Ciphr

Ciphr was a secure communications company that produced encrypted phones and related messaging applications. Its products were built around Android software and were marketed as privacy-focused communications tools. Public reporting and the company’s Wikipedia entry associate Ciphr with customers involved in organized criminal activity, including groups engaged in large-scale narcotics trafficking. This association placed Ciphr within a wider market of encrypted-device providers whose services were used by both privacy-conscious customers and illicit networks. The company operated in several markets, including Australia and the United States, although the available public record does not establish a complete corporate footprint or a verified headquarters. In September 2021, following the closure of the encrypted-communications network AN0M, Ciphr closed its operations in Australia. A report cited by Vice also stated that the company had stopped operating in the United States, but the report did not provide conclusive evidence for that claim. Ciphr’s business model relied in part on resellers. In 2022, the company changed that model as it sought to distance itself from problematic customers and respond to law-enforcement actions against comparable encrypted-phone businesses serving black-market users. Under the revised arrangement, resellers assumed more responsibility for distributing Ciphr’s encryption technology and managing the customer relationship. The change did not resolve the company’s commercial and legal difficulties. Ciphr later announced that it would cease operations after resellers reportedly declined to sell its products because of the legal liability they believed they might assume. The brand’s later development included an attempt to move beyond the criminally associated secure-phone market. In 2023, OnyxCorp, identified as the company behind the Ciphr application, announced a beta test for Mode, an application intended for enterprise use. The available sources do not establish whether Mode became a commercial product or whether Ciphr itself continued operating under another structure. Ciphr is therefore best understood as a secure-messaging brand whose public history was shaped by encrypted-device technology, reseller distribution, criminal misuse allegations, law-enforcement pressure, and an attempted transition toward enterprise communications.

Ciphr emerged as a secure-messaging company producing encrypted phones and applications running on Android. Its offering belonged to a specialized market in which vendors attempted to provide communications channels designed to limit surveillance and protect user privacy. The available sources do not document the company’s founding date, founders, ownership history, headquarters, or detailed technical architecture. Ciphr’s public reputation was strongly affected by the reported behavior of its users. The company was used heavily by criminal groups, including organizations involved in the movement of substantial quantities of illegal narcotics. A former distributor of another encrypted-phone provider described a meeting with Ciphr representatives in highly intimidating terms, illustrating the company’s association in public reporting with the clandestine encrypted-device trade. These accounts do not establish that Ciphr itself was convicted of criminal conduct, but they explain why the brand became part of law-enforcement scrutiny surrounding secure-phone businesses. A significant turning point came in September 2021, when Ciphr closed its Australian operations following the closure of AN0M. A separate report cited by Vice claimed that Ciphr had also stopped operating in the United States, although the available account did not provide evidence sufficient to verify that development. The Australian closure reflected the broader disruption affecting encrypted communications services after major law-enforcement interventions in the sector. In 2022, Ciphr altered its reseller business model. The stated purpose was to improve the company’s customer base after a series of law-enforcement actions against similar providers that had catered to black-market users. The revised model shifted greater responsibility for Ciphr’s encryption technology and distribution to resellers. This approach appears to have been intended to create distance between the central company and end users, while making distributors responsible for aspects of customer management and legal exposure. The change was not sustainable. Ciphr subsequently announced that it would cease operations after resellers declined to sell its products because they believed distribution could expose them to legal liability. This announcement marked the apparent end of the brand’s original encrypted-phone business, although the sources do not clearly state whether every corporate entity or related application disappeared at the same time. In 2023, OnyxCorp, identified as the company behind the Ciphr application, announced a beta test for Mode. Mode was intended for enterprise applications, suggesting an effort to redirect the underlying communications technology toward legitimate business customers and away from the black-market associations that had damaged Ciphr’s reputation. The available sources do not confirm Mode’s commercial launch, adoption, or relationship to any continuing Ciphr operations. Ciphr’s documented history therefore ends with an uncertain corporate status and an incomplete transition from encrypted phones for a controversial user base toward enterprise software.

1. 2023Mode enterprise beta announced

   OnyxCorp announced a beta test of Mode, an application intended for enterprise use and representing a possible repositioning of the technology.

   Source
2. 2022Reseller model is revised

   The company changed its reseller structure as it attempted to clean up its client base and reduce exposure created by the encrypted-phone market’s association with criminal users.

   Source
3. 2022Operations are scheduled to cease

   Ciphr announced that it would cease operations after resellers reportedly declined to distribute its products because of perceived legal liability.

   Source
4. 2021Australian operations close

   Ciphr closed its operations in Australia in September following the closure of AN0M.

   Source

Privacy-focused and secure communications technology, later accompanied by an attempted repositioning toward enterprise applications.

• Ciphr encrypted phonesEncrypted mobile devices

  Ciphr produced encrypted phones designed to provide secure communications. The devices used Android software and were distributed through a reseller network. Public reporting associates the phones with substantial use by criminal groups, particularly narcotics-trafficking organizations.

• Ciphr applicationsSecure messaging software

  The company provided secure communications applications running on Android. The available sources do not specify the full product range, encryption protocol, feature set, or technical specifications.

• ModeEnterprise application2023

  Mode was announced in 2023 by OnyxCorp, described as the company behind the Ciphr app. It entered beta testing with an intended enterprise focus. The available sources do not confirm a public launch or continuing availability.

• 2023Introduce Mode for enterprise useProduct launch

  Following the deterioration of the original encrypted-phone business, OnyxCorp sought an enterprise-oriented application direction.

  What changed. OnyxCorp announced a beta test of Mode, intended for enterprise applications.

  Aftermath. The available sources do not establish whether Mode proceeded to a full commercial launch.

  Source
• 2022Shift responsibility to resellersStrategy

  Ciphr faced pressure after law-enforcement actions against comparable encrypted-phone companies and sought to improve the quality of its customer base.

  What changed. The company changed its reseller business model and shifted greater responsibility for its encryption technology and customer relationships to distributors.

  Aftermath. Resellers reportedly refused to sell Ciphr products because of perceived legal liability, after which Ciphr announced that it would cease operations.

  Source

• Association with criminal encrypted-phone usersControversy

  Ciphr was reportedly used heavily by criminal groups, including organizations involved in large-scale narcotics smuggling. This association contributed to law-enforcement and commercial pressure on the company and its reseller network.

  Source

• 2023OnyxCorp announces Mode beta for enterprise applications

  OnyxCorp, described as the company behind the Ciphr app, announced a beta test of Mode, an application intended for enterprise use.

  Product launch
  Source
• 2022Ciphr changes its reseller business model

  Ciphr changed its reseller model in an effort to clean up its customer base and respond to legal and law-enforcement pressure affecting encrypted-phone providers associated with black-market users.

  Regulation
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• 2022Ciphr announces plans to cease operations

  The company later announced that it would cease operations after resellers reportedly refused to distribute Ciphr products because of perceived legal liability.

  BankruptcyOther
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• 2021Ciphr closes Australian operations after AN0M shutdown

  In September 2021, Ciphr closed its operations in Australia after the closure of the encrypted communications network AN0M.

  Other
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1. Ciphr