Are Sprint PCS Calls Encrypted?

I'm transferring to Sprint from an old TDMA plan that I had with AT&T
Wireless, before Cingular bought it out. Just wondering if CDMA calls are
encrypted.

Is it possible for casual eavesdroppers to monitor Sprint calls?
Specifically, is there any encryption used between the handset and the
tower?

I'm concerned about things like my credit card numbers or
personally-identifiable information being intercepted by small-time crooks,
not with whether the CIA or NSA can listen to my calls.

Thanks.

--
Newsgroups are the trailer parks of the internet and are best ignored.
Regular posters often just have mud-slinging contests to show how much
smarter they are by calling the other guys idiots.

---

› See More: Are Sprint PCS Calls Encrypted?

I could answer the question, but based on the statement at the bottom of
your posting, why bother?
"Jeremy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:zeKFf.35872$DV2.9160@trnddc07...
> I'm transferring to Sprint from an old TDMA plan that I had with AT&T
> Wireless, before Cingular bought it out. Just wondering if CDMA calls are
> encrypted.
>
> Is it possible for casual eavesdroppers to monitor Sprint calls?
> Specifically, is there any encryption used between the handset and the
> tower?
>
> I'm concerned about things like my credit card numbers or
> personally-identifiable information being intercepted by small-time
crooks,
> not with whether the CIA or NSA can listen to my calls.
>
> Thanks.
>
> --
> Newsgroups are the trailer parks of the internet and are best ignored.
> Regular posters often just have mud-slinging contests to show how much
> smarter they are by calling the other guys idiots.
>
>

On Mon, 06 Feb 2006 15:49:51 GMT, Jeremy <[email protected]> wrote:


>I'm transferring to Sprint from an old TDMA plan that I had with AT&T
>Wireless, before Cingular bought it out. Just wondering if CDMA calls are
>encrypted.

>Is it possible for casual eavesdroppers to monitor Sprint calls?
>Specifically, is there any encryption used between the handset and the
>tower?

They are not encrypted, but are modulated spread-spectrum. Unless you
have the same algorithm on your listening device as employed by sprint,
you're not going to be able to put the packets back together. A scanner
will not work.

"Jeremy" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:zeKFf.35872$DV2.9160@trnddc07:

> I'm transferring to Sprint from an old TDMA plan that I had with AT&T
> Wireless, before Cingular bought it out. Just wondering if CDMA calls
> are encrypted.
>
> Is it possible for casual eavesdroppers to monitor Sprint calls?

Yes, if you use the phone in a restaurant I can hear every word you say
from the neighboring booth. <g>

> Specifically, is there any encryption used between the handset and the
> tower?
>

Encryption? Well it is using encoding and CDMA with a specifically keyed
algorithm to do the encode and decode. You really think small time
crooks are going to bother to capture all the cell traffic and separate
the streams then manually listen to your converesation to grab a credit
card number?

> I'm concerned about things like my credit card numbers or
> personally-identifiable information being intercepted by small-time
> crooks, not with whether the CIA or NSA can listen to my calls.
>

...and your older TDMA phone with Cingular was different how?

It is not possible for anyone other than the CIA or a government agency with
sophisticated equipment to monitor your call.
p
"Steph" <[email protected]_CUT> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Jeremy" <[email protected]> wrote in
> news:zeKFf.35872$DV2.9160@trnddc07:
>
>> I'm transferring to Sprint from an old TDMA plan that I had with AT&T
>> Wireless, before Cingular bought it out. Just wondering if CDMA calls
>> are encrypted.
>>
>> Is it possible for casual eavesdroppers to monitor Sprint calls?
>
> Yes, if you use the phone in a restaurant I can hear every word you say
> from the neighboring booth. <g>
>
>> Specifically, is there any encryption used between the handset and the
>> tower?
>>
>
> Encryption? Well it is using encoding and CDMA with a specifically keyed
> algorithm to do the encode and decode. You really think small time
> crooks are going to bother to capture all the cell traffic and separate
> the streams then manually listen to your converesation to grab a credit
> card number?
>
>> I'm concerned about things like my credit card numbers or
>> personally-identifiable information being intercepted by small-time
>> crooks, not with whether the CIA or NSA can listen to my calls.
>>
>
> ..and your older TDMA phone with Cingular was different how?

