Kamis, 20 Februari 2020

Trump's Beautiful Oval Purpose Phones As Well As What Was Changed On Them

(Updated: Dec 25, 2017)

On Jan 20, human of affairs Donald J. Trump became the 45th president of the United States. In the Oval Office he constitute telephone sets for both secure as well as non-secure calls, which were installed nether his predecessor Barack Obama. Trump called them "beautiful phones", but nonetheless some small-scale changes were made, plainly to meliorate tally the paradigm that he wants to acquaint of himself.

As Trump continued twittering there's speculation whether he soundless uses his really unsecure quondam Samsung Milky Way due south III or a novel telephone that has been properly secured. At the 2nd this isn't clear, too because at that spot are no photos yet showing Trump using a smartphone every bit president. This number volition endure discussed when to a greater extent than information becomes available.



President Trump signing an executive order, amongst the modified Cisco 8841 IP Phone
as well as the older Cisco 7975 IP Phone amongst expansion module. Jan 24, 2017.
The wooden box amongst presidential seal is an emergency telephone phone device.


As nosotros tin reckon inward this picture, at that spot are the next telephone sets on the president's desk inward the Oval Office:

- On the left: a novel Cisco 8841 IP phone, which is portion of the internal White House telephone network as well as tin endure used for all non-secure calls. This network was modernized since 2015, but the telephone was non placed on the president's desk until belatedly 2016.
On the dorsum of this telephone is a dark metallic box as well as on the front end panel there's an extra cerise button, both of which are modifications past times Advanced Programs, Inc. (API) inward companionship to come across Telephone Security Group (TSG) standards, including on-hook safety for the handset as well as the speakerphone as well as in all probability too for TEMPEST protection.
These modifications are to brand certain that the telephone cannot past times whatsoever agency endure caused to hit or transmit good when the handset is on-hook - whether accidental or deliberate. It's non for securing the calls past times agency of encryption.

Update:
As noticed on reddit, this Cisco IP telephone may non endure an 8841, but an 8851 or 8861, which have a USB port as well as a connectedness for a Key Expansion Module (KEM) on the correct side of the phone. H5N1 unopen hold back at the photos seem to present that ane of the anti-tamper labels covers these extra ports that the 8841 doesn't have:


Close-up of the box attached to the Cisco 8841
(click to enlarge)

- On the right: an older Cisco 7975G Unified IP Phone amongst expansion module 7916, which is for the highly secure Executive Voice over Secure IP-network connecting the president to all major determination makers, similar the secretaries of State, Defense as well as Homeland Security, the Director of National Intelligence as well as move past times armed forces officials.
This telephone network became operational inward 2006 or 2007, but this particular telephone is on the president's desk exclusively since early on 2011. Elsewhere, these phones ordinarily have got a brilliant yellowish bezel or faceplate instead of the measure argent one, indicating they may endure used for conversations upwardly to the degree of Top Secret/SCI.


Based upon the photos that have got been published, president Trump used the non-secure telephone for calls amongst High German chancellor Merkel as well as Saudi Arabia's manful individual monarch Salman, piece the secure ane was used for telephone calls amongst Russian president Putin as well as Australian prime number government minister Turnbull. This agency that these latter heads of nation have got been provided amongst the necessary encryption systems to fix a secure communication channel.


"Beautiful phones"

In an interview amongst The New York Times on Jan 25, president Trump said "These are the most beautiful phones I’ve ever used inward my life" - which may good a fleck foreign every bit both are regular models for direction as well as executive positions inward large businesses as well as organisations. In this instance it's understandable though every bit inward his Trump Tower office, there's but a mid-range Avaya/Lucent 8410 role telephone from the mid-1990s amongst a tiny monochrome display, where both phones inward the Oval Office have got large full-color screens.



The quondam Avaya/Lucent 8410 on Trump's desk inward Trump Tower,
piece using his Samsung Milky Way due south III smartphone
(click to enlarge)

Apparently referring to the Cisco 7975 for the secure Executive Network, Trump added that it is "The world’s most secure scheme - The words but explode inward the air" - a rather strange way to state that these calls are highly encrypted as well as thus impossible to intercept amongst the limited move of course of study that the words practise non dissappear inward the air but attain the other destination uninterrupted.


Small changes

All this sounds similar Trump was really happy amongst the telephone equipment he constitute inward the Oval Office, but photos from but a few days afterwards present that some changes were made to both phones on the president's desk:

- Instead of the Cisco 8841 IP telephone modified for safety reasons, there's immediately the regular commercial version of this telephone set, then without the additional box at the dorsum as well as the cerise push on the front.

