KoolSpan Inc., developer of the TrustChip family of plug-in mobile security solutions, has announced availability of TrustChip for iPhone. The company says the product offers the first ever hardware-based encryption for voice on iPhone.

KoolSpan’s TrustChip is a fully hardened, self-contained security engine. The TrustChip fits into a slim, custom-designed TrustSleeve for the iPhone 4 and 4S. It acts as an adaptor between the TrustChip and iPhone. It contains a separate 1200 mAh battery pack. This purportedly provides users with extended battery life of up to 12 hours of talk or 13.5 hours of Internet use.

With the TrustSleeve attached, users can place mutually authenticated and fully encrypted phone calls with KoolSpan’s TrustCall application. TrustCall is a secure voice application based on commercial, off-the-shelf (COTS) technology.

"With no other hardware-based voice encryption for iPhone on the market, TrustChip and TrustCall provide a critical security solution," saysBill Supernor, chief technology officer of KoolSpan. "A recent National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) report stated federal users should implement hardware-based encryption because it’s more secure. iPhone users can now access and discuss sensitive information in a mobile environment without compromising security."

The TrustChip is deployed in its own optimized hardware environment and remains insulated from threats that can reside in mobile devices and other platforms. This self-contained structure ensures that the phone is protected against attacks made on the host device, as well as across network connections, according to Supernor. The TrustChip provides on-chip key management, authentication, and encryption key generation to provide a hardware-anchor to TrustChip-aware applications.

The TrustChip can be removed from one device and placed in another --transferring mobile security from phone to phone. Alternatively, it can be bound to a single device, rendering it unusable on any other.

Once in place, the TrustCall application runs without user interaction. It automatically accesses the TrustChip’s security services and provides a security status when calling another secure smartphone. The application remains idle when calls are placed to non-secure phones.

KoolSpan is currently developing an iPhone 5 solution that will be available this spring. For more information go to http://www.koolspan.com/iphonesecurity .