NSA developing custom smart phone for top-secret communications
Figuring that ordinary smart phones are not secure enough for intelligence purposes, the National Security Agency is creating its own customized mobile device able to handle top-secret information, according to a news report.
Troy Lange, the agency’s mobility mission manager, is leading a pilot project to reconfigure a commercial smart phone so that it is still easy to use but can handle the classified information security protocols of Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities, Reuters reported in an article Sept. 25.
His project uses commercially available smart phones and software that would be modified with additional security features.
"It's moving away from this whole concept between a classified device and an unclassified device," Lange said. "It's the information that is classified. So the intent is how can I gain access to that classified information in a mobile way."
About the Author
Alice Lipowicz is a staff writer covering government 2.0, homeland security and other IT policies for Federal Computer Week. Follow her on Twitter: @AliceLipowicz.