---
title: "Encryption is not scrambling: be aware of scrambler!"
url: https://infosecurity.ch/20100420/encryption-is-not-scrambling-be-aware-of-scrambler/
date: 2010-04-20
author: Fabio Pietrosanti (naif)
language: en
tags: [encryption, mobile, privacy, voicesecurity, zrtp]
---

# Encryption is not scrambling: be aware of scrambler!

Most of us know about voice scrambler that can be used across almost any kind of voice based communication technology.

Extremely flexible approach: works everything

Extreme performance: very low latency

but unfortunately…

Extremely weak: Scrambling cannot be considered secure.

Only encryption can be considered secure under the [Kerckoff’s principle](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerckhoffs'_principle) .

So please don’t even consider any kind of analog scrambler if you need real security.

Read deeply the paper [Implementation of a real-time voice encryption system](http://upcommons.upc.edu/pfc/bitstream/2099.1/4858/1/MarkusBrandau.pdf)” by Markus Brandau, especially the cryptoanalysis paragraph.