Editing NSA encryption systems (section)

=== Voice encryption ===

[[Image:KY-68.nsa.jpg|thumb|[[KY-68]] tactical secure telephone]]

True voice encryption (as opposed to less secure [[scrambler]] technology) was pioneered during World War II with the 50-ton [[SIGSALY]], used to protect the very highest level communications. It did not become practical for widespread use until reasonable compact [[Speech encoding|speech encoder]]s became possible in the mid-1960s. The first tactical secure voice equipment was the [[NESTOR (encryption)|NESTOR]] family, used with limited success during the Vietnam war. Other NSA voice systems include:<ref name=boaklectures>[https://www.governmentattic.org/18docs/Hist_US_COMSEC_Boak_NSA_1973u.pdf A History of US Communications Security; the David G. Boak Lectures], National Security Agency (NSA), Volumes I, 1973, Volumes II 1981, partially released 2008, additional portions declassified October 14, 2015</ref>{{rp|Vol I, p.57ff}}

* [[STU I]] and [[STU II]] — These systems were expensive and cumbersome and were generally limited to the highest levels of command
* [[STU-III]] — These telephone sets operated over ordinary telephone lines and featured the use of security tokens and [[public key cryptography]], making them much more user friendly. They were very popular as a result. Used since the 1980s, this device is rapidly being phased out, and will no longer be supported in the near future.
* [[1910 Terminal]] — Made by a multiple of manufacturers, this device is mostly used as a secure modem. Like the STU-III, new technology has largely eclipsed this device, and it is no longer widely used.
* HY-2 a vocoder for long haul circuits designed to work with the [[KG-13]] key generator.
* [[Secure Terminal Equipment]] (STE) — This system is intended to replace STU-III. It uses wide-[[Bandwidth (signal processing)|bandwidth]] voice transmitted over [[Integrated Services Digital Network|ISDN]] lines. There is also a version which will communicate over a PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) line. It can communicate with STU-III phones and can be upgraded for FNBDT compatibility.
* [[Sectéra Secure Module]] — A module that connects to the back of a commercial off the shelf cellular phone. It uses AES or SCIP for encryption.
* [[OMNI (SCIP)|OMNI]] — The OMNI terminal, made by L3 Communications, is another replacement for STU-IIIs. This device uses the FNBDT key and is used to securely send voice and data over the PSTN and ISDN communication systems.
* [[VINSON]] A series of systems for tactical voice encryption including the KY-57 man portable unit and [[KY-58]] for aircraft
* [[HAVE QUICK]] and [[SINCGARS]] use NSA-supplied sequence generators to provide secure [[frequency hopping]]
* [[FNBDT|Future Narrowband Digital Terminal]] (FNBDT) — Now referred to as the "Secure Communications Interoperability Protocol" ([[Secure Communications Interoperability Protocol|SCIP]]), the FNBDT is a replacement for the wide-band STE, which uses narrow-bandwidth communications channels like [[cellular telephone]] circuits, rather than ISDN lines. The FNBDT/SCIP operates on the application layer of the [[OSI model|ISO/OSI Reference Model]], meaning that it can be used on top of different types of connections, regardless of the establishment method. It negotiates with the unit at the other end, much like a dial-up [[modem]].
* Secure Iridium — NSA helped add encryption to the Iridium commercial mobile phones after it rescued the bankrupt [[Iridium Satellite LLC|Iridium]].
* [[Fishbowl (secure phone)|Fishbowl]] — In 2012, NSA introduced an Enterprise Mobility Architecture intended to provide a secure VoIP capability using commercial grade products and an Android-based mobile phone called Fishbowl that allows classified communications over commercial wireless networks.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nsa.gov/ia/_files/Mobility_Capability_Pkg_(Version_1.1U).pdf |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2012-03-02 |url-status=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301112501/http://www.nsa.gov/ia/_files/Mobility_Capability_Pkg_(Version_1.1U).pdf |archivedate=March 1, 2012 }}</ref>

The operational complexity of secure voice played a role in the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]] on the United States. According to the [[9/11 Commission]], an effective US response was hindered by an inability to set up a secure phone link between the National Military Command Center and the [[Federal Aviation Administration]] personnel who were dealing with the hijackings. ''See'' [[Communication during the September 11, 2001 attacks]].

{{commons category|Voice encryption devices in the National Cryptologic Museum}}