Category: News

London, 4 June 2019: Armour Comms, the leading provider of specialist, secure communications solutions, has seen its most successful year to date with revenues set to double.  As a result of several significant new contracts, Armour Comms is taking on extra office space to house new appointments in product development, quality assurance and customer support. During the past year, Armour Comms has signed up another major Government department, taking the total number of central Government organisations using Armour Mobile to seven, as well as a whole host of other new clients across a range of industries, many of which were previously using less secure consumer-grade apps.

In April Armour Comms launched the latest version of its flagship product Armour Mobile at Cyber UK 2019 – the premier annual cyber security event run by NCSC (National Cyber Security Centre).  Armour Mobile v3.0, which introduces significant new features including biometric authentication (fingerprint and facial recognition), and rapid ‘auto’ provisioning of new users using secure QR codes or encrypted links within emails, was extremely well received, with enquiries from a broad range of sectors including NHS, transportation and financial services.

David Holman, Director at Armour Comms commented; “Armour Mobile is based on a Software as a Service delivery model, which has been gradually building up.  However, the last year has been particularly successful for Armour Comms, with many new contracts, new partners and recognition within the secure comms sector.  Several of our partner relationships are now approaching maturity and we expect to see significant revenue from this channel.”

Armour Comms’ solutions for secure communications work on everyday smartphones, tablets and Windows 10 desktops. With the same usability as consumer-grade apps, and  with significantly enhanced security, Armour Mobile supports voice calls, video calls, one-to-one and group messaging, voice and video conference calls, file attachments and sent/received/read message status. Message Burn limits the lifespan of sensitive data at rest, where users can set a time at which their messages are automatically deleted (or as the name implies, ‘burn’) on the recipient’s device, for immediate action after being read, or at a given time after sending, according to confidentiality.

Using a FIPS 140-2 validated crypto core, Armour Mobile has been awarded many certifications including CPA (Commercial Product Assurance) from the NCSC and is included in the NATO Information Assurance catalogue.

In March 2019, Armour Mobile was shortlisted for the SC Awards Europe in the category of Best Mobile Security Solution.

In September 2019, Armour Comms will be exhibiting at DSEI, stand number N7-260, where a new technology solution will be previewed.

Businesses using Consumer Apps risk facing stiff regulatory fines for data loss or worse

London, 14 May 2019: Armour Communications, the leading provider of specialist, secure communications solutions, calls for organisations to stop using consumer-grade, free apps when handling sensitive or commercial information. For people with jobs where security is paramount, for example, journalists, humanitarians, activists or special services working in unfriendly regimes, a phone that has been hacked via an app could put life at risk. For others, the risk of individual’s private information or commercial data being accessed will damage an organisation’s brand integrity and share price.

David Holman, Director at Armour Comms said; “This latest case of a serious vulnerability in a consumer-grade app highlights the dangers of using free apps, and that they are simply not robust enough for business. While such apps claim that they are secure because they are encrypted, there is so much more to security than just encryption.  Encryption is rarely the weakest link, and therefore, unlikely to be targeted by hackers.

“While this particular exploit may have been to target people with specific jobs, there are various other everyday hacks that can be executed relatively easily by low level criminals against these types of product that put users’ data at risk.  Breaches of GDPR are a risk to every type of business and come with significant fines.”  https://www.armourcomms.com/2018/07/31/free-apps-you-might-get-more-than-you-bargained-for/?cat-slug=10

In 2018, German automotive supplier Continental AG banned its workers from using the messenger services WhatsApp and Snapchat on company phones, due to concerns about GDPR compliance and general security. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/05/continental-bans-facebooks-whatsapp-and-snap-incs-snapchat.html

Holman continued; “These free apps proliferate by stealth through organisations, unless firms take positive action, like in the case of Continental AG last year. There are enterprise-grade apps available that provide the same convenient user experience of consumer grade apps, while keeping the user in control of their data and metadata. Some of these apps, like

Armour Mobile, have been certified by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), so users can be confident that the software is secure by design.”

Armour Comms’ solutions for secure communications work on everyday smartphones, tablets and Windows 10 desktops. With the same usability as consumer-grade apps, and  with significantly enhanced security, Armour Mobile supports voice calls, video calls, one-to-one and group messaging, voice and video conference calls, file attachments, sent/received/read message status and message ‘burn’ (automatic timed deletion).

Using a FIPS 140-2 validated crypto core, Armour Mobile has been awarded many certifications including CPA (Commercial Product Assurance) from the NCSC and is included in the NATO Information Assurance catalogue.

