True Private Messaging: seven Apps to Encrypt Your Talks

Blog » True Private Messaging: seven Apps to Encrypt Your Talks

Are your text messages private and secure? Or are they vulnerable to prying eyes?

Given the news lately, it’s safe to assume they’re not.

It’s been exposed that the National Security Agency has been collecting text messages for years — up to two hundred million a day. They collect everything they can from anyone they can, from phones all over the globe. Just by analyzing your text messages, they can extrapolate who you’re talking to, how often and about what, your location at any given time, and even glean information about your financial transactions.

They may even be assisted by carelessly designed apps on your smartphone. Many so-called “leaky apps” are exploited by government organizations to mine even more sensitive data about their users. A surprising number of the most popular messaging apps are insecure, as their creators put usability and features over the security and privacy of their users.

Other apps are purposely harvesting your information, taking advantage of the privileges and permissions you grant them when they’re installed. One famous example is the Facebook messaging app, which sparked a storm of controversy over all the permissions the app asked for upon installation. Since Facebook’s entire business model is built on selling your data to advertisers, why wouldn’t they attempt to harvest as much of it as they could with a fresh app?

The controversy didn’t last long, however, and millions of people determined to download the app anyway. As Facebook knows, most people don’t pay attention to the fine print, and even if they do, they’re willing to trade their right to privacy in exchange for convenience.

But what if you deny to give up your privacy? What if you know that having “nothing to hide” is a dangerous fallacy, and understand the dangers of letting private information fall into the wrong arms to be used against you?

If you want to protect your privacy while messaging on your smartphone, it’s vital to use a secure app. Here are the top seven apps we found that can help you protect your privacy.

True Private Messaging: seven Apps to Encrypt Your Talks

Are your text messages and IMs safe? Given the skill of extensive government surveillance programs that proceeds to leak out and the massive tracking programs corporations use to keep tabs on consumers, it’s a fair question to ask. There are a number of apps that can keep individual messages private, however there are some things you should keep in mind before using them.

Wickr

• Doesn’t require users to upload their contact list
• Users can set auto-destruct timers on messages from one 2nd to six days
• Talk with up to ten people at a time in a group
• Wiped messages are deleted from the hard drive of the device
• Users can delete metadata from their messages
• 100% ad-free

• Can only talk with other users of the Wickr app
• Wickr’s cryptography hasn’t been made open source so that its strength can be monitored by outside parties
• Users who have forgotten their password will be locked out of their account
  • Wickr is working on a way for users to switch their password, but it will still require them to know their initial password

• Wickr supports twenty three languages
• Named the Official App of the Oslo Freedom Forum
• Wicker has suggested a $100,000 bounty to anyone who can find a bug that affects the integrity of their system

Cryptocat

• Encryption is open source and can be reviewed
• Users can send encrypted files to one another
• Cryptocat messages practice ideal forward security
• Should someone hack the system in the future, past messages would not be readable
• Facebook users can use Cryptocat to have encrypted conversations with other Facebook+Cryptocat users

• Can only encrypt messages inbetween Cryptocat users
• App does not mask IP address

• Given a flawless score by the Electronic Freedom Foundation’s Secure Messaging Scorecard
• In 2013, the Iranian government blocked citizens from accessing Cryptocat
• Ranked very first (along with Threema and Surespot) by the German PSW Group for secure messaging apps

Threema

• Ad-free
• No message data is stored on Threema’s servers
• Users can talk anonymously
• Securely finds friends by encrypting contact list
• Users can verify the ID of other users by scanning their QR codes
  • A user can confirm that the public key they have for an individual is correct by scanning that person’s QR code
• Color-coded messages showcase users how sure they can be that another user is who they claim to be

• Cryptography is not open source
• If users lose their private key/passcode, they cannot be restored
• Only one Threema ID can be associated with a single device

• The app’s servers are located in Switzerland, where the software was designed
• In February 2014, downloads of Threema doubled in twenty four hours
• This took place shortly after the acquisition of WhatsApp by Facebook

Silent Text (Part of Silent Circle)

