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Ask HN: Best encrypted messaging app atm?

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Re: Ask HN: Best encrypted messaging app atm?

#7
Security people recommend Signal a lot (e.g. https://medium.com/@thegrugq/signal-intelligence-free-for-al..., Snowden uses it and repeatedly recommended it: https://twitter.com/Snowden/status/661313394906161152, ...). Personally, I use it all the time and it's nice. Most of the initial problems have been sorted out, so I encourage anyone who's had trouble with it before to try it out again.

It has text (one-on-one and groups) and voice calls. Things that could use improvement: group management, switching to a new device. It doesn't have some of the features some people like (stickers and whatnot), but personally I don't care much about those. Video calls would also be nice.

Re: Ask HN: Best encrypted messaging app atm?

#9
I am under the impression iMessage is pretty secure and I use it extensively as most of my friends and colleagues have iPhones.

Refer to http://www.apple.com/business/docs/iOS_Security_Guide.pdf which specifies that RSA 1280-bit keypairs are used, and the private key is held on the device. So in terms of transit - the protocol should be secure.

The only remaining option would be to question whether iOS is secure/insecure.

Apple claims: "Apple does not log messages or attachments, and their contents are protected by end-to-end encryption so no one but the sender and receiver can access them. Apple cannot decrypt the data."

Re: Ask HN: Best encrypted messaging app atm?

#10
post #9

I am under the impression iMessage is pretty secure and I use it extensively as most of my friends and colleagues have iPhones. Refer to http://www.apple.com/business/docs/iOS_Security_Guide.pdf which specifies that RSA 1280-bit keypairs are used, and the private key is held on the device. So in terms of transit - the protocol should be secure. The only remaining option would be to question whether iOS is secure/inse…

The issue with iMessage is that it doesn't warn you when a contact's key changes. That opens the door for MitM attacks. Signal and WhatsApp (with a setting) do much better on that front.
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