Most ‘secure’ phones focus on protecting the communication itself: encrypted chats, hardened operating systems and strong authentication. But an adversary does not necessarily need to read your messages. They only need to know who you are and where you are. That broader perspective on digital and physical security is also why HSD supports this initiative as an endorsing partner.
In many cases, the most logical starting point is simply a phone number. From there, an adversary can attempt to link that number to the network identities of a device and use those identifiers to track it over time. If the phone number or mobile identity is not yet known, an adversary operating in the vicinity of the target can use equipment such as an IMSI catcher to identify the device locally.
Once a device has been identified, repeated observations can be correlated to build a movement pattern. That pattern can reveal where someone is going, when they arrive, and potentially where they are most vulnerable:
- A phone number leads to an identity.
- An identity becomes a pattern.
- A pattern becomes a location.
- A location becomes an opportunity to strike.
This can mean that someone is compromised or intercepted, or that the ideal place and moment for a targeted physical attack can be identified, without ever having to break the encryption.
Addressing the tracking chain
This is the problem ARMA Instruments was founded to solve. ARMA Instruments is a Dutch deep-tech company developing sovereign, secure communications based on zero-trust principles. Its mission is to provide absolute security for communications and data, with transparency in both organisation and technology, and political neutrality as a guiding principle.
The ARMA G1 Mark III is a purpose-built secure phone for messaging and voice communications. It offers:
- No messaging servers
- No call servers
- Post-quantum cryptography
- Dedicated secure hardware
There is no central infrastructure to intercept and no central point to compromise.
Dynamic Identity™
Dynamic Identity™ is at the heart of the ARMA G1’s approach. The G1 can dynamically change its mobile network identity, including its IMSI and equipment identity, while communication continues uninterrupted. Instead of exposing a single, permanent mobile identity that an adversary can track over an extended period of time, Dynamic Identity™ is designed to break the correlation between successive observations.
Break the identity and you break the tracking chain. Break the tracking chain and targeting becomes significantly more difficult.
Live demonstration during Cybersecurity Week The Hague
On 8 October, ARMA Instruments will demonstrate this principle live. At Marinevliegkamp Valkenburg / Unmanned Valley, during Cyber Security Week The Hague, three operators with three devices will be exposed to a full red-team attack chain:
- Identity capture — identifying the devices and their mobile network identities
- Infection attempt — attempting to compromise the endpoint
- Tracking & correlation — turning repeated observations into a movement pattern
- Physical targeting — using that information to select and identify a physical target with a drone
The demonstration will show how a conventional, permanent mobile identity can be identified, captured and correlated until it can ultimately be traced back to a physical target. ARMA Instruments will then demonstrate how the ARMA G1 attempts to break that chain.
Programme
The programme also includes keynotes, the official ARMA launch, presentations from partners, and showcases of the U-Series and ARMA Messenger, followed by lunch.
Date: Thursday 8 October 2026
Time: 11:00–14:00 CET
Location: Marinevliegkamp Valkenburg / Unmanned Valley, Katwijk
Interested in attending? Register here!
This event is organised in collaboration with Security Delta (HSD), Cyber Security Week The Hague and InnovationQuarter.