• Silent Circle plans range from $9.95/mo to $39.95/mo

• Private keys are stored on user devices, not Silent Circle servers
• Users can send files up to one hundred MB that are automatically encrypted by the service
• Messages can be set to self-destruct after a certain amount of time has passed
• Messages can also be by hand deleted from both devices by the sender at any time
• Messages are secured and encrypted from end to end
• Fresh encryption keys are created for each conversation, and then ruined

• App only usable by Silent Circle subscribers
• Silent Text users can only communicate with other Silent Text users
• Encryption is not open-source

• Two of the company co-founders are ex-Navy Seals
• Phil Zimmermann was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame
• He created Pretty Good Privacy (PGP), an email encryption method

TextSecure

• Moxie Marlinspike (AKA Matthew Rosenfeld)
• Stuart Anderson

• Encryption is open source
• Users can talk in groups
• Messages are encrypted locally
• Can automatically detect if message recipients are TextSecure users

• Sometimes has trouble sending pictures/movies/audio clips
• If a user’s password is cached in the phone, fresh texts will emerge in plain text in the notification center
• This would permit User A to trick User B into sending a message intended for User A to a third user without User B’s skill

• WhisperSystems, the company behind TextSecure, consists only of two people:
  • Moxie Marlinspike
  • Stuart Anderson
• WhisperSystems partnered with WhatsApp in November two thousand fourteen to encrypt users’ messages by default using their TextSecure protocol
• Billions of encrypted messages are sent daily through this partnership
• TextSecure was used by Egyptian dissidents in 2011

surespot

• Ad-free
• Encryption is open source
• Users do not need to create an account with their email address or phone number
• Features end-to-end encryption
• Numerous IDs are possible on the same device
• Voice messaging is available

• Passwords cannot be reset or restored
• Does not practice flawless forward security
• Can only communicate with other surespot users

Telegram Secret Talks

• Ad-free
• Encryption is open source
• Users can talk with up to two hundred people in a group
• Messages can be set with an auto-destruct timer
• Messages are encrypted end-to-end
• Users can talk, send multimedia messages, or share files

• Users have to choose to communicate through secret talks

• Telegram has fifty million monthly users
• Over one billion messages are sent through Telegram daily
• Telegram offers a $300,000 bounty to anyone that can break their encryption protocol
• Their $200,000 bounty for 2013-2014 went unclaimed

As cryptographer and security accomplished Bruce Schneier says, “You shouldn’t use them if your life is on the line.” But for anyone who wants to keep their private messages exactly that — private — secure messaging apps are a good fit.

