cooperation with General Dynamics. KNOX runs a Security Enhanced version of Android, or SE Android, which has been developed by the US National Security Agency (NSA).

The KNOX platform, which is available for government and enterprise users only, protects both data which are stored on the smartphone and data which are sent and received. KNOX creates an isolated and secured container within the memory area, with its own home screen, launcher, applications, and widgets. Applications and data inside the container are separated from applications outside the container. This secured container is created by a TrustZone-based Integrity Measurement Architecture (TIMA).

Stored data are encrypted using an Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm with a 256-bit key. For secure communications the Samsung KNOX container comes with a FIPS-certified VPN client called "per-app VPN". This supports strong IPSec VPN encryption, including Suite B cryptography, which is suited for the majority of sensitive communications by government agencies.

Overview of the KNOX platform for the Samsung Galaxy S IV
(source: Samsung.com)

With the additional GD Protected the original Android operating system of the Samsung Galaxy S IV will be replaced by a hardened Android version with even more security measures. This replacement is done by simply calling General Dynamics with the IMEI number and then the Android operating system will be replaced via an over-the-air reflash.

The hardened operating system includes root certificates from General Dynamics that replace those from Samsung. This means that any subsequent changes need to be digitally signed by General Dynamics, ensuring the integrity of the Android operating system.

Compared to the dual Android operating systems on the LG smartphone, the Samsung solution of installing new firmware offers a slightly higher level of security but at the expense of user freedom. The GD Protected platform for the Galaxy S IV will be available from May 2013.

Access to US Department of Defense networks

General Dynamics' GD Protected platform was developed according to the requirements of the program for secure mobile communications, codenamed FISHBOWL, which was presented by the NSA in February 2012. The goal of this program is to provide a secure Voice over IP capability using commercial available devices that can be approved for handling classified information.

In October 2012, the US Department of Defense (DoD) announced that they were looking for industry contractors to develop a secure communications system for at least 162.500 iPhones, iPads and Android systems. This should provide alternatives to the BlackBerry, which was until then the only device approved for secured email access to the Pentagon’s unclassified networks.

An interesting coincedence was, that when General Dynamics presented their GD Protected product last February, DoD published a plan to equip up to 600.000 mobile device users with "secure classified and protected unclassified mobile solutions" based on commercial-off-the-shelf (cots) products. This program may eventually be expanded to handle up to 8 million devices.

For use by the US military, General Dynamics already offers a two-factor sign-on process. This is done by inserting a military Common Access Card (CAC) into a separate card reader, which connects to the smartphone through Bluetooth. When a PIN code is entered on the phone, it will validate the PIN against the CAC. This was also shown in a demonstration at the MWC in Barcelona, using a Samsung Galaxy S III:

Demonstration of the two-factor sign-on process
using a Common Access Card (CAC)

On May 3 it was announced that mobile devices equipped with the Samsung KNOX platform were approved by the US Department of Defense (DoD) for use in DoD networks. The BlackBerry 10 phones, the PlayBook tablet and the BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 were also approved, and it's expected that Apple's iPhone and iPad should gain DoD approval later this month.

However, these approvals only grant access to unclassified DoD networks (like the NIPRNet), which is often not specifically stated in press reports. Until now, the only mobile devices approved for access to classified networks are General Dynamics' Sectéra Edge and an NSA directed test version of the Motorola Razr Maxx.

When equipped with GD Protected the LG Optimus and Samsung Galaxy S IV will be the first commercial available smartphones to get access to classified networks. At the moment this can only be used for Sensitive But Unclassified (SBU) communications, but General Dynamics is hoping to attain an NSA certification for classified communications (Confidential, Secret or even Top Secret) in 2014. Only by then may these phones get access to secure networks like the SIPRNet.

Updates:

Samsung announced on October 21, 2014 that NSA had approved the Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy S5 for use with classified US government networks and data.

As of August 2015, the GD Protected Solution left DISA's pilot stage and became operational for users of the DoD and other federal agencies. They can now access networks classified up to the level of Secret (like the SIPRNet) via commercial Samsung Galaxy smartphones under what is officially called the DoD Mobility Classified Capability - Secret (DMCC-S). DISA will now start testing devices that can work in an TS-SCI environment.

A Boeing alternative?

