Expert calls for comms security alert on mobiles

A security expert is calling for the creation of a mobile app to alert users when their communications security has been compromised.

Craig Heath, chief security technologist at the Symbian Foundation, shared the idea in a blog post on Monday, noting that the security tool would serve up a warning dialog when encryption is turned off, or when "other suspicious activity" originating from base stations is detected.

Heath pointed out that mobile phones are able to identify which encryption algorithm is being used between the base station and the device. For example, the Sony Ericsson P1i displays a triangle icon as warning when the base station switches to A5/0 which, according to the GSM Security website, utilises no encryption. (At press time, Sony Ericsson was unable to confirm Heath's remarks about P1i. )

For more on this story, see Expert eyes mobile app for GSM security ZDNet Asia.