Sources

• Wickr: Can the Snapchat for Grown-Ups Save You From Spies? – mashable.com
• You Can Now Send Self-Destructing Wickr Messages from Your Computer – mashable.com
• Wickr – itunes.apple.com
• Wickr – Top-Secret Messenger – wickr.com
• Wickr – Meet the Team – wickr.com
• How Wickr Works – wickr.com
• Secure Messaging App Wickr Adds twenty two Languages To Give More People A Private Voice – techcrunch.com
• Cryptocat Encryption App Maker Apologizes, Swats Bug – pcworld.com
• Cryptocat – chrome.google.com
• Private Talk Can Be Effortless and Accessible – crypto.cat
• Cryptocat Aims for Easy-to-use Encrypted IM Talk – pcworld.com
• Cryptocat Blog – blog.crypto.cat
• Encrypted Talk Service ‘Cryptocat’ Released iOS App – thehackernews.com
• Cryptocat, Now with Encrypted Facebook Talk – blog.crypto.cat
• Secure Messaging Scoreboard – eff.org
• Iran Blocks Encrypted Talk Service Despite Claims of Internet Freedom – mashable.com
• The Results of Our Good Messenger Assay – translate.google.com
• The Swiss Response to WhatsApp – translate.google.com
• The Lord of the Manor – translate.google.com
• Threema – threema.ch
• FAQ – play.google.com
• Threema – amazon.com
• Threema – threema.ch
• Whatsapp Competitor Threema Doubled the Number of Users – translate.google.com
• An Internet Hall Of Famer And Some Navy Seals Want To Make Your iPhone Safer – businessinsider.com
• Vinnie Moscaritolo – linkedin.com
• Plans & Pricing – silentcircle.com
• Philip Zimmermann – internethalloffame.org
• Idealism Costs: Silent Circle Announces Ultra-Private, Ultra-Expensive Blackphone – pando.com
• Android App Aims to Permit Wiretap-Proof Cell Phone Calls – forbes.com
• Switching Threats to Privacy: Moxie Marlinspike on Privacy Threats at Defcon – privacy-pc.com
• Twitter Nabs The Two Guys Behind Mobile Security Startup Whisper Systems – techcrunch.com
• Private Text and Talk for Android – whispersystems.org
• TextSecure :: Private SMS/MMS (for Android) – pcmag.com
• Auditors Find Encrypted Talk Client TextSecure Is Secure – theregister.co.uk
• A Security Audit Exposes That TextSecure App Is Vulnerable to Unknown Key-Share Attack – securityaffairs.co
• Open Whisper Systems – twitter.com
• Open Whisper Systems Fucking partners with WhatsApp to Provide End-To-End Encryption – whispersystems.org
• Hackers Build Android Encryption Apps For Egypt – forbes.com
• Surespot Encrypted Messenger – appannie.com
• School of Privacy – school-of-privacy.com
• surespot – surespot.me
• Surespot Encrypted Messenger – itunes.apple.com
• FAQ and Support – surespot.me
• Meet Telegram, A Secure Messaging App From The Founders Of VK, Russia’s Largest Social Network – techcrunch.com
• Telegram Applications – telegram.org
• Telegram – play.google.com
• Telegram Reaches one Billion Daily Messages – telegram.org
• Can You Trust ‘Secure’ Messaging Apps? – bits.blogs.nytimes.com

KeriLynn is a content marketing specialist and writer at Awesome Motive. Before that, she worked as a freelance writer for various websites. She is an advocate for domestic manhandle victims and has way too many hobbies. KeriLynn lives in Connecticut.

True Private Messaging: seven Apps to Encrypt Your Talks

True Private Messaging: seven Apps to Encrypt Your Talks

Blog » True Private Messaging: seven Apps to Encrypt Your Talks

Are your text messages private and secure? Or are they vulnerable to prying eyes?

Given the news lately, it’s safe to assume they’re not.

It’s been exposed that the National Security Agency has been collecting text messages for years — up to two hundred million a day. They collect everything they can from anyone they can, from phones all over the globe. Just by analyzing your text messages, they can extrapolate who you’re talking to, how often and about what, your location at any given time, and even glean information about your financial transactions.

They may even be assisted by carelessly designed apps on your smartphone. Many so-called “leaky apps” are exploited by government organizations to mine even more sensitive data about their users. A surprising number of the most popular messaging apps are insecure, as their creators put usability and features over the security and privacy of their users.

Other apps are purposely harvesting your information, taking advantage of the privileges and permissions you grant them when they’re installed. One famous example is the Facebook messaging app, which sparked a storm of controversy over all the permissions the app asked for upon installation. Since Facebook’s entire business model is built on selling your data to advertisers, why wouldn’t they attempt to harvest as much of it as they could with a fresh app?

The controversy didn’t last long, however, and millions of people determined to download the app anyway. As Facebook knows, most people don’t pay attention to the fine print, and even if they do, they’re willing to trade their right to privacy in exchange for convenience.

But what if you deny to give up your privacy? What if you know that having “nothing to hide” is a dangerous fallacy, and understand the dangers of letting private information fall into the wrong mitts to be used against you?

If you want to protect your privacy while messaging on your smartphone, it’s vital to use a secure app. Here are the top seven apps we found that can help you protect your privacy.

True Private Messaging: seven Apps to Encrypt Your Talks

Are your text messages and IMs safe? Given the skill of extensive government surveillance programs that resumes to leak out and the massive tracking programs corporations use to keep tabs on consumers, it’s a fair question to ask. There are a number of apps that can keep individual messages private, however there are some things you should keep in mind before using them.

