Eavesdropping cell phone calls becomes possible.

It's bad news, or is it? Mr. Karsten Nohl, a German computer expert has published detailed information on the possibility of eavesdropping phone calls made by cell phones.GSM is the most widely used standard for mobile networks around the globe. The GSM standard was created by The GSM Association (GSMA)22 years ago. The latest GSM algorithm in use today is A5/1. Following the publicizing of the report, GSMA announced that work is in progress of revising the algorithm, which is called A5/3.

Eavesdropping phone calls maybe impractical due to the cost of the equipment and the technical knowledge required. However, since we know that our phone calls are prone to eavesdropping we aren't comfortable speaking on the phone anymore.

Karsten Nohl, Chris Paget – 26C3, Berlin