Early 2012 not only General Dynamics announced the development of a secure smartphone solution, but also the aerospace and defense company Boeing. The announcement of the latter company got most media attention, but this was probably mainly because (secure) phones seemed quite a strange new product for Boeing, which is by most people only known for its civil aircrafts. A preview can be found in this PDF-brochure of the Boeing Secure Mobile Enterprise program.

Unlike General Dynamics, Boeing has no history in making encryption products and as General Dynamics already presented it's software last February, nothing was heard from Boeing anymore. After a request in March, a Boeing spokesperson told this weblog, the company is still developing a trusted mobile device that will serve the US government, defense and security market. When this phone will be launched is not known yet.

Updates:

Boeing eventually launched it's secure mobile phone, called Boeing Black, in March 2014. This is a custom made device with dedicated security features.

In November 2016 it was reported that NSA director Rogers received a Boeing Black secure smartphone during a test phase for this device.

Sources and links
- DISA presentations: DoD Mobility (2016), DoD CIO’s Areas of Focus (2015)
- 29-10-2012: Pentagon plans to buy iPhones, Androids in threat to BlackBerry’s market share
- 25-02-2013: General Dynamics secures Samsung and LG Android smartphones
- 25-02-2013: General Dynamics locks down Android
- 28-02-2013: Samsung Takes Low-Key Approach on Cellphones After Reaching the Top
- 28-02-2013: General Dynamics eyes government-level security on smartphones
- 03-05-2013: DoD grants network access to Android, BlackBerry 10 devices
- 26-11-2013: DISA to Roll Out Unclassified and Classified Mobile Capabilities, App Store

How Obama's BlackBerry got secured

(Updated: October 31, 2023)

Around January 20, 2009, when Barack Obama took over the office of president of the United States, there was quite a lot of media attention about the fact that he had to give up his BlackBerry, because it was considered to be a security risk.

This caused almost world wide media attention, but the follow-up was less accurately covered and a number of different stories were told. Here we will show that Obama actually kept his beloved BlackBerry, but only after it had been secured by special encryption software and some additional security measures.

President Obama showing his BlackBerry (photo: Reuters)

Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush, also used a BlackBerry during the 2000 presidential campaign, but had to give it up, as well as the use of any e-mail software, upon taking office. Three days earlier, he sent out a final e-mail to 42 friends and family members to inform them that he would no longer correspond electronically.

Eight years later, Barack Obama was also forced to give up his BlackBerry, not only because of concerns that its communications and e-mail could be intercepted, but also because of the Presidential Records Act of 1978. This makes all written White House communications public property and subject to examination under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

However, this time Obama definitely wanted keep using this popular business phone to stay in touch with people outside the White House bubble. Therefore, the Secret Service (USSS), the White House Communications Agency (WHCA) and the National Security Agency (NSA) went looking for a solution.

Obama using his BlackBerry 8830 during the election campaign in 2008
(Photo: Getty Images)

US President Obama using a silver BlackBerry 8830
Nokia E61 or E62, as recognized by someone here

Sectéra Edge

Some media suggested Obama had to change his BlackBerry for the Sectéra Edge, a highly secured PDA, which is produced by General Dynamics for the US military. But the Sectéra Edge is quite big, heavy (340 grams) and bulky and therefore hardly convenient for someone used to a BlackBerry. This solution would also require everyone that Obama would like to communicate with to have the same phone, which is priced between 2650,- and 3350,- USD. Secure communications are only possible if both ends use the same (or compatible) encryption devices.

According to other sources, the Sectéra Edge was only used in addition to Obama's BlackBerry, until a permanent solution was worked out. Reports weren't clear about how exactly these two devices were combined. Probably the Sectéra Edge acted like an encryptor, which was plugged into the BlackBerry, so Obama could keep using this device to make a call or send out an e-mail, which then went through the Sectéra Edge, encrypting it, before going over the telecommunications network.

The Sectéra Edge, manufactured by General Dynamics

Compromise

That latter, temporary solution must have been even more cumbersome, so a compromise was made, in which president Obama could keep using a BlackBerry, but equipped with a software package to encrypt phone calls and text and email messages.

For this purpose, the security agencies choose the SecurVoice application, which was developed by The Genesis Key, in cooperation with engineers from BlackBerry manufacturer Research In Motion (RIM). SecurVoice should not be confused with Secure-Voice.com, nor with SecuVOICE, which is used for securing the smart phone of the German chancellor Merkel.