Wickr

• Doesn’t require users to upload their contact list
• Users can set auto-destruct timers on messages from one 2nd to six days
• Talk with up to ten people at a time in a group
• Wiped messages are deleted from the hard drive of the device
• Users can delete metadata from their messages
• 100% ad-free

• Can only talk with other users of the Wickr app
• Wickr’s cryptography hasn’t been made open source so that its strength can be monitored by outside parties
• Users who have forgotten their password will be locked out of their account
  • Wickr is working on a way for users to switch their password, but it will still require them to know their initial password

• Wickr supports twenty three languages
• Named the Official App of the Oslo Freedom Forum
• Wicker has suggested a $100,000 bounty to anyone who can find a bug that affects the integrity of their system

Cryptocat

• Encryption is open source and can be reviewed
• Users can send encrypted files to one another
• Cryptocat messages practice ideal forward security
• Should someone hack the system in the future, past messages would not be readable
• Facebook users can use Cryptocat to have encrypted conversations with other Facebook+Cryptocat users

• Can only encrypt messages inbetween Cryptocat users
• App does not mask IP address

• Given a flawless score by the Electronic Freedom Foundation’s Secure Messaging Scorecard
• In 2013, the Iranian government blocked citizens from accessing Cryptocat
• Ranked very first (along with Threema and Surespot) by the German PSW Group for secure messaging apps

Threema

• Ad-free
• No message data is stored on Threema’s servers
• Users can talk anonymously
• Securely finds friends by encrypting contact list
• Users can verify the ID of other users by scanning their QR codes
  • A user can confirm that the public key they have for an individual is correct by scanning that person’s QR code
• Color-coded messages display users how sure they can be that another user is who they claim to be

• Cryptography is not open source
• If users lose their private key/passcode, they cannot be restored
• Only one Threema ID can be associated with a single device

• The app’s servers are located in Switzerland, where the software was designed
• In February 2014, downloads of Threema doubled in twenty four hours
• This took place shortly after the acquisition of WhatsApp by Facebook

Silent Text (Part of Silent Circle)

• Silent Circle plans range from $9.95/mo to $39.95/mo

• Private keys are stored on user devices, not Silent Circle servers
• Users can send files up to one hundred MB that are automatically encrypted by the service
• Messages can be set to self-destruct after a certain amount of time has passed
• Messages can also be by hand deleted from both devices by the sender at any time
• Messages are secured and encrypted from end to end
• Fresh encryption keys are created for each conversation, and then ruined

• App only usable by Silent Circle subscribers
• Silent Text users can only communicate with other Silent Text users
• Encryption is not open-source

• Two of the company co-founders are ex-Navy Seals
• Phil Zimmermann was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame
• He created Pretty Good Privacy (PGP), an email encryption method

TextSecure

• Moxie Marlinspike (AKA Matthew Rosenfeld)
• Stuart Anderson

• Encryption is open source
• Users can talk in groups
• Messages are encrypted locally
• Can automatically detect if message recipients are TextSecure users

• Sometimes has trouble sending photos/movies/audio clips
• If a user’s password is cached in the phone, fresh texts will show up in plain text in the notification center
• This would permit User A to trick User B into sending a message intended for User A to a third user without User B’s skill

• WhisperSystems, the company behind TextSecure, consists only of two people:
  • Moxie Marlinspike
  • Stuart Anderson
• WhisperSystems partnered with WhatsApp in November two thousand fourteen to encrypt users’ messages by default using their TextSecure protocol
• Billions of encrypted messages are sent daily through this partnership
• TextSecure was used by Egyptian dissidents in 2011

surespot

• Ad-free
• Encryption is open source
• Users do not need to create an account with their email address or phone number
• Features end-to-end encryption
• Numerous IDs are possible on the same device
• Voice messaging is available

• Passwords cannot be reset or restored
• Does not practice ideal forward security
• Can only communicate with other surespot users

Telegram Secret Talks

• Ad-free
• Encryption is open source
• Users can talk with up to two hundred people in a group
• Messages can be set with an auto-destruct timer
• Messages are encrypted end-to-end
• Users can talk, send multimedia messages, or share files

• Users have to choose to communicate through secret talks

• Telegram has fifty million monthly users
• Over one billion messages are sent through Telegram daily
• Telegram offers a $300,000 bounty to anyone that can break their encryption protocol
• Their $200,000 bounty for 2013-2014 went unclaimed

As cryptographer and security accomplished Bruce Schneier says, “You shouldn’t use them if your life is on the line.” But for anyone who wants to keep their private messages exactly that — private — secure messaging apps are a good fit.