Mij Adyaw wrote:
>
> It is not possible for anyone other than the CIA or a government agency with
> sophisticated equipment to monitor your call.
>
> <snip>

Possible? Yes.

Probable? No.

Notan

"Mij Adyaw" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:zCOFf.55745$V.46622@fed1read04...
> It is not possible for anyone other than the CIA or a government agency with
> sophisticated equipment to monitor your call.

That's going a little far. There are probably dozen and perhaps even hundreds
of engineers/technicians/etc. around the US with the appropriate
test equipment and knowledge to eavesdrop on your call -- they need such
equipment to test out what they're designing or deploying.

Realistically, though, a modern cell phone is arguably a lot more secure than
a traditional landline phone (barring someone simply pointing a highly
directional microphone at you, which works just as well regardless of the type
of phone you're using).

Jeremy wrote:
> I'm transferring to Sprint from an old TDMA plan that I had with AT&T
> Wireless, before Cingular bought it out. Just wondering if CDMA calls are
> encrypted.

Short answer: Yes.... kinda.

The Long answer:

CDMA calls aren't EXPLICITLY encrypted, in other words, a separate
encryption algorithm just for the sake of encryption and security isn't
applied. However, the CDMA process used to make more calls fit on one
channel actually WAS and IS used as a form of encryption in certain
applications. So in a way, they are IMPLICITLY encrypted, even though
the encryption is not intentional.

The difference is important because if you really don't want people to
listen to your calls, then the call should be encrypted end-to-end (all
the way from your handset to the other person's handset). When you rely
on CDMA though, ONLY the paths where the call travels through the air in
CDMA are encrypted. All landline and backhaul segments of the call are
unencrypted, and open to wiretapping.


> Is it possible for casual eavesdroppers to monitor Sprint calls?

No. If Joe Blow goes into a RadioShack and buys a scanner that can tune
into Sprint's PCS frequencies, he'll only hear static if he tries to
listen in.


> Specifically, is there any encryption used between the handset and the
> tower?

See above. CDMA in and of itself is seen in some circles as adequate
encryption to deter the casual (and sometimes not so casual) listener.

There IS a specification within CDMA to add additional encryption
layers, but they are not enabled on the Sprint network (or any US
network that I know of for that matter). It's generally viewed that
right now, there's no need to bother with it, because CDMA is enough.


> I'm concerned about things like my credit card numbers or
> personally-identifiable information being intercepted by small-time crooks,
> not with whether the CIA or NSA can listen to my calls.

Then you should be perfectly fine, and I wouldn't worry.


--
E-mail fudged to thwart spammers.
Transpose the c's and a's in my e-mail address to reply.

"Isaiah Beard" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Jeremy wrote:
>> I'm transferring to Sprint from an old TDMA plan that I had with AT&T
>> Wireless, before Cingular bought it out. Just wondering if CDMA calls
>> are encrypted.
>
> Short answer: Yes.... kinda.
>
> The Long answer:
>
> CDMA calls aren't EXPLICITLY encrypted, in other words, a separate
> encryption algorithm just for the sake of encryption and security isn't
> applied. However, the CDMA process used to make more calls fit on one
> channel actually WAS and IS used as a form of encryption in certain
> applications. So in a way, they are IMPLICITLY encrypted, even though the
> encryption is not intentional.
>
> The difference is important because if you really don't want people to
> listen to your calls, then the call should be encrypted end-to-end (all
> the way from your handset to the other person's handset). When you rely
> on CDMA though, ONLY the paths where the call travels through the air in
> CDMA are encrypted. All landline and backhaul segments of the call are
> unencrypted, and open to wiretapping.
>
>
>> Is it possible for casual eavesdroppers to monitor Sprint calls?
>
> No. If Joe Blow goes into a RadioShack and buys a scanner that can tune
> into Sprint's PCS frequencies, he'll only hear static if he tries to
> listen in.
>
>
>> Specifically, is there any encryption used between the handset and the
>> tower?
>
> See above. CDMA in and of itself is seen in some circles as adequate
> encryption to deter the casual (and sometimes not so casual) listener.
>
> There IS a specification within CDMA to add additional encryption layers,
> but they are not enabled on the Sprint network (or any US network that I
> know of for that matter). It's generally viewed that right now, there's
> no need to bother with it, because CDMA is enough.
>
>
>> I'm concerned about things like my credit card numbers or
>> personally-identifiable information being intercepted by small-time
>> crooks, not with whether the CIA or NSA can listen to my calls.
>
> Then you should be perfectly fine, and I wouldn't worry.
>
>
> --
> E-mail fudged to thwart spammers.
> Transpose the c's and a's in my e-mail address to reply.

