Live data from Hacker News

FBI used iPhone notification data to retrieve deleted Signal messages

9to5mac.com

271–280 of 322 posts

Re: FBI used iPhone notification data to retrieve deleted Signal messages

#271
post #227

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unfortunately, users don’t want to learn. They want the app to do what they want. Anything involving learning is likely to get an instant “screw this” reaction. Seen it firsthand many times, and always found it mystifying.

[flagged]

If you don't know something is even possible, how do you know the application is working in the way you intend?

Re: FBI used iPhone notification data to retrieve deleted Signal messages

#272

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just to clarify, this is within the Signal app settings—not the OS (iOS or Android) system settings. Critical distinction, as merely changing OS notification settings will simply prevent notification content from being displayed on-screen.

Signal should switch the default to being less verbose.

No it shouldn't. That makes the UX much worse, just to guard against the 0.00001% case where the FBI seizes your iPhone.

Re: FBI used iPhone notification data to retrieve deleted Signal messages

#273

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The app decrypts the message and displays it via the system notification.

So in that case, the system has access to the plaintext, therefore the Alphabet boys have access to it as well. Unless, of course, you believe Apple isn't cooperating with them. Am I missing something here? Maybe I'm missing a subtle detail.

A system like the one in "my phone's operating system". Do you assume that "Alphabet boys" have access to all parts of all Android file systems of all the phones ever produced?

Re: FBI used iPhone notification data to retrieve deleted Signal messages

#274
Perhaps a stupid question, but why do notifications need to be stored in a database in persistent storage at all?

OK, maybe they can be stored until they're dismissed in case the battery suddenly dies, so they can be displayed again on next boot and are not lost, but it sounds like they are being stored long after they are dismissed.

Re: FBI used iPhone notification data to retrieve deleted Signal messages

#275

Putting on my user hat... "OK. Signal has forward secrecy. So messages are gone after I receive them. Great!" Oh, you didn't turn on disappearing messages? Oh, right, then forensic tools like Cellebrite can get them. You have to turn on disappearing messages. The default is off. Oh, you did turn on disappearing messages? We send the messages in notifications. So the OS can keep them. Turns out Apple was doing that. T…

> Oh, you did turn on disappearing messages? We send the messages in notifications. So the OS can keep them. Worse than that, they did not take advantage of the ability to send that message data as an encrypted payload inside the notification. https://blog.davidlibeau.fr/push-notifications-are-a-privacy... Either do not include sensitive user data inside a notification by default, or encrypt that data before you send…

According to Michael Tsai, they did use encrypted notification payloads. The OS just then stores the decrypted payloads in its notification database. [0]

[0] https://mjtsai.com/blog/2026/04/10/notifications-privacy/

Re: FBI used iPhone notification data to retrieve deleted Signal messages

#276

A lot of dumb criminals seem to carry smart phones. The irony.

Probably, but these are people who are being charged for political "crimes" brought mostly because the government doesn't think people have a right to protest. While it's unsurprising that the citizen who discharged their weapon was tried for this, most of the other folks were just doing run-of-the-mill protest stuff. I also get that in Texas they are fine "criminalizing" protesting, but that's just part of its hyper…

The person whose Signal notifications were extracted, Lynette Sharp, was not the one who shot a cop in the neck, no. The reason she pleaded guilty to “providing material support to terrorists” is that she helped the shooter get away afterward and gave him a disguise; he remained on the lam for ten days.

Re: FBI used iPhone notification data to retrieve deleted Signal messages

#277
post #121
post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Proton Drive app keeps asking me to turn on backups of photos and video. There is no option to say "don't ask again." I guess they /want/ more storage to be used? Or is there a support issue they are trying to deal with?

Yes Google constantly asks me to backup my pictures to their platform No, I don't want this. But regularly when I go to my photos it'll pop up with a box asking and the default option is yes please back up. Sad.

You know you can just use a different picture app?

Re: FBI used iPhone notification data to retrieve deleted Signal messages

#278

Putting on my user hat... "OK. Signal has forward secrecy. So messages are gone after I receive them. Great!" Oh, you didn't turn on disappearing messages? Oh, right, then forensic tools like Cellebrite can get them. You have to turn on disappearing messages. The default is off. Oh, you did turn on disappearing messages? We send the messages in notifications. So the OS can keep them. Turns out Apple was doing that. T…

> Oh, you did turn on disappearing messages? We send the messages in notifications. So the OS can keep them. Worse than that, they did not take advantage of the ability to send that message data as an encrypted payload inside the notification. https://blog.davidlibeau.fr/push-notifications-are-a-privacy... Either do not include sensitive user data inside a notification by default, or encrypt that data before you send…

Signal developer here. Our FCM and APN notifications are empty and just tell the app to wake up, fetch encrypted messages, decrypt them, and then generate the notification ourselves locally.

Re: FBI used iPhone notification data to retrieve deleted Signal messages

#279
post #259
post #247

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"end-to-end message encryption is a sham as long as" -- I agree with that but would add even more caveats. If someone can't list those caveats off the top of their head they shouldn't be pretending they aren't able to communicate securely. Just look at Salt Typhoon, every single person should be way more paranoid than they are, including government & agency officials. The attach surface and potential damage - financi…

Given the shoddy state of network security at large, especially on infrastructure projects (power plants, hospitals, dams, etc.) I always feel like major governments sit on so destructive potential to disrupt communications and anything connected to the Internet of its adversaries to have mutual assured destruction potential of a nuclear bomb. No one’s crazy enough to push that button, because once you do there is no…

I have often wondered about this exact situation. Like there are many instances of companies who depend on keeping their network secure and are actively taking preventative measures to keep their network safe that end up getting hacked. So surely there has to have been infiltration to some of the critical infrastructure keeping cities running. Why don't we hear more about it?

Re: FBI used iPhone notification data to retrieve deleted Signal messages

#280
post #274

Perhaps a stupid question, but why do notifications need to be stored in a database in persistent storage at all? OK, maybe they can be stored until they're dismissed in case the battery suddenly dies, so they can be displayed again on next boot and are not lost, but it sounds like they are being stored long after they are dismissed.

[deleted]
Post reply on HN