A couple of years ago we made a small video clip explaining what
CryptoPhone is and why you would need one. Just a simple video with
nice graphics and easy to understand storyboard. I was personally
involved in managing this small project and writing text and
storyboard. Keeping in mind this is made a couple of years ago I am
still happy with the result. As a matter of fact I was so proud when
it came out I even showed it during one of my lockpick presentations.
You can not believe how amazed I was when I heard somebody copied the
clip and put their own name on it. I mean, we have seen many, many
copycats and our site and ideas are copied dozens of times by now. But
Isreali company ‘gold lock’ really outdone themselves stealing borrowing
our text and ideas. Their clip is almost word by word identical to ours.
And I always believed Israeli companies are way ahead of their competition.
Well … now you know why …
Can you spot the ten differences between their video (*) and ours?
(* Update: The video is removed from the GoldLock server… here is a mirror)
Wow! They didn’t even attempt to mask the theft.
Oh, a plentora of differences: their source is not open and they do not have a windows client 😉 (But still they don’t have backdoors, and you can’t mistrust Israeli security companies with their excellent track record, can you?)
Buying a mobile phone with “encryption” from an Israeli company doesn’t sound like a very wise plan to me…
This theft of your ideas and text seems especially weird since your product is the first association for everybody with knowledge of Cryptophones. You even invented the word to describe it, I think. So, many people will realize this is a rip-off. It’s almost like they want people to know that it was stolen… maybe to get themselves a more underground, mala fide imago, so they look less like a government sponsored company?
What is it with the Israelis and you?
“If you can’t recruit ’em…”???
Almost forgot. The MPG version of the Cryptophone video, for those who can’t view WMV3/Windows Media 9-encoded files:
http://www.cryptophone.com/support/downloads/cryptophone-vcd.mpg
Eric: What can I say about it? I am just blogging about things that come on my path … Personally I have nothing against Isreali people or government. I just do not want to work for them. If people from there mail me they will recieve a nice reply back (if I ever find time to do so, with a two week delay just like everybody else)…
well, their page uses flash – which means I can’t watch this genious copy.
But apart from that, it doesn’t make a 100% good impression:
– For example, they claim to use a “256 bit random session key, replaced every second” – Apart from the fact that I see no use in chainging 256-Bit-Keys every second, is there really an entropy source with a bandwidth greater 256 bps available to a COTS-Nokia-Phone? (remember, the microphone is in use during a call)
– http://www.gold-lock.com/security.htm states that “Even though the 72 bit [RSA?] key has not been cracked yet, and people have been working on it since 03 December 2002.” perhaps they should visit http://www.rsasecurity.com/rsalabs/node.asp?id=2093 some time soon. Do you really (really?) want to use software from people who migle symetric and asymetric key lengths? (Btw: I think they mean http://www.rsasecurity.com/rsalabs/node.asp?id=2103 – the RC5 challenge)
– They don’t say how the secret keys are secured.
– Last but not least: “1024 bit master key”…. – but well, perhaps they just refer to the RSA-Keys. 😉
As Barry would say it, it doesn’t give me the warm, fuzzy feeling I expect from security products…
Stefan: it sure does not give that warm, fuzzy feeling at all.
A mirror of ‘their’ video in .MPG format can be found on:
http://blackbag.toool.nl/video/gold-lock.mpg
Barry I liked your video a lot better! The similarities are very obvious, but the quality is much better in your video! Still I am just as appalled about this as you must be and have posted about it on my blog as well. My concern is if they borrowed this much already, how much more did they borrow from other people?
If your interested here it is with a full link to this article, http://www.ezpicking.com/blog/2006/11/27/cryptophone-copycat/ feel free to remove this link to my story if you like. I just wanted you to know that I am also spreading the word.
Bud Wiser
Bud Wiser: I do not mind at all, and your blog also covers interesting subjects. So if people take the effort to read all the way down to your comment they deserve to find yet another interesting link 😉
Barry: Thank you for the link.
I’m stunned. They use the same text, just with poor illustrations… And instead of the “we publish our source code”-section, there is a “totally free of backdoors” (certfied by who? Their janitor? The secret service? An independent(TM) corporation?) claim you can believe or not…
And I still wonder, when they claim “100% point-to-point protection”, how does it differ from, say, 89%? 😉
I have the feeling that the product, well, let’s say it this way, relies much more on its marketing than your cryptophone. Just my impression.
So good it is Gold Lock who you taken ace the annoyance to create a site to speak of?