ESD America
A New Dimension in Crypto-Communication

For centuries, communication has been one of the key aspects in determining the efficiency of any business or as an accessory for expansion in every vertical. That said, communication holds equal significance in the law enforcement sector. In today’s digital age, security and reliability in communication are critical components for effective dialogue, efficient management, and an organized infrastructure. However, a vast majority of crypto-communication solutions engineered for the law enforcement sector still rely on apps installed in standard commercial devices for secure communications. With cyber attacks perpetually evolving and hackers stepping up their game, relying on apps for secure communications does not suffice. What law enforcers need is 360-degree security of voice and text communications, which can be guaranteed with custom firmware and software installed on their devices itself. This is precisely what ESD America brings to the table.

Founded on the US soil in 2006, ESD America embarked on a mission to support the US government customers with technical surveillance countermeasures including bug detection, and debugging solutions for mobile devices. Fast forward to today, the company proffers encrypted telephones and electronic surveillance detection equipment—powered by anti-surveillance technology—for law enforcement, military, central government, and telecommunications sectors across the US. With a primary focus on securing voice communications on mobile devices, ESD America eliminates pole interceptions and monitoring by third parties. The company achieves this objective by performing crypto-communication through the clients’ private server infrastructures while retaining the use of commercially available SIM cards in the mobile devices. “We help government agencies and congressional members understand the emerging threats against telecommunications, and actively conduct research and development projects to mitigate them,” states Les Goldsmith, CEO of ESD America.

The clients can enjoy complete flexibility of connecting their existing office phone services with ESD America’s cryptophone CP600 via PDX Gateway to accommodate encrypted calls to an office. The CP600 combined with a firewall can detect and pinpoint attacks. Along with desktop phones and phonebooks, ESD America allows organization administrators to disable a device if lost, set permissions for calling, and update contacts for all their employees in the field. ESD America renovates the push to talk (PTT) segment with its next-gen serverless product and application— Echo PTT. The product allows P25 two-way radio users to communicate with individual personnel or small teams via their smartphones without an internet connection.

The company goes the extra mile with yet another innovative product designed for command centers, search & rescue operations, or emergencies like flood relief or hurricane recovery, the Mobile Broadband Kit (MBK). ESD America’s MBK, as Goldsmith describes, is a cellular hotspot on steroids that utilizes a SIM card to provide internet connectivity for up to 50 users within a 900 feet radius for 12 hours. One of ESD America’s client’s required internet connectivity for their PTT application. On utilizing ESD America’s Echo PTT in the multicast mode, the MBK, and a single router, the client could establish a secure Wi- Fi connection that allowed their users to operate beyond traditional cellular and Wi-Fi coverage.

Broadening their focus beyond improved communications security, ESD America possesses the only patented baseband firewall that constantly monitors cellular connections, and restricts modification of firmware on the cryptophone. “We monitor over 64 different parameters to protect our cryptophone’s radio stack against over the air attacks,” explains Goldsmith. Moreover, ESD America boasts an impregnable FIPS 140-2 certified encryption and a common criterion recognized platform with hardware from trusted sources. The company is all set to launch its new product—Virtower— to assist border patrols and government agencies detect illegally operating aircraft, and keep the airspace safe.