A Smartphone That’s Unhackable?

International cyber security firm DarkMatter recently announced the commercial availability of its flagship “KATIM” phone. The Abu Dhabi-based start-up believes that the 5.2-inch display, ultra-secure encryption smartphone, which offers end-to-end protection at four levels: the phone, its OS, applications and cyber command, can deter even the most determined hackers and is secure enough for heads of state, government entities and corporations.

Cybercrimes cost global businesses between $445-$600 billion per year. In fact, this criminal activity is projected to cost a total of $8 trillion over the next 5 years, due to higher levels of inadequate enterprise wide security.

DarkMatter says that one of the Katim’s most impressive function is its “shield mode,” which securely shuts off the phone’s camera and mics, meaning they can’t be activated, remotely or otherwise, during top secret or sensitive meetings. Another feature of what DarkMatter calls the world’s ‘most secure phone,’ is that of making messages “self destruct” if data tampering is detected. The Katim Phone also offers encrypted data in transit and at rest while preventing via strong cryptographic algorithms malware and leaks of sensitive data.

“Katim allows users who require the highest level of security to communicate with confidence that their data and voice transmissions are compromised. With thousands of units in production today, Katim has quickly become the business critical communication system for users. Overall demand for Katim has grown rapidly over the past twelve months with increased interest globally.” commented Faisal Al Bannai, Founder and CEO at DarkMatter.

In terms of prices, there aren’t any ; the smartphone is expected to be available later this year. But as PCmag notes “if you’re not a government agent, an investment banker, or Brad Pitt, you probably couldn’t afford one anyway.”

DarkMatter unveiled the Android-compatible phone concept last year but made it commercially available only last month at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.