WhisperCore Encrypts Data on Android Phones

Android users interested in having their data securely encrypted on the mobile phone they are carrying around all day long have now a new software available for them to do just that, WhisperCore, a beta release from Whisper Systems.

The new mobile application can easily prove a great option for all those who are concerned on the security of data on their devices, such as business users.

The new application is available only in a beta version at the moment, but things are promising, it seems, and the development on it should advance soon.

“WhisperCore integrates with the underlying Android OS to protect everything you keep on your phone,” the company notes on its website.

“This initial beta tech-demo features full disk encryption and basic platform management tools for Nexus S phones. WhisperCore presents a simple and unobtrusive interface to users, while providing powerful security and management APIs for developers,” they continue.

The company is set to make the software available for other devices as well in the near future, it seems.

The application takes advantage of AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) with 256-bit keys in XTS mode security protocol, Moxie Marlinspike, co-founder and chief technology officer of Whisper Systems, explains.

Moreover, he notes that the software was designed so as to provide encryption of all data stored on the handset itself, or on the microSD card packed inside it.

As soon as the app was installed on a mobile phone, the user is asked to set a passphrase, and a key that encrypts all data on the device is generated.

Through this application, users can ensure that all filed on their handsets are inaccessible in the event that the device itself is lost or stolen.

It remains to be seen how fast the company would manage to make the application available for other Android devices out there as well. We should also note that they have two other apps available for Android users, RedPhone, offering end-to-end encryption for calls, and TextSecure, meant at encrypting text messages.