- The expansion module (with 12 buttons that allow upwardly to 24 additional straight lines) of the older Cisco 7975G IP telephone has been removed:



President Trump calling Australian prime number government minister Turnbull using the Cisco 7975G IP Phone
for secure calls (without expansion module). Jan 28, 2017
(photo: Drew Angerer/Getty - click to enlarge)


With the expansion module attached, the older Cisco 7975 IP telephone was quite a large device, then in all probability Trump wanted to have got it smaller to brand room for all the paperwork he likes to have got spread out on his desk. Apparently he saw no require for having the extra straight describe buttons, in all probability because he tin ever have got a Situation Room communications officeholder connect him to anyone he wants, but it may too symbolize that there's exclusively a really small-scale number of people that he is inward contact with.

The argue for replacing the modified (and thus to a greater extent than secure) Cisco 8841 past times a regular version is to a greater extent than puzzling. It doesn't brand the device smaller, nor easier to operate. The exclusively thing is that the box on the back, the small-scale cerise push as well as the argent anti-tamper seals depict some extra attending to the device.

That doesn't good similar a really large deal, but according to a report past times The New York Times, visitors to the Oval Office said that Trump "is obsessed amongst the décor — it is both a totem of a victory that validates him every bit a serious individual as well as an image-burnishing backdrop — then he has told his staff to schedule every bit many televised events inward the room every bit possible".



President Trump speaks to Saudi Arabia's manful individual monarch Salman using
the Cisco 8841 for non-secure calls. Jan 29, 2017
Note the extra long handset cord
(photo: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters - click to enlarge)


So amongst the 2 telephones existence necessary, they had to endure every bit less distracting every bit possible: no sophisticated technical safety improvements to gaze at, every bit good every bit leaving to a greater extent than infinite for the papers - everything to focus on Trump every bit a hard working president.

The piles of paper may endure to a greater extent than suggestive than existent though: similar inward his Trump Tower office, they are non but official reports as well as memos, but too include newspapers, magazines as well as printed spider web articles, from which Trump learns the intelligence every bit he seems to have got difficulties amongst reading to a greater extent than complex texts. But the papers too piece of job rather chaotic, but similar every expression of his presidency then far.

Earlier presidents used to have got their actual paper piece of job non inward the to a greater extent than ceremonial Oval Office, but for instance inward the little-known small-scale private study correct adjacent to it. The Treaty Room inward the residence portion of the White House was too used every bit a individual study, specially during the eventide hours. President Trump notwithstanding favors watching idiot box shows, which he impulsively comments on twitter as well as seem to endure his primary root of information.

Update #1:

The next photograph from March 8, 2017, shows the White House role of deputy press secretarial assistant Sarah Huckabee Sanders. We reckon that the Cisco 8800-series IP telephone on her desk soundless has the safety modifications past times Advanced Programs, Inc. (API) which the telephone on president Trump's desk hasn't anymore:


Office of deputy press secretarial assistant Sarah Huckabee Sanders. March 8, 2017
(photo: AP Photo/Evan Vucci - click to enlarge)


Update #2:

Ultimately on March 21, 2017, the Cisco IP telephone from the 8800-series amongst the safety modifications was dorsum on the president's desk again, every bit tin endure seen inward the photos taken when Trump signed a nib for the NASA budget:


The 2 Cisco IP phones on the president's desk on March 21, 2017.
(photo: AP Photo/Evan Vucci - click to enlarge)


At the 2nd nosotros tin exclusively approximate nearly the reasons for these changes, but it's seems possible that, every bit a reader commented here, Trump "had the phones changed because he doesn't trust whatever was left around past times the previous administration" - which fits a suspected that the Israelis had penetrated as well as could brain into the (non-secure) internal White House telephone system.

Another instance of Trump's sloppiness was when Brian Krzanich, CEO of Intel, told reporters inward answer to questions nearly Russia's hacking of the Democratic party: "It's really important, if y'all have got something actually important, write it out as well as have got it delivered past times courier, the old-fashioned way because I'll tell y'all what, no figurer is safe."

Earlier, Trump said that computers "have complicated lives really greatly" as well as he himself doesn't use a figurer nor e-mail, piece his smartphone appears mainly for twitter. H5N1 large divergence amongst president Obama, who used an iPad for authorities describe organization as well as too received the President's Daily Brief on his tablet computer.

Trump notwithstanding How President Trump consumes — or does non eat — top-secret intelligence
- Time: Donald Trump After Hours
- Politico: I didn’t call back I’d ever leave of absence the CIA. But because of Trump, I quit.
- Dale Beran: 4chan: The Skeleton Key to the Rise of Trump
- API datasheet: 8841 Cisco IP Phone (pdf)

- See too the reactions on reddit

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