Cyber UK 2019,  24 – 25 April

Scottish Event Campus, Glasgow,

Stand: B9

London, 26 March 2019: Armour Communications, the leading provider of specialist, secure communications solutions, is launching the latest version of its flagship product Armour Mobile at Cyber UK 2019 – the premier annual cyber security event run by the UK’s NCSC (National Cyber Security Centre).  In addition, Armour will be demonstrating full integration of Secure Chorus’ interoperability standards for encrypted voice calls, to a live audience, with Leonardo, BAE Applied Intelligence and a defence organisation. The interactive workshop, hosted by the NCSC and led by Secure Chorus takes place on 24 April at 14.00 and is part of Stream G.

Armour Mobile v3.0 introduces significant new features including biometric authentication (fingerprint and facial recognition), and rapid ‘auto’ provisioning of new users using secure QR codes or encrypted links within emails. There is a host of additional refinements, including sending a secure voicemail or text note when a user is unable to accept a voice or video call; accessibility options such as user-defined text sizes; and MessageBurn has added sophistication – for example, a marker to alert the user if they failed to read a secure message before it has been ‘burned’.

The demonstration of interoperability for encrypted voice calls at the Secure Chorus workshop will show how Armour Mobile can connect multiple groups or communities transparently to end users, maximising the ease with which they can communicate securely across different organisations. This is particularly useful where security requirements preclude these groups from merging their IT networks and, instead, provides a novel solution to allow them to collaborate securely on joint projects.

David Holman, Director at Armour Comms commented; “For enterprise security to be effective it needs to be transparent to the end user. With this in mind, Armour Mobile v3.0 has been developed to include many new features that significantly enhance usability. The new auto-provisioning facility means that Armour Mobile can now be deployed on a large scale, quickly with minimal overhead for IT, security and the end-user.

“Interoperability is a key criteria for a communications app, and we are delighted to be able to demonstrate how Armour Mobile is able to work across user communities, so that even where a different Key Management System (KMS) is in use, the end user only needs to know a colleague’s secure contact number to be able to communicate with them securely.”

Armour Comms’ solutions for secure communications work on everyday smartphones, tablets and Windows 10 desktops. With the same usability as consumer-grade apps, and  with significantly enhanced security, Armour Mobile supports voice calls, video calls, one-to-one and group messaging, voice and video conference calls, file attachments and sent/received/read message status. Message Burn limits the lifespan of sensitive data at rest, where users can set a time at which their messages are automatically deleted (or as the name implies, ‘burn’) on the recipient’s device, for immediate action after being read, or at a given time after sending, according to confidentiality.

Using a FIPS 140-2 validated crypto core, Armour Mobile has been awarded many other certifications including CPA (Commercial Product Assurance) from the NCSC and is included in the NATO Information Assurance catalogue.

Armour Comms partners also exhibiting at Cyber UK include: BAE Systems on stand E22, Amiosec on stand E20, Leonardo on stand E15, Qinetiq on stand B2, Nine23 on stand SBH15 and Templar Executives on stand SBH7.

Security & Policing Home Office Event

5 – 7 March 2019

Farnborough International Exhibition and Conference Centre

Stand: F25

London, 5 March 2019: Armour Communications, a leading provider of specialist, secure communications solutions, will be demonstrating the latest versions of Armour Mobile, Armour Blue and Armour Desktop at the Home Office’s Security and Policing event.

Armour Comms’ solutions for secure communications work on everyday smartphones, tablets and Windows 10 desktops. With the same usability as consumer-grade apps, and  with significantly enhanced security, Armour Mobile supports voice calls, video calls, one-to-one and group messaging, voice and video conference calls, file attachments and sent/received/read message status. Message Burn limits the lifespan of sensitive data at rest, where users can set a time at which their messages are automatically deleted (or as the name implies, ‘burn’) on the recipient’s device, for immediate action after being read, or in the future, according to confidentiality.

Armour will be showing a technology preview of the latest version of Armour Blue which  includes Mission Critical Push to Talk (MCPTT) functionality that meets the requirements of public safety mission critical voice communication.

The latest version of Armour Desktop extends the secure mobile communications capabilities of Armour Mobile and Armour Blue via a Windows 10 softphone, and, can bring additional Command and Control capabilities.

In 2018, Armour successfully participated in a week of plug-testing for (MCPTT) protocols organised by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) and The Critical Communications Association (TCCA) in Texas. The protocols are fully integrated into the Armour Blue solution and supports different use cases including emergency and blue light, police and law enforcement, covert ops and others.