Thanks!

"Zman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I could answer the question, but based on the statement at the bottom of
> your posting, why bother?


And I could tell you to "**** off" but I'd rather just say:

"P-L-O-N-K"

If you happen to go into analog roam then you're in the clear to be picked
up by a scanner.


"Jeremy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:zeKFf.35872$DV2.9160@trnddc07...
> I'm transferring to Sprint from an old TDMA plan that I had with AT&T
> Wireless, before Cingular bought it out. Just wondering if CDMA calls are
> encrypted.
>
> Is it possible for casual eavesdroppers to monitor Sprint calls?
> Specifically, is there any encryption used between the handset and the
> tower?
>
> I'm concerned about things like my credit card numbers or
> personally-identifiable information being intercepted by small-time
> crooks, not with whether the CIA or NSA can listen to my calls.
>
> Thanks.
>
> --
> Newsgroups are the trailer parks of the internet and are best ignored.
> Regular posters often just have mud-slinging contests to show how much
> smarter they are by calling the other guys idiots.
>

They could only intercept the call if they could access the "shared
secret" each subscriber device
has with the network.

"Steph" <[email protected]_CUT> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Jeremy" <[email protected]> wrote in
> news:zeKFf.35872$DV2.9160@trnddc07:
>
>> I'm transferring to Sprint from an old TDMA plan that I had with AT&T
>> Wireless, before Cingular bought it out. Just wondering if CDMA calls
>> are encrypted.
>>
>> Is it possible for casual eavesdroppers to monitor Sprint calls?
>
> Yes, if you use the phone in a restaurant I can hear every word you say
> from the neighboring booth. <g>
>
>> Specifically, is there any encryption used between the handset and the
>> tower?
>>
>
> Encryption? Well it is using encoding and CDMA with a specifically keyed
> algorithm to do the encode and decode. You really think small time
> crooks are going to bother to capture all the cell traffic and separate
> the streams then manually listen to your converesation to grab a credit
> card number?
>
>> I'm concerned about things like my credit card numbers or
>> personally-identifiable information being intercepted by small-time
>> crooks, not with whether the CIA or NSA can listen to my calls.
>>
>
> ..and your older TDMA phone with Cingular was different how?


My TDMA phone has a menu option for "Privacy," but AT&T Wireless did not
offer that service in Philadelphia (I was told that it was available in New
York City). Depending upon the menu settings used, my phone would beep a
warning before connecting to a non-encrypted channel or it would go ahead
and connect regardless of whether encryption was available, with no warning
tone.

I read that GSM calls had a base level of encryption built in--perhaps not
strong encryption, but enough to thwart casual listeners that wanted to
monitor the cellular frequencies.

"Mij Adyaw" <[email protected]> wrote in news:zCOFf.55745$V.46622@fed1read04:

> It is not possible for anyone other than the CIA or a government
> agency with sophisticated equipment to monitor your call.
> p

....because an anonamly such as a non-government agency/person with
sophisticated equipment doesn't exist? Honestly, how naive.

It could possibly exist, however, it would be very cost prohibitive. For
that matter, even if the data was encrypted (which it isn't), it is possible
to break encryption codes. Therefore, if you want to be really paranoid,
nothing is safe even wired phones. There was a story on the national news
last evening about a private detective that paid phone company technicians
to do wiretaps on famous actors.

"Steph" <[email protected]_CUT> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Mij Adyaw" <[email protected]> wrote in news:zCOFf.55745$V.46622@fed1read04:
>
>> It is not possible for anyone other than the CIA or a government
>> agency with sophisticated equipment to monitor your call.
>> p
>
> ...because an anonamly such as a non-government agency/person with
> sophisticated equipment doesn't exist? Honestly, how naive.
>