Researcher Karsten Nohl has told the Chaos Communication Conference in Berlin that he's compiled enough data to crack the encryption used for GSM calls and messages. This would enable anyone with a few hundred pounds of equipment to listen in to mobile phone calls.
It's a project he started in August, pointing out that his work is theoretical - therefore legal because he's not applied it to create a hacking device – and has been carried out to illustrate the flaws in GSM encryption. More information is expected on Wednesday when Mr Nohl demonstrates the current state of his research. [Sources: PCWorld.com; Guardian.co.uk; TheRegister.co.uk; BBC News]