David Holman, Director at Armour Comms commented; “At Armour we are committed to developing and delivering highly usable, secure communications solutions that are equally suitable for use by the Enterprise, as well as the more security conscious organisations such as Government departments, Police and Law Enforcement and Special Services.”

Using a FIPS 140-2 validated crypto core, Armour Mobile has been awarded many other certifications including CPA (Commercial Product Assurance) from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and is included in the NATO Information Assurance catalogue.

Partnership with Nine23 provides users with easy to use, secure transparent communications and messaging while protecting enterprise data

London, 26 February 2019: Armour Communications, a leading provider of specialist, secure communications solutions, has announced that its solutions, Armour Mobile and Armour Desktop are now available on Nine23’s certified enterprise management platform, FLEX.  Armour Comms’ solutions will be offered via Nine23’s FLEX platform, which is accredited to handle information up to OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE, enabling enterprise users to securely use mobile, tablet, and laptop devices from any operating system including iOS, Android and Windows10.

Stuart McKean CEO of Nine23 said; “At Nine23 we work with Enterprise clients that operate in highly regulated environments and regard secure communications as necessary for everyday operations. They often have significant members of staff who need to be able to rely on a robust, secure environment to meet the needs of today’s modern mobile or remote working.

“Our proposition is to make it easy for users to access the technology that they need to do a day’s work. If it isn’t easy then they will go elsewhere, creating a potential security vulnerability. Armour Comms’ solutions offer the strength of security that our clients demand, while still being designed with the end user in mind. Platform FLEX is already accredited to connect to the PSN as a gateway provider and Armour’s technology adds value to our platform offering.” 

With its focus on interoperability Armour Mobile was the first secure communications app to connect to Skype for Business. Nine23’s FLEX platform also meets the entire management and audit requirements for Unified endpoint Management (UEM), App Store, Content Management and secure endpoint hosting.

David Holman, Director at Armour Comms commented; “Nine23 is an established provider of a secure cloud environment that enables enterprise mobility to a high security standard. Armour Comm’s partnership with Nine23 is an ideal way for enterprise end users, inside and external to an organisation, to communicate transparently within a secure and private, hosted environment. Our solutions are intuitive and easy to use and together with Nine23’s enterprise cloud platform provide a secure, robust platform for ultimate control of communications and associated meta data.”

Armour Comms Survey highlights alarming lack of awareness around mobile security

London, 29 January 2019: Armour Communications, a leading provider of specialist, secure communications solutions, has published the results from its Mobile Communications Survey. The findings revealed that a third (32%) of organisations use consumer grade apps such as WhatsApp, SMS and Skype for business communications.  Over two thirds (68%) use these apps regularly every day and over a third (36%) use the apps to discuss sensitive and confidential topics.

The Survey also asked respondents to select from a list of different well known technologies, hacks and viruses which could be used to target mobile phones – nearly half (44%) answered incorrectly.

David Holman, Director at Armour Comms commented; “We see stories in the press on a regular basis about data leakage, sensitive customer data that is hacked by criminals, and yet, for most organisations managing how their staff are using their mobile phones remains a challenge. Consumer-grade apps, where the user has little control of what happens to their data, are often downloaded and used within organisations for sharing sensitive information, almost by stealth, because the IT/security department has no visibility of the apps being used.”

While viruses and malware on mobile phones are rare, tools for eavesdropping, such as IMSI catchers are increasingly within the reach of criminals that want to spy on others. Accordingly to the latest research by Ponemon, organisations have a nearly 28% chance of having a data breach in the next two years. In another report, social engineering is involved in over 90% of data breaches, where people are tricked into doing something, like clicking a link or providing data, to someone impersonating someone else.

Another pitfall for the unwary mobile user is WiFi which is often not as secure as people assume. All of these type of attacks are particularly easy to do with mobile phones where standard network encryption can be poor to non-existent, due to outdated infrastructure that is in parts well over 40 years old and probably no longer fit for purpose. This makes interception of mobile calls and messages much easier than it should be, and the user would be totally unaware until it was too late.

“In our experience end-users don’t deliberately put data at risk, they simply want to get on with their work, and extra security can cause an issue. The results from this survey highlight the fact that many organisations are unaware of the pitfalls of using consumer grade-apps for handling sensitive corporate information, whether that is intellectual property and trade secrets, customer information, or details of commercial transactions.”

