Security News > 2023 > November > Bug hunters on your marks: TETRA radio encryption algorithms to enter public domain
A set of encryption algorithms used to secure emergency radio communications will enter the public domain after an about-face by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute.
The algorithms are used by TETRA - short for the Terrestrial Trunked Radio protocol - and they are operated by governments, law enforcement, military and emergency services organizations in Europe, the UK, and other countries.
The bugs - and the secrecy of the algos themselves - sparked outrage in the security community, which pointed out that proprietary encryption algorithms mean third-party researchers couldn't test code, making it harder to detect bugs and defend networks.
The technical committee in charge of the TETRA standard met in October to discuss making the secret algorithms public.
The standards org hasn't set a date for making the algorithms accessible, ETSI spokesperson Claire Boyer told The Register.
The researchers said they waited a year and a half to disclose details - instead of the standard six-month wait - due to the sensitive nature of the networks and the complexity of fixes for the flaws, which were named TETRA:BURST. In 2022 ETSI added three new and supposedly quantum-proof algorithms to the TETRA family, dubbed TEA 5, 6, and 7.