The gadgets have been acquired from Inexperienced Hills Software program, an organization based mostly in Santa Barbara, California, reads a Reuters report. The Inexperienced Hills Software program firm is understood for its security-focused working system, which is already utilized by a number of US authorities businesses. Inexperienced Hills Software program’s president and CEO, Dan O’Dowd, shared that his firm offered Trump’s marketing campaign with custom-made Android telephones operating on its proprietary working system.
These telephones are stripped of most features, leaving solely primary options equivalent to calling and textual content messaging, with enhanced safety protocols added to guard customers from cyber threats.
Though Inexperienced Hills Software program had issued a press launch on October 1 concerning the deal, the information had gone largely unnoticed. O’Dowd defined that he initiated contact with Trump’s marketing campaign by mutual connections and supplied the corporate’s know-how.
A spokesperson for the Trump marketing campaign declined to touch upon the matter to Reuters. Nevertheless, a supply accustomed to the marketing campaign’s inner operations confirmed that top-level workers had just lately upgraded their gadgets with stronger safety measures, though they have been uncertain of which vendor was chosen.
The choice to strengthen the Trump marketing campaign’s safety got here after months of focused cyberattacks by Iranian hackers. These assaults, led by a gaggle often known as APT42, resulted within the theft of inner communications and paperwork. Issues additionally grew over bodily threats, with fears that hackers may use stolen info to trace and endanger marketing campaign workers. O’Dowd revealed that key personnel have been already utilizing the newly acquired gadgets, that are designed to face up to distant cyberattacks.
Based on O’Dowd, the telephones function in a closed community, permitting communication solely between gadgets on the identical plan. The gadgets include built-in options like end-to-end encryption and two-factor authentication, customary suggestions from cybersecurity consultants.
APT42, the hacking group accountable for infiltrating the Trump marketing campaign earlier in the summertime, is infamous for utilizing superior cellular malware able to recording conversations and remotely activating telephone cameras.
Whereas O’Dowd didn’t disclose the variety of gadgets bought by the marketing campaign or their value, he famous that pricing varies based mostly on consumer wants. Along with the telephones, the marketing campaign acquired specifically designed laptops with restricted web entry, geared toward stopping exterior cyber intrusions.
These laptops are configured equally to the cell phones, providing a safe approach for crew members to collaborate remotely whereas sustaining strict isolation from potential attackers.
O’Dowd highlighted that this know-how has been employed by authorized groups dealing with delicate instances, the place it was essential to maintain recordsdata safe. Inexperienced Hills Software program, a contractor for the US authorities, provides its working system to a number of branches of the army, together with its integration into weapons methods. O’Dowd additionally talked about that the corporate’s laptop computer merchandise are utilized by FBI discipline places of work.
Do you assume that is sufficient of a safety?