Sources

• Wickr: Can the Snapchat for Grown-Ups Save You From Spies? – mashable.com
• You Can Now Send Self-Destructing Wickr Messages from Your Computer – mashable.com
• Wickr – itunes.apple.com
• Wickr – Top-Secret Messenger – wickr.com
• Wickr – Meet the Team – wickr.com
• How Wickr Works – wickr.com
• Secure Messaging App Wickr Adds twenty two Languages To Give More People A Private Voice – techcrunch.com
• Cryptocat Encryption App Maker Apologizes, Swats Bug – pcworld.com
• Cryptocat – chrome.google.com
• Private Talk Can Be Effortless and Accessible – crypto.cat
• Cryptocat Aims for Easy-to-use Encrypted IM Talk – pcworld.com
• Cryptocat Blog – blog.crypto.cat
• Encrypted Talk Service ‘Cryptocat’ Released iOS App – thehackernews.com
• Cryptocat, Now with Encrypted Facebook Talk – blog.crypto.cat
• Secure Messaging Scoreboard – eff.org
• Iran Blocks Encrypted Talk Service Despite Claims of Internet Freedom – mashable.com
• The Results of Our Excellent Messenger Assay – translate.google.com
• The Swiss Response to WhatsApp – translate.google.com
• The Lord of the Manor – translate.google.com
• Threema – threema.ch
• FAQ – play.google.com
• Threema – amazon.com
• Threema – threema.ch
• Whatsapp Competitor Threema Doubled the Number of Users – translate.google.com
• An Internet Hall Of Famer And Some Navy Seals Want To Make Your iPhone Safer – businessinsider.com
• Vinnie Moscaritolo – linkedin.com
• Plans & Pricing – silentcircle.com
• Philip Zimmermann – internethalloffame.org
• Idealism Costs: Silent Circle Announces Ultra-Private, Ultra-Expensive Blackphone – pando.com
• Android App Aims to Permit Wiretap-Proof Cell Phone Calls – forbes.com
• Switching Threats to Privacy: Moxie Marlinspike on Privacy Threats at Defcon – privacy-pc.com
• Twitter Nabs The Two Guys Behind Mobile Security Startup Whisper Systems – techcrunch.com
• Private Text and Talk for Android – whispersystems.org
• TextSecure :: Private SMS/MMS (for Android) – pcmag.com
• Auditors Find Encrypted Talk Client TextSecure Is Secure – theregister.co.uk
• A Security Audit Exposes That TextSecure App Is Vulnerable to Unknown Key-Share Attack – securityaffairs.co
• Open Whisper Systems – twitter.com
• Open Whisper Systems Playmates with WhatsApp to Provide End-To-End Encryption – whispersystems.org
• Hackers Build Android Encryption Apps For Egypt – forbes.com
• Surespot Encrypted Messenger – appannie.com
• School of Privacy – school-of-privacy.com
• surespot – surespot.me
• Surespot Encrypted Messenger – itunes.apple.com
• FAQ and Support – surespot.me
• Meet Telegram, A Secure Messaging App From The Founders Of VK, Russia’s Largest Social Network – techcrunch.com
• Telegram Applications – telegram.org
• Telegram – play.google.com
• Telegram Reaches one Billion Daily Messages – telegram.org
• Can You Trust ‘Secure’ Messaging Apps? – bits.blogs.nytimes.com

KeriLynn is a content marketing specialist and writer at Awesome Motive. Before that, she worked as a freelance writer for various websites. She is an advocate for domestic manhandle victims and has way too many hobbies. KeriLynn lives in Connecticut.

