Encrypted Walkie Talkies

[xor]

So I have a quick idea when I was looking at walkie talkies. Wouldn't it be cool if they had encryption on them? So you could both set passwords, or upload a secret key on both devices and all communications would automatically be encrypted between the two.


I had a search for some online and they DO exist, but they're ridiculously expensive. I was wondering if anyone had any hardware experience to attempt to undertake this project?

[ande]

Really interesting idea/project, hope someone would be able to do something like his

[petermlm]

LOL. The encryption part is easy, more less. But we don't really have access to the hardware. Still great idea!

[Stackprotector]

They already exists;)

[xor]

petermlm, there are schematics for walkie talkies all over the net. It would only be a matter of adding encryption / decryption to one. Most of the schematics I have found though are all relatively short range devices, I'd like one which is at least 2km minimum.


Factionwars: I KNOW they already exist, as I said in my first post. I just thought we should build some

[Stackprotector]

petermlm, there are schematics for walkie talkies all over the net. It would only be a matter of adding encryption / decryption to one. Most of the schematics I have found though are all relatively short range devices, I'd like one which is at least 2km minimum.


Factionwars: I KNOW they already exist, as I said in my first post. I just thought we should build some

awh, yhea, just woke up:).
but they need some pretty good chip to encrypt realtime audio i geuss;)

[petermlm]

but they need some pretty good chip to encrypt realtime audio i geuss;)

Yeah, probably an integrated system design to make the encryption on the fly would be something very specific and not easy to get in the market. Or at least cheap to buy.

Or maybe if the encryption algorithm was programed directly in an assembly language for maximum eficiency. A simple MIPS processor would do the trick, lol.

One other thing. Encryption on the fly can't be very secure. A good encryption algorithm needs "space to work", that is, it need to have a piece of data and apply various operations in it to be secure. If an algorithm has just a limited peice of information like in this case one second of the audio, then even with a password the encryption the code would be easy to crack by brute force.
On the other hand, if instep of a second the audio would be one minute, then there would be space to apply a more complex encryption algorithm way harder to decode.

But well if they exist there must be a possibility to do this, even with a chat program, lol.

[FuyuKitsune]

I would use a small electronic device to encrypt the audio and just plug it into the walkie-talkie. A phone or PSP or something would be powerful enough to encrypt the audio. Just implement a stream cipher properly and it would be secure.

[ande]

I would use a small electronic device to encrypt the audio and just plug it into the walkie-talkie. A phone or PSP or something would be powerful enough to encrypt the audio. Just implement a stream cipher properly and it would be secure.

Yah, that was my thought first too. Instead of modding something existing(which may be hard). Simply add another layer of communication.

[gh0st]

well I like the part of create an algoritm of encryptation that prevents to be intercepted by a X person but the part of hardware would be a bit hard
creating an algoritm of encrptation unbreakable would be very interesting

[petermlm]

well I like the part of create an algoritm of encryptation that prevents to be intercepted by a X person but the part of hardware would be a bit hard
creating an algoritm of encrptation unbreakable would be very interesting

Indeed! I've never explored audio encryption, only text encryption. That would be a nice project. Developing an algorithm for audio encryption of an audio file like mp3 or wav. Later developing an algorithm for audio encryption on the fly, there is, encrypt as you you speak, get it?

[ande]

well I like the part of create an algoritm of encryptation that prevents to be intercepted by a X person but the part of hardware would be a bit hard
creating an algoritm of encrptation unbreakable would be very interesting

No encryption is unbreakable

Indeed! I've never explored audio encryption, only text encryption. That would be a nice project. Developing an algorithm for audio encryption of an audio file like mp3 or wav. Later developing an algorithm for audio encryption on the fly, there is, encrypt as you you speak, get it?

Text and audio encryption are exactly the same. Any encryption form really, be it images, films, audio, executables and what have you. Its all the same, changing of the byte values in a very spesific way and being able to reverse that action back to the original data.

[petermlm]

Text and audio encryption are exactly the same. Any encryption form really, be it images, films, audio, executables and what have you. Its all the same, changing of the byte values in a very spesific way and being able to reverse that action back to the original data.

Yes I know. I was thinking in encrypting an audio file to another audio file, in a way that if you would open it with an audio player you would listen to something very weired, lol.

[ande]

Yes I know. I was thinking in encrypting an audio file to another audio file, in a way that if you would open it with an audio player you would listen to something very weired, lol.

You could do that, just dont change the file-header part of the file, only the file data. Then you would get a very weird sounding file

[petermlm]

You could do that, just dont change the file-header part of the file, only the file data. Then you would get a very weird sounding file

Yeah, xD. Tell you what. I going to explore that, expect result still today (as I said today, expect theme tomorrow, xD!)