Silent Circle is a leading provider of secure enterprise communication solutions, designed to protect and encrypt various forms of communication for businesses, NGOs, and governments worldwide.
What Silent Circle Does
Silent Circle offers a suite of encrypted communication services that ensure end-to-end security for voice, video, messaging, file sharing, and conference calling. This platform is tailored to address the critical need for secure mobile communications, particularly in environments where data security is paramount.
Key Features and Functionality
Encrypted Communications
- Silent Phone: This app enables users to make end-to-end encrypted voice and video calls, as well as send encrypted text messages and files. Calls and messages are protected by ZRTP (Zimmermann Real-time Transport Protocol) for reliable peer-to-peer key management, ensuring that communications remain secure and inaccessible to third parties.
Self-Destruct Messages and Files
- Messages and files can be set to automatically delete from both the sending and receiving devices after a specified period, ranging from one minute to 90 days. This feature, known as the “Burn Notice,” adds an extra layer of security by permanently deleting sensitive information.
Secure File Sharing and Voice Memos
- Users can securely share files up to 100MB and send voice memos, providing a secure alternative to traditional voicemail. Group messaging is also supported, allowing seamless communication and file sharing within groups.
Conference Calling and Video Conferencing
- Silent Phone supports conference calls with up to six users, all of which are encrypted and secure. Users can easily switch between voice and video calls, and manage conference calls by adding or removing participants in real-time.
Silent World and Out-Circle Access
- The Silent World feature allows users to make encrypted calls to non-Silent Circle subscribers, including mobile and landline numbers, with the calls being routed through Silent Circle’s secure servers. This ensures that even calls outside the Silent Circle network remain encrypted.
Management and Deployment
- Silent Manager: This browser-based console allows administrators to centrally manage and deploy Silent Circle services across their organization. It provides continuous visibility over available, assigned, and utilized licenses, and enables the delegation of account management to team administrators. Administrators can add, remove, and manage user accounts, as well as assign users to specific groups or “circles”.
Additional Security Features
- Short Authentication String (SAS): This feature provides an extra layer of assurance against man-in-the-middle attacks by verifying a shared authentication string between the caller and recipient.
- No Backdoor Policy: Silent Circle maintains a strict no backdoor policy, ensuring that encryption keys remain in the hands of the users and are not accessible to Silent Circle or any other third party.
Compatibility and Accessibility
- Silent Circle services are compatible with both iOS and Android devices and can be used over Wi-Fi or mobile data networks. While the primary interface is through mobile apps, some features like Silent Eyes extend encrypted VoIP audio and video calls to laptops and desktops.
In summary, Silent Circle provides a comprehensive suite of secure communication tools that are designed to meet the stringent security requirements of enterprises, ensuring that all forms of communication remain encrypted, secure, and protected from interception or hacking attempts.