True Private Messaging: seven Apps to Encrypt Your Talks

True Private Messaging: seven Apps to Encrypt Your Talks

Blog » True Private Messaging: seven Apps to Encrypt Your Talks

Are your text messages private and secure? Or are they vulnerable to prying eyes?

Given the news lately, it’s safe to assume they’re not.

It’s been exposed that the National Security Agency has been collecting text messages for years — up to two hundred million a day. They collect everything they can from anyone they can, from phones all over the globe. Just by analyzing your text messages, they can extrapolate who you’re talking to, how often and about what, your location at any given time, and even glean information about your financial transactions.

They may even be assisted by carelessly designed apps on your smartphone. Many so-called “leaky apps” are exploited by government organizations to mine even more sensitive data about their users. A surprising number of the most popular messaging apps are insecure, as their creators put usability and features over the security and privacy of their users.

Other apps are purposely harvesting your information, taking advantage of the privileges and permissions you grant them when they’re installed. One famous example is the Facebook messaging app, which sparked a storm of controversy over all the permissions the app asked for upon installation. Since Facebook’s entire business model is built on selling your data to advertisers, why wouldn’t they attempt to harvest as much of it as they could with a fresh app?

The controversy didn’t last long, however, and millions of people determined to download the app anyway. As Facebook knows, most people don’t pay attention to the fine print, and even if they do, they’re willing to trade their right to privacy in exchange for convenience.

But what if you deny to give up your privacy? What if you know that having “nothing to hide” is a dangerous fallacy, and understand the dangers of letting individual information fall into the wrong palms to be used against you?

If you want to protect your privacy while messaging on your smartphone, it’s vital to use a secure app. Here are the top seven apps we found that can help you protect your privacy.

True Private Messaging: seven Apps to Encrypt Your Talks

Are your text messages and IMs safe? Given the skill of extensive government surveillance programs that resumes to leak out and the massive tracking programs corporations use to keep tabs on consumers, it’s a fair question to ask. There are a number of apps that can keep individual messages private, tho’ there are some things you should keep in mind before using them.

Wickr

• Doesn’t require users to upload their contact list
• Users can set auto-destruct timers on messages from one 2nd to six days
• Talk with up to ten people at a time in a group
• Wiped messages are deleted from the hard drive of the device
• Users can delete metadata from their messages
• 100% ad-free

• Can only talk with other users of the Wickr app
• Wickr’s cryptography hasn’t been made open source so that its strength can be monitored by outside parties
• Users who have forgotten their password will be locked out of their account
  • Wickr is working on a way for users to switch their password, but it will still require them to know their initial password

• Wickr supports twenty three languages
• Named the Official App of the Oslo Freedom Forum
• Wicker has suggested a $100,000 bounty to anyone who can find a bug that affects the integrity of their system

Cryptocat

• Encryption is open source and can be reviewed
• Users can send encrypted files to one another
• Cryptocat messages practice flawless forward security
• Should someone hack the system in the future, past messages would not be readable
• Facebook users can use Cryptocat to have encrypted conversations with other Facebook+Cryptocat users

• Can only encrypt messages inbetween Cryptocat users
• App does not mask IP address

• Given a ideal score by the Electronic Freedom Foundation’s Secure Messaging Scorecard
• In 2013, the Iranian government blocked citizens from accessing Cryptocat
• Ranked very first (along with Threema and Surespot) by the German PSW Group for secure messaging apps

Threema

• Ad-free
• No message data is stored on Threema’s servers
• Users can talk anonymously
• Securely finds friends by encrypting contact list
• Users can verify the ID of other users by scanning their QR codes
  • A user can confirm that the public key they have for an individual is correct by scanning that person’s QR code
• Color-coded messages showcase users how sure they can be that another user is who they claim to be

• Cryptography is not open source
• If users lose their private key/passcode, they cannot be restored
• Only one Threema ID can be associated with a single device

• The app’s servers are located in Switzerland, where the software was designed
• In February 2014, downloads of Threema doubled in twenty four hours
• This took place shortly after the acquisition of WhatsApp by Facebook

