From the AEGIS e-Journal, Volume 4 Number 12, December 2001
CopyTele DCS-1200 and USS-900 CopyTele, Inc. 900 Walt Whitman Road Melville, NY 11747 Tel: 1-631-549-5900 Fax: 1-631-549-5974 http://www.copytele.com/ DCS-1200- $1595, USS-900 $1095. The CopyTele DCS-1200 and USS-900 are small (6″ x 4.38″ x 1.38″), portable (9 ounces) telephone encryption devices. They come with international power adapters. The DCS-1200 connects between the handset of your telephone and the body of the telephone, which allows it to be used on analog and digital PBXs, ISDN , and Satellite Communication Terminals, as well as standard analog telephones. Connecting it is easy: You unplug the coiled handset cord from your telephone and plug it into the side of the DCS-1200, or else use the included headset/mike. You then take a short (provided) cable and connect the DCS-1200 to the jack where you just unplugged the handset. The DCS- 1200 can connect to a satellite or cellular phone – a feature we will test in the future – and has a built-in battery which will last up to six hours when so used. In addition, it can be used to encrypt data on your PC and encrypt files for e-mail communication. While the DCS-1200 is set for a standard phone, it may require tweaking, and this will require a call to the help desk, as there is no real manual to adequately explain the features offered. The USS-900 works on an analog telephone system, and goes between the telephone and the RJ-11c wall jack, rather than the handset. It involves no tweaking, and is therefore a better bet if you do not plan to use a digital PBX or satcom. The USS-900 additionally can secure fax and data transmissions, and can also encrypt email attachments and the files on your PC. Voice quality was adequate with a good line. In our worst-case test involving a bad line, far from a switch, with, according to the analysis, frayed insulation, which has made many devices fail, we were still able to connect and speak. While the voice quality in this worst-case situation was not great, and while dropouts required repetition, we were able to make a secure connection with these devices, which is way better than a device failing to connect, and having to make a clear but non-secure connection. ÆGIS, December 2001 21 The CopyTele encryption devices use the Harris CITADEL™ CCX cryptographic engine chip for key generation and encryption, with the option of having either168 Bit Triple DES or Harris’ own encryption algorithm. While we have a personal bias against proprietary algorithms, Harris is an experienced defense contractor, and their products have a good reputation. This chip and algorithm are used widely within NATO which means that it will certainly be adequate for commercial use. Will the encryption impede real-time legal wiretaps? As always, we have no idea, and it remains one of those questions to which we don’t actually expect a serious answer. 7. Free-Subscription/Unsubscription/Copyright Information •• ÆGIS e-journal is supported and maintained by voluntary efforts. This publication is owned, published, and copyright © 2001 by The LUBRINCO Group Ltd, Inc. and Financial Examinations and Evaluations, Inc. It is edited jointly by Richard Isaacs (RBIsaacs@lubrinco.com) and L. Burke Files (LBFiles@lubrinco.com). The LUBRINCO Group provides services in three high-threat areas, too specialized to be dealt-with in-house, that can adversely affect domestic and international bottom lines. • Protection of trade secrets and intellectual assets. o Anti-economic espionage. o OPSEC: The identification and protection of information that would give your competitors and adversaries an advantage. • International financial investigations and due diligence consulting. o Location and recovery of missing and hidden assets. o Establishing business relationships and strategic partnerships in Central and Eastern Europe, the offshore financial centers, Beijing and Shanghai, Central Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean. o Anti-money laundering and financial fraud requirements under the International Money Laundering Abatement and Anti-Terrorist Financing Act of 2001 and the EU Revised Money Laundering Directive of 2001. • Protection of management, staff, and families. o In the high-threat environments of Latin America, Africa, the Mid- East, and Southeast Asia. ÆGIS, December 2001 22 o When traveling and living overseas. o When transporting items of substantial value. LUBRINCO identifies and quantifies threats and vulnerabilities, and their associated risk, then manages the vulnerabilities so you can transfer or live with the residual risk. We prevent disastrous financial loss to your company, and physical harm to you, your family, and your staff. For information on The LUBRINCO Group and its services, or for the archive of all past issues of ÆGIS e-journal in PDF format, please go to http://www.lubrinco.com/. To sign up for a complimentary subscription to ÆGIS e-journal or the ÆGIS e- journal PDF notification list, go to http://lb.bcentral.com/ex/manage/subscriberprefs?customerid=7768 or send an email to ejournal@lubrinco.com. 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Article Title, from the December 2001 ÆGIS e-journal (© 2001 LUBRINCO & FEE), to be found at http://www.lubrinco.com/. ÆGIS e-journal is a forum for the exchange of information, ideas, operating styles, theories, and related topics for corporate managers who make decisions about threats typically outside the expertise available in-house, yet which have the potential to affect their company’s domestic and international bottom lines. Nothing appearing in ÆGIS e-journal should be construed as legal advice. The information provided is “general information,” not “specific advice.” The solution to any problem is highly dependent upon the precise facts involved. Thus, before making any reliance upon anything said here, you should consult with an appropriately skilled professional. Opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily endorsed by the publisher, and may be presented to encourage a dialogue among subscribers. The publisher and any re-publisher cannot be held responsible for any loss incurred as a result of the application of any information published in ÆGIS e-journal. Please be safe, and be smart.