Trump reportedly uses unsecured phone lines. Cybersecurity experts explain why those are 'so easy to hack it's scary.'

Encrypted phones have been the standard for top-ranking government officials dating back to World War II, when extensive technology was employed to protect against wiretapping.

Advertisement

Phone encryption became much less expensive with the advent of the internet. Most encrypted phone lines now use software called "voice over internet protocol" to shield against spying.

Advertisement

However, most standard phone services, including calls and texts, are "basically wide open," according to Heid: "It's unencrypted data stream that's broadcast over the airways."

"Hackers are constantly hacking telecom carriers," according to Heid. "In some cases, it's as simple as walking into a cell phone tower, plugging in a laptop, and downloading everything."

Advertisement

There are now a range of smartphone apps that provide encrypted calls and messaging services, including Signal, Wickr, and WhatsApp. The latter is used intermittently by White House officials, according to The Washington Post.

The primary reason that people opt to use unsecured rather than encrypted phone services is because of convenience. "There's always that trade-off between encryption and ease of use," Heid said.

Advertisement

There have been several instances of targeted phone hacking in the past year alone. One tactic, known as SIM swapping, involves fraudulently convincing a mobile carrier to transfer control of a phone number to a hacker's device.

"Mobile security is something that the government is still struggling to prioritize," Todt said. "Given the use of smartphones across business and government use, we've got to figure it out."

Advertisement