How to Encrypt Your Telephone Calls

Encrypted phone conversations have previously been only in the domain of CIA and FBI spooks and terrorists in the movies. Believe it or not, you can now get in on the action, too, thanks to Voice Over IP technology and Zfone, a product from Phil Zimmermann, best known as the creator of the PGP encryption tool.

Wired News recently took the Zfone beta for a spin and found it worked extremely well. Zfone rides atop one of several VOIP clients you run on your computer, including X-lite, Free World Dialup and Gizmo Project.

Market dominator Skype already has encryption built in, but this has come under fire for not being open source, which security pros dislike because it can't be properly tested for vulnerabilities, and it's already allegedly been hacked.

VOIP is fun, but the fact that it's on the Internet means you're very vulnerable to eavesdropping along the way. (A typical call might make 20 "bounces" through various servers before it reaches its destination.) If you have anything private to discuss, be it business-related or personal, you should seriously consider encryption. Give Zfone a whirl if you use one of these clients!