Update:
Responsible for securing Obama's BlackBerry was Richard "Dickie" George, who served as technical director of the NSA's Information Assurance Directorate (IAD) from 2003 until his retirement in 2011. In 2014 he told CNN that the NSA set up a lab where dozens of experts performed surgery on the president's future BlackBerry for several months. The device was manipulated to weed out potential threats to secure communication and BlackBerry's algorithms were also reviewed. The choice of the smartphone model was eventually the NSA's, not Obama's, George explained.

After the NSA did all the necessary tests and checking to make sure the software met federal standards like FIPS 140-2, the highly secured BlackBerry was delivered to the president somewhere in May or June 2009. He also gave up his old e-mail address and switched to a new one, which is kept secret.

Maybe we can see the new, secured BlackBerry in this picture below, where there are two BlackBerrys lying in front of Obama. The silver one seems to be the BlackBerry 8830, which he already used during the election campaign. The black one, probably a BlackBerry 8900, could then be the new secure one, as we can see the president using this one in later pictures:

President Barack Obama works with Jon Favreau, director of speechwriting, on the Normandy speech
aboard Air Force One enroute to Paris. In front of him are a black and a silver Blackberry.
(White House photo by Pete Souza, June 5, 2009 - click for a bigger picture!)

Detail from the picture above, showing the two BlackBerrys

The secure BlackBerry was not only issued to the president, but also to a small group of people with whom he likes to stay in close contact with. This because, as said, it's only possible to have secure communications if both ends are using the same encryption method. This limited Obama's goal of keeping in touch with the outside world: encryption (still) means exclusion.

The number of people able to message and call the president is probably only between ten and twenty. Included are vice-president Biden, Obama's chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, advisors David Axelrod and Valerie Jarrett, press secretary Robert Gibbs, first lady Michelle Obama, a few other family members, and some personal friends from Chicago.

Update:
On March 16, 2016, AP reported that in February 2009, secretary of state Hillary Clinton also wanted a secured BlackBerry like the one used by Obama, but that NSA denied that request. A month later, Clinton began using a private server, located in the basement of her home, to exchange e-mail messages with her top aides through her regular, non-secure BlackBerry. Later it came out that this rather risky solution was also used for sensitive messages.

On October 30, 2013, Obama's press secretary Jay Carney said that the president will continue to use his (secured) BlackBerry, despite concerns about eavesdropping which came up after it was revealed that NSA intercepted the communications of 35 world leaders.



The Genesis Key

The SecurVoice software for the presidential BlackBerry was developed for a small company called The Genesis Key, Inc., based in Washington DC. This company was founded in October 2008 by W. Steven Garrett, who took the name from an item used in the 1986 computer game The Legend of Zelda.

The software was developed in the previous four years, apparantly for one of the projects of Steve I. Cooper, a former special assistant to the president, senior director for information integration, and CIO (Chief Information Officer) for the Office of Homeland Security. He is now a member of the advisory board of SecurDigital, Inc., a firm founded in October 2009 by Bruce Magown and Steven Garrett to distribute the SecurVoice software applications.

Steven Garrett is a man with a quite surprising background. His Linked-In profiles show that he has been involved in a very wide range of businesess, like manufacturing plants for Fannies Fat Free Cheesecakes and Fat Free Burger (providing microwave-ready cheeseburgers to military commissaries) and marketing & sales for Lion Sportswear and Faded Glory Jeans. He also developed a highly secure appartment building, named Garrett Place. At his twitter account he describes himself as "Proven Rainmaker, Change Agent, Strategist, and Driving Force for Unprecedented, Exponential Growth in Revenues, Earnings, and Market Valuation".



SecurVoice

The Genesis Key released the SecurVoice software in December 2008, claiming this to be the world's first completely secure voice and data encryption solution. Allthough there were already a number of other hardware and software encryption solutions, the SecurVoice application should be able to protect global voice connections between and within all types of cell, satellite, PBX, SDR and VOIP phones and phone systems.

SecurVoice is 100% Java based, which should make it device- and carrier-independent, but according to the website, the software is currently only operational on the Blackberry operating system version 4.5 and up. Software porting for other operating systems, like Symbian, Brew, Windows Mobile, Google, and iPhone is said to be underway.