Olympia, 28 – 29 November 2018, Stand H10

CTO of Armour Comms addresses the key challenges and how to mitigate risks in the event of a cyberattack in Surveillance, Comms and Data tech workshop

London, 22 November 2018: Armour Communications, a leading provider of specialist, secure communications solutions, has announced that it will be showcasing its latest version of Armour Mobile in the Cyber Intelligence Zone at this year’s International Security Expo on 28-29^th November, at Olympia, stand H10. The Zone, which features the TechUK Pavilion, provides a platform for suppliers to demonstrate both physical & IT integration, including connected security devices and IOT, to counter the increasing threat of cyber-attacks. Armour Comms will be demonstrating its technology for secure communications solutions for voice, video, messaging and data on everyday smartphones, tablets and Windows 10 desktops. The latest version of Armour Mobile includes Mission Critical Push to Talk (MCPTT) – functionality that meets the requirements of public safety mission critical voice communication – and Message Burn, which limits the lifespan of confidential data with immediate or timed deletion.

On the second day of the event, Andy Lilly, CTO at Armour Comms, will be presenting in the Surveillance, Comms and Data technology workshop (Theatre 4, 14:55 – 15:10). His talk entitled; “Who you gonna call?” will cover the key challenges of secure communication, he will explain how ‘encrypted’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘secure’ and the importance of where metadata is stored.

“This event is a great opportunity to meet with IT and security leaders to discuss ways companies can mitigate the risks in the event of cyber attacks. It’s important for organisations to include in their recovery plan how they will communicate to restore operations and mitigate future risks without using the compromised platform.

“By protecting the communications of the IT and digital forensics team and using a secure communications platform, such as Armour Mobile, companies can block a useful source of information from being intercepted or modified by the hackers, helping faster recovery and minimising the risk and damage of a security breach,” said Lilly.

Attendees on Armour’s stand will also be able to participate in their latest industry survey (https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/ArmourCommsAutumnSurvey), designed to capture information on the apps and services that organisations are using for secure communications. All responses submitted will have the opportunity to win a DJI Smart camera drone.

Armour recently successfully participated in a week of plugtesting for (MCPTT) protocols organised by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) and The Critical Communications Association (TCCA) in Texas. The protocols are fully integrated into the Armour Blue solution and supports different use cases including emergency and blue light, police and law enforcement, covert ops and others. Message Burn limits the lifespan of sensitive data at rest, where users can set a time at which their messages are automatically deleted (or as the name implies, ‘burn’) on the recipient’s device, for immediate action after being read, or in the future, according to confidentiality.

Secure mobile communication solution, Armour Blue, successfully demonstrated interoperability at Global Plugtest for mission critical services (MCX)

London, 18 July 2018: Armour Communications, a leading provider of specialist, secure communications solutions, has successfully participated in a week of plugtesting organised by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) and The Critical Communications Association (TCCA) in Texas. The capabilities of Mission Critical voice, video and data were put to the test during a week-long event of intensive testing of more than 300 combinations of vendors and equipment.

The second ETSI MCPTT Plugtests attracted a total of 31 vendors with 120 participants on site, plus support from remote labs. Observers from nine organizations based in the UK, France and the USA witnessed the execution of more than 2000 tests, based on a test plan with more than 100 test cases, with a 92 per cent success rate.

Armour Comms participated in testing for the 3GPP Release 14 Mission-Critical Push-To-Talk (MCPTT) protocols, which are fully integrated into the Armour Blue solution and supports different use cases including emergency and blue light, police and law enforcement, covert ops, and others.

“Interoperability is a crucial factor in the success of developing mission critical services and products,” commented David Holman, director at Armour Communications. “At Armour Comms our objective is to provide the most flexible secure communications platform and we are fully committed to working with the critical communications community to achieve a single, interoperable, global standard for our customers.”

Providing the same great user experience as Armour Mobile, Armour Blue enables operatives in the field to collaborate securely with each other and to communicate with colleagues back at base via the Armour Blue Dashboard. Calls can be managed centrally to determine priority, enabling a more streamlined approach when handling emergency situations.

The solution delivers a comprehensive range of communications features which include secure voice and video calls, one-to-one and group messaging, voice and video conference calls, file attachments and sent/received/read message status.  When switched to Armour Blue mode, users have a direct channel, always-on audio radio, where they do not need to dial a number to speak to others in the group.

Armour Blue is available for commercial off the shelf (COTS) devices which means there is no requirement for a ‘special’ phone, making deployment easier and more cost effective, and providing a greater level of anonymity for those in the field.  Using a FIPS 140-2 validated crypto core, Armour Mobile has been awarded many other certifications including Commercial Product Assurance (CPA) from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and is included in the NATO Information Assurance catalogue.

Interested in Armour Blue? Contact our sales team today.                sales@armourcomms.com