Philip Houska Encryption is a very sensitive topic these days. She mainly contributed to this the case of Apple vs. FBI, however, is not the only impulse why more and more users are interested in the security of their data and privacy. The EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) organization has come up with a list of communication platforms that are used for unbreakable communication both within text and within calls.
Wickr
This platform is a certain pioneer among end-to-end encryption within communication. Among other things, it has a self-destruct function that can completely delete sent messages. Based on the EFF scorecard in the field of encrypted communication, it received a rating of 5 points out of 7 possible. The communicator works on the industry standard AES256 algorithm and places a high emphasis on security, which can be confirmed by multi-layer encryption.
Telegram
There are two types of this application. If we look at it from the point of view of the EFF scorecard, Telegram scored 4 points out of 7 possible, but the next version of Telegram, marked "secret chats", scored XNUMX%. The software builds on the support of two layers of security, namely server-client encryption for cloud communication and client-client encryption as a certain additional layer in private communication. According to available information, this application was used by terrorists from the Paris attacks in November last year.
Whatsapp is one of the most used communication platforms in the world, as evidenced by a billion active user base. Just step to complete encryption was extremely important in this case, but based on the EFF scorecard it is not 6% (7 out of 256 points). The application, like Wickr, uses the industry standard AESXNUMX, which is supplemented by a "hash-based" confirmation code (HMAC). Despite the fact that Whatsapp is owned by Facebook, it is several levels higher than the original Messenger. Messenger only scored from two sevens, which is not a very good calling card.
iMessage and FaceTime
Communication services from Apple are also rated very well (5 out of 7 possible points). iMessage messages are based on end-to-end encryption and it is virtually impossible to find out what two parties are texting each other about. The company is famous for its security claims. Similar security measures also apply to FaceTime video calls.
Signal
Another encrypted communication platform is also an application from Open Whisper Systems, Signal. This free open source offers users unbreakable calling and messaging. It works on both iOS and Android. According to the EFF evaluation, it scored full points, mainly due to its "Off-the-Record" (OTR) protocol for text communication and Zimmermann Real-time Transport (ZRT) protocol for calls. Among other things, it has also established a partnership with WhatsApp in order to integrate unbreakable protocols into this world-popular communicator.
Silent Phone
Silent Circle, which also includes the Silent Phone communicator, offers its users not only software, but also hardware. A prime example is the Blackphone smartphone, which the company says is "the only smartphone that is encrypted by design." In general, the Silent communicator is a capable companion for unbreakable communication. It works on the basis of ZRT protocols (just like Signal), peer-to-peer encryption and VoIP (Voice over IP) communication. According to the results from the EFF scorecard, he collected the maximum number of points.
Threema
Another undoubtedly interesting communicator with high security requirements is the Swiss software work called Threema. Switzerland is famous for its security policy (for example, it is safe ProtonMail email client), and so even this means of communication offers unbreakable end-to-end encryption. One hundred percent anonymity of the user is also an interesting feature of the service. Each user gets a special ID and it is almost impossible to find out both their phone number and email address. Based on the EFF scorecard, the app scored a solid six out of seven.
Needless to say, unbreakable communication platforms will most likely continue to emerge. A much more detailed list of all applications and their encryption properties, including measurement methodology and other information, is possible find on the official website of the Electronic Frontier Foundation EFF.
What about Threema?
Completed.
Nice article, but I'm missing Cyber Dust here.
I would rather use "encrypting" in the title of the article. Probably not everyone can access the "encrypted" application. ?
Filip, you're a bit confused about EFF and EEF. :-)
It didn't penetrate, it probably doesn't solve it. :-)))
Fixed, thanks for the heads up.
I would also like to ask about the CoverMe app, how do you rate it? :)
A few notes:
1) iMessage – without the ability to verify the other party, E2E is completely useless.
2) Signal – does not use OTR, but the Signal protocol (formerly called Axolotl), just like WhatsApp. It is better than OTR, it offers forward secrecy as well as future secrecy.,
In SR Threma, several people have been buried in the last 2 years, they ended up in Jail, so I don't know how it's encrypted, although apparently the guys from NAKA know how to decrypt it...
Hello, I want to ask my girlfriend who has this and I know it for 99,9999% when she reads messages she has to make a gesture for the scanners of fingers and buttons on the iPhone, I would like to find out how to get through it so that she can no longer call me, please advise, I don't want to be the second wheel by the car