New device to beat wire-tapping

If the junta's leading members are worried about foreign governments eavesdropping on their confidential calls, they can ask for help from a research team at King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang.

Assoc Prof Pitikhate Sooraksa and Asst Prof Kitdakorn Klomkarn showcased their anti-wiretapping device yesterday.

Their prototype, which is due to receive an international patent, has been funded by the Thailand Research Fund (TFR).

When connected to the fixed-line telephones of the caller and receiver, the device will convert their voices into a "complex chaotic signal" via encryption. While the callers will hear each other as normal, a wiretapping third party will hear only a hissing sound.

Pitikhate and his team from the institute's Faculty of Engineering started the project several years ago. "The device can be further tweaked to fit with mobile phones. If needed, we can morph it into a mobile-phone accessory," Pitikhate said.

When asked if Singapore could easily intercept or decode calls encrypted by their device, Pitikhate said that it might take a year and Kitdakorn was confident that a decipher would be impossible.

"I don't think our researchers are less capable than those in foreign countries and I'm confident that they cannot crack our code. As the device is part of my ongoing doctorate thesis, if they can crack ours, it means I fail the exam," Kitdakorn said.

Pitikhate said the method could be applied to encrypt the transmission of faxes or pictures.

Recently, Council for National Security chief General Sonthi Boonyaratglin voiced concern that Singapore could be listening to confidential calls after its state-linked Temasek Holdings purchased Thai telecom firm Shin Corp last year.

Both researchers said that though many foreign countries have sophisticated devices to prevent message interception, they consider them as militarily strategic and prohibit their export.

"It's important for Thailand to invent its own state-of-the-art tool," Pitikhate said.

Piyaporn Manthachitra, TRF's public relations consultant, said the fund had worked with the Thai Army on many projects but the brainchild of Pitikhate's team had not been part of them.

She said that, if requested by the government, the TRF could include the device's development in its military project.

Pitikhate said several international inventors had used a similar technique of a chaotic signal to encrypt messages but with different application methods.

Sirivish Toomgum

Thailand News
The Nation Thailand
Friday January 26, 2007