Security

TETRA has been designed from the start to provide the highest possible level of security and protection of information.

TETRA networks are protected from any attempts of malicious access through cloned user identity thanks to very effective user authentication mechanisms, which can also be made mutual in order to protect user identities and related authentication keys from any device pretending to operate as a TETRA Base Station.

TETRA offers overlapping Air Interface and End-to-End encryption schemes: the former ciphering signaling (inclusive of user identities) and traffic information on the radio link between terminals and Base Stations, the latter encrypting traffic information (e.g. voice) from one communication end point to the other.

All authentication and encryption algorithms provide an extreme level of security as well as the procedures for the management of related security material (i.e. authentication and encryption keys). These are stored in network databases and radio terminals according to safe and interoperable procedures adopting standardised data formats as agreed between manufacturers and users within TCCA’s Security and Fraud Prevention Group (SFPG).

Finally TETRA provides radio terminal disable facilities, which allows to deactivate a stolen or lost radio either temporarily (radio stun) or permanently (radio kill).