John McAfee Officially Announces First Truly Private Phone
Smartphone owners who are really concerned with their security will be delighted as John McAffee has revealed his ideas behind his first ever private smartphone. The said device, according to its maker is the "most hack-proof phone."
According to Digital Trends, the hack-proof device was called McAfee Privacy Phone and it is tagged at $1,100. McAffee has created this private smartphone in partnership with cybersecurity firm MGT. This handset flaunts a physical switch that let its owners detach the battery, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth antennas, the camera and the microphone.
The McAffee Privacy Phone is tagged with a hefty price tag but then it does emphasize the fact that this handset is clearly aiming the enterprise users who might not mind shelling out a huge amount of money for a more protected device. Moreover, the buyers of this phone are reminded that turning off all the communications gear isn't something that the owners are thought to do all the time. It is only done when situations call for it.
The device also has the ability to prevent being connected to StingRay or IMSI-catcher devices. For reference, these two could be utilized to interrupt calls and messages for surveillance purposes.
Moreover, The Verge has noted that there are a few problems with this approach. The real dilemma when it comes to McAffee Privacy Phone security is not the hardware but its software. Apart from that this handset is running on Android OS making it susceptible to all the same software hacks just like other Android gadgets. Meanwhile, the hackers may not be capable of gaining the access to the smartphone through the communications equipment; but they could most definitely could through software exposures.
Another issue is the fact that turning off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and disconnecting the camera and battery can completely obstruct the user experience. This was because anyone with access to the McAffe Privacy Phone could shift the hardware features off or on even without the knowledge of the owner.
The McAffee Privacy Phone is slated to become available for purchase later this year. Also, a version 2 is already in the works and is scheduled to be on sale in 2018.
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