Silent Text (Part of Silent Circle)

• Silent Circle plans range from $9.95/mo to $39.95/mo

• Private keys are stored on user devices, not Silent Circle servers
• Users can send files up to one hundred MB that are automatically encrypted by the service
• Messages can be set to self-destruct after a certain amount of time has passed
• Messages can also be by hand deleted from both devices by the sender at any time
• Messages are secured and encrypted from end to end
• Fresh encryption keys are created for each conversation, and then demolished

• App only usable by Silent Circle subscribers
• Silent Text users can only communicate with other Silent Text users
• Encryption is not open-source

• Two of the company co-founders are ex-Navy Seals
• Phil Zimmermann was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame
• He created Pretty Good Privacy (PGP), an email encryption method

TextSecure

• Moxie Marlinspike (AKA Matthew Rosenfeld)
• Stuart Anderson

• Encryption is open source
• Users can talk in groups
• Messages are encrypted locally
• Can automatically detect if message recipients are TextSecure users

• Sometimes has trouble sending pics/movies/audio clips
• If a user’s password is cached in the phone, fresh texts will show up in plain text in the notification center
• This would permit User A to trick User B into sending a message intended for User A to a third user without User B’s skill

• WhisperSystems, the company behind TextSecure, consists only of two people:
  • Moxie Marlinspike
  • Stuart Anderson
• WhisperSystems partnered with WhatsApp in November two thousand fourteen to encrypt users’ messages by default using their TextSecure protocol
• Billions of encrypted messages are sent daily through this partnership
• TextSecure was used by Egyptian dissidents in 2011

surespot

• Ad-free
• Encryption is open source
• Users do not need to create an account with their email address or phone number
• Features end-to-end encryption
• Numerous IDs are possible on the same device
• Voice messaging is available

• Passwords cannot be reset or restored
• Does not practice flawless forward security
• Can only communicate with other surespot users

Telegram Secret Talks

• Ad-free
• Encryption is open source
• Users can talk with up to two hundred people in a group
• Messages can be set with an auto-destruct timer
• Messages are encrypted end-to-end
• Users can talk, send multimedia messages, or share files

• Users have to choose to communicate through secret talks

• Telegram has fifty million monthly users
• Over one billion messages are sent through Telegram daily
• Telegram offers a $300,000 bounty to anyone that can break their encryption protocol
• Their $200,000 bounty for 2013-2014 went unclaimed

As cryptographer and security experienced Bruce Schneier says, “You shouldn’t use them if your life is on the line.” But for anyone who wants to keep their private messages exactly that — private — secure messaging apps are a good fit.

