The Hacking at Random (HAR) conference earlier this month included a presentation from security researcher and hardware hacker Karsten Nohl, who explained how the A5/1 GSM cell phone encryption could be broken. He reckons he’ll be able to crack it within the next six to twelve months with help from just 80 people connecting their PCs to an online network. If – or when – he succeeds, it means pretty much anyone will be able to add a £300 radio card to their laptop and listen in to GSM mobile phone calls. [HAR presentation (pdf); press release via RealWire]