With SecurVoice, each phone can be loaded with up to three levels of security, each one accessible through a separate icon and recognizable by a different ringtone. When dialing a number and this number has a cryptographic key associated with it, then the call is automatically placed as a secured call. If a phone number has no cryptographic key associated with it, then the cell phone operates normally and the call is placed unencrypted.

The SecurVoice software comes in two versions:
- Phone-to-Phone (P2P), where secure calls are made directly from one cell phone to another. The price for government users is 1795,- USD per application.
- Phone-to-Server (P2S), where secure calls are routed from the phone to an enterprise server and back. The price of a server license is between 2500,- and 25.000,- USD.

It's likely, that for Obama the server solution was chosen. This allows a centralized key management, monitoring of all secure calls and record keeping of the messages. One source says the president may have to wait up to 50 minutes for an e-mail reply, as the system actively sniffs out incoming messages for viruses or Trojan horses.

Overview of the SecurVoice application options
(by The Genesis Key/SecurDigital)

Encryption

The SecurVoice software features a dual-layered, or hybrid encryption scheme, which means it combines symmetrical and asymmetrical encryption algorithms. It performs the voice encryption in real time by using a fast symmetric cipher, using a strong key. This key is then encrypted with a public-key or asymmetrical cryptosystem, like RSA or ECC, and transmitted together with the encrypted message. This is also how the vast majority of present-day communications encryption works.

The SecurVoice symmetric encryption uses a 256-bit session (conversation) key, which replaces the encryption every second with non-reoccurring numbers. This session key is a combination (salted hash) of the sender Base Secure Key (stored in the recipient key store) and a random session key. According to the manufacturer, SecurVoice uses classified Type 1 encryption algorithms, which are restricted to government and military users. For corporate users, public crypto algorithms like AES are used.

In case of a SecurVoice enterprise server, the software converts voice into encrypted data, which is then sent over the carrier network to the SecurVoice Enterprise Server where it is decrypted. It is then re-encrypted and sent back over the carrier network to the receiving phone, where it is decrypted and converted back to voice. It's also possible to select different encryption algorithms, so that, for example, encryption from a cell phone to the enterprise server may be the AES algorithm with a 128-bit, while from the server to the receiving phone this may be done by using Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC).

President Obama using his BlackBerry 8900 in the limousine while traveling
from the University of Indonesia to the airport in Jakarta, Indonesia.
(White House Photo by Pete Souza, November 10, 2010)

Security risks

As Obama wanted to keep using a BlackBerry device, the security solution is software only. This still leaves risks like compromised hardware and hacking by means of social engineering. Therefore, some security specialists say that it's not impossible to hack Obama's BlackBerry and that foreign states and other hackers will likely try to do so.

To minimize these risks, the secured BlackBerrys prevent forwarding e-mail messages from the president and sending him attachments. His secret e-mail address is likely to be changed regularly as well and Obama's friends and staff members were lectured about these security issues.

Another risk of the president using a BlackBerry, like a cell phone in general, is that enemies can try to track the president's location in real-time, even when GPS is disabled. Every cell phone regularly transmits it's IMEI-number to the cell tower, and this can be intercepted by devices like a Triggerfish. How this tracking can be done, and countered, is described in this, respectively this article.

One source says the presidential BlackBerry can only connect to a secure base station, which can be used to hide the IMEI-number of the device and thus prevent tracking it. This would mean the White House Communications Agency has to carry such a secure base station wherever the president goes.

There must be also a secure base station inside the presidential limousine, as we can see in the picture above. First because using a foreign cell phone network would be a big security risk, but also because the limousine is most likely constructed like a Faraday cage, and therefore a BlackBerry could only be used if there's a base station in the car itself (and probably also in Air Force One). The secure base station is probably connected to a secure satellite link with Washington.

President Obama uses his BlackBerry for calling Mitt Romney
(White House photo by Pete Souza, November 6, 2012)

President Obama using his old BlackBerry, during a campaign
visit to Albuquerque, New Mexico in August 2008

Conclusion

As we have seen, president Obama has kept his BlackBerry, but only after it had been secured. This took quite some effort: newly developed software had to be tested within a couple of months, all his contacts have to use the same software, limiting their number to a rather small group, and a secure base station has to follow the president.

Nonetheless, this ad hoc solution for the president marks the beginning of an era in which top level mobile communications will no longer be secured with dedicated hardware, but by using software applications for regular commercial smartphones.

