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It’s common knowledge in the cryptocurrency community that storing Bitcoin on a mobile device is a bad idea. Sophisticated hackers have come up with increasingly elaborate methods to compromise the security of mobile phones and once inside, it’s no challenge for them to export private keys and drain wallets. The brains behind SikurPhone believe they’ve created a device secure enough to make these concerns a thing of the past, however.
SikurPhone: Secure Enough for the Crypto Generation?
The device that launched earlier today has been built with security in mind. Known as the SikurPhone, it features a built-in digital currency wallet and various features to heighten its security in an age of increasing hacker sophistication.
The phone itself is based on a custom version of Android version 7.0. In terms of the device’s specification, it’s unlikely to impress those who are used to the highest end mobile phones around though. It features a 5.5-inch Full HD screen, a MediaTek MT6750 processor, 4GB of Ram, 64GB of storage, a 2,800mAh battery, and a 13-megapixel camera. Hardly groundbreaking stuff.
However, the SikurPhone isn’t designed for the average user. Despite being an Android device, it lacks access to the Play Store and will not run applications that have not been pre-approved by Sikur. It has a stripped-back, professional look to it that should appeal to the target market of business and government users stated on the company website.
The Chief Operating Officer of Sikur, Alexandre Vascncelos, spoke to a reporter from Mashable at Barcelona’s Mobile World Congress about the enhanced security features of the device:
“If you lose your phone, we can remotely wipe it for you. You can get a new one, log in, and your funds will be safe, as your private keys are stored in our cloud.”
Alarm bells should be sounding in the heads of our savvier readers about now. Did he say “stored in our cloud”? Surely that presents the same security risks as leaving cryptocurrency at any exchange and therefore at the mercy of hackers.
Vasconcelos feels otherwise, however. Sikur have recently hired a team of friendly hackers to try and compromise their security. HackerOne, as the company are known, “were unable to penetrate [Sikur’s] defenses.”
The SikurPhone isn’t the only mobile device targeting the cryptocurrency and other security conscious markets. Last year, Sirin Labs launched the Finney smartphone. It represents the first in the company’s line of blockchain-based consumer devices.
The SikurPhone can be pre-ordered now and is expected to ship in August. It’s priced at $799. The company accept payments via BitPay and PayPal.