Update #1:

By the end of 2014, a Russian state-sponsored hacker group, known as Cozy Bear, was able to infiltrate White House e-mail servers containing the sent and received emails of president Barack Obama, but they failed to penetrate the servers that controlled the traffic from his personal BlackBerry. The Dutch Joint Sigint Cyber Unit (JSCU) monitored these hacking operations and alerted the Americans.


UPDATE #2:

Since August 2023, the actual BlackBerry devices used by president Obama are on display in the National Cryptologic Museum (NCM). This museum, which is located just outside the NSA campus at Fort Meade, shows four BlackBerry smartphones, several with the presidential seal. Following Obama’s term, the NSA removed security modifications and classified data from the phones and eventually offered them to the NCM.

BlackBerry devices used by president Obama on display at the NCM
(photo: NSA - click to enlarge)

Besides the four BlackBerry devices, the NCM also has three Motorola A840 flip phones on display, which Obama used in his presidential limousine, for example. In the photo released by the NSA, we see that the front side camera of these phones have been replaced by what looks like the seal of the White House Communications Agency (WHCA), which maintains (secure) communications for the president.

Motorola A840 flip phones used by president Obama on display at the NCM
(photo: NSA - click to enlarge)

Sources and Links

- Yahoo.com: Obama has finally ditched his BlackBerry, but its replacement will surprise you (2016)
- CNN.com: 'I made Obama's BlackBerry' (2014)
- FoxNews.com: Obama Getting Super-Secure BlackBerry
- New York Times: Symbol of Elite Access: E-Mail to the Chief
- The Telegraph: Barack Obama's BlackBerry 'no fun' (2010)
- PRWeb: The X-Change Corporation Acquires Genesis Key, Inc. (2010)
- Radio interview about SecurVoice: Telecom Junkies - Secret Agent Phone
- Interview with Steven Garrett: Wireless Technology Risks and Enterprise Security (2010)
- Washington Times: Obama soon to get secure BlackBerry (2009)
- WirelessMoves: How To Secure The BarackBerry (2009)
- Communities Dominate Brands: Do Communities Dominate personal security of Obama? The Blackberry Battle (2009)
- See also: securvoice.blogspot.com

Comments on Hacker News (2013) and Hacker News (2025)

The phones and the iMac of Kim Jong-un

Last week, North Korea said that it entered a "state of war" with neighboring South Korea. According to a report from the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) this includes a threat to "dissolve" the United States mainland too.

On Friday, March 29, KCNA also released some pictures of the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, giving a rare look at some of his communications equipment:

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presides over an urgent operation meeting
at the Supreme Command in Pyongyang, March 29, 2013.
(Photo: KCNA through Reuters)

Quite surprisingly we see that at the right side of the table, there's an aluminum unibody iMac computer (with a corded keybord and mouse). This computer is made by the American manufacturer Apple and is an iconic capitalist lifestyle item.

If this isn't a fake remake, it's a bit strange that we see this computer here, because there's a full US embargo for exporting products to North Korea. Probably the iMac came in from China, the only ally of the communist republic.

The whole arrangement looks very much like propaganda, and we can doubt whether the iMac is very functional: with a close look we can see that the yellow ethernet cable lies disconnected next to it.

At the left side of the table there are three white telephone sets (no red one!). These phones seem to be the same as the one we can see in the picture below, which looks like a quite ordinary office phone:

Kim Jong-un smoking a cigaratte in an empty looking launch control center,
after Pyongyang successfully launched a satellite into space

Earlier in March, North Korea already disconnected various hotlines with South Korea. One hotline, which is maintained by the international Red Cross and runs through the truce village of Panmunjom, was cut off on March 11. This also happened with another hotline, which connects to the US-led United Nations Command at the border.

On March 27, North Korea also cut off a military hotline with South Korea, that allows cross-border travel to the jointly run Kaesong industrial complex in the North. This hotline, which actually consists of four telephone lines, is used to communicate about the daily cross-border traffic of about 900 workers and cargo traveling back and forth to the Kaesong complex.

Now there is still one active hotline left (consisting of three phone lines), linking the civil aviation authorities of North and South Korea.


Sources and Links
- Reconstruction: North Korean Photo Reveals ‘U.S. Mainland Strike Plan’
- Article about North Korea Cuts Off the Remaining Military Hot Lines With South Korea
- Article in Dutch: Kim Jong-Un plant wereldoorlog op verouderde iMac