Sources

• Wickr: Can the Snapchat for Grown-Ups Save You From Spies? – mashable.com
• You Can Now Send Self-Destructing Wickr Messages from Your Computer – mashable.com
• Wickr – itunes.apple.com
• Wickr – Top-Secret Messenger – wickr.com
• Wickr – Meet the Team – wickr.com
• How Wickr Works – wickr.com
• Secure Messaging App Wickr Adds twenty two Languages To Give More People A Private Voice – techcrunch.com
• Cryptocat Encryption App Maker Apologizes, Swats Bug – pcworld.com
• Cryptocat – chrome.google.com
• Private Talk Can Be Effortless and Accessible – crypto.cat
• Cryptocat Aims for Easy-to-use Encrypted IM Talk – pcworld.com
• Cryptocat Blog – blog.crypto.cat
• Encrypted Talk Service ‘Cryptocat’ Released iOS App – thehackernews.com
• Cryptocat, Now with Encrypted Facebook Talk – blog.crypto.cat
• Secure Messaging Scoreboard – eff.org
• Iran Blocks Encrypted Talk Service Despite Claims of Internet Freedom – mashable.com
• The Results of Our Fine Messenger Assay – translate.google.com
• The Swiss Response to WhatsApp – translate.google.com
• The Lord of the Manor – translate.google.com
• Threema – threema.ch
• FAQ – play.google.com
• Threema – amazon.com
• Threema – threema.ch
• Whatsapp Competitor Threema Doubled the Number of Users – translate.google.com
• An Internet Hall Of Famer And Some Navy Seals Want To Make Your iPhone Safer – businessinsider.com
• Vinnie Moscaritolo – linkedin.com
• Plans & Pricing – silentcircle.com
• Philip Zimmermann – internethalloffame.org
• Idealism Costs: Silent Circle Announces Ultra-Private, Ultra-Expensive Blackphone – pando.com
• Android App Aims to Permit Wiretap-Proof Cell Phone Calls – forbes.com
• Switching Threats to Privacy: Moxie Marlinspike on Privacy Threats at Defcon – privacy-pc.com
• Twitter Nabs The Two Guys Behind Mobile Security Startup Whisper Systems – techcrunch.com
• Private Text and Talk for Android – whispersystems.org
• TextSecure :: Private SMS/MMS (for Android) – pcmag.com
• Auditors Find Encrypted Talk Client TextSecure Is Secure – theregister.co.uk
• A Security Audit Exposes That TextSecure App Is Vulnerable to Unknown Key-Share Attack – securityaffairs.co
• Open Whisper Systems – twitter.com
• Open Whisper Systems Playmates with WhatsApp to Provide End-To-End Encryption – whispersystems.org
• Hackers Build Android Encryption Apps For Egypt – forbes.com
• Surespot Encrypted Messenger – appannie.com
• School of Privacy – school-of-privacy.com
• surespot – surespot.me
• Surespot Encrypted Messenger – itunes.apple.com
• FAQ and Support – surespot.me
• Meet Telegram, A Secure Messaging App From The Founders Of VK, Russia’s Largest Social Network – techcrunch.com
• Telegram Applications – telegram.org
• Telegram – play.google.com
• Telegram Reaches one Billion Daily Messages – telegram.org
• Can You Trust ‘Secure’ Messaging Apps? – bits.blogs.nytimes.com

KeriLynn is a content marketing specialist and writer at Awesome Motive. Before that, she worked as a freelance writer for various websites. She is an advocate for domestic manhandle victims and has way too many hobbies. KeriLynn lives in Connecticut.

True Private Messaging: seven Apps to Encrypt Your Talks

True Private Messaging: seven Apps to Encrypt Your Talks

Blog » True Private Messaging: seven Apps to Encrypt Your Talks

Are your text messages private and secure? Or are they vulnerable to prying eyes?

Given the news lately, it’s safe to assume they’re not.

It’s been exposed that the National Security Agency has been collecting text messages for years — up to two hundred million a day. They collect everything they can from anyone they can, from phones all over the globe. Just by analyzing your text messages, they can extrapolate who you’re talking to, how often and about what, your location at any given time, and even glean information about your financial transactions.

They may even be assisted by carelessly designed apps on your smartphone. Many so-called “leaky apps” are exploited by government organizations to mine even more sensitive data about their users. A surprising number of the most popular messaging apps are insecure, as their creators put usability and features over the security and privacy of their users.

Other apps are purposely harvesting your information, taking advantage of the privileges and permissions you grant them when they’re installed. One famous example is the Facebook messaging app, which sparked a storm of controversy over all the permissions the app asked for upon installation. Since Facebook’s entire business model is built on selling your data to advertisers, why wouldn’t they attempt to harvest as much of it as they could with a fresh app?

The controversy didn’t last long, however, and millions of people determined to download the app anyway. As Facebook knows, most people don’t pay attention to the fine print, and even if they do, they’re willing to trade their right to privacy in exchange for convenience.

But what if you turn down to give up your privacy? What if you know that having “nothing to hide” is a dangerous fallacy, and understand the dangers of letting individual information fall into the wrong forearms to be used against you?

If you want to protect your privacy while messaging on your smartphone, it’s vital to use a secure app. Here are the top seven apps we found that can help you protect your privacy.

True Private Messaging: seven Apps to Encrypt Your Talks

Are your text messages and IMs safe? Given the skill of extensive government surveillance programs that proceeds to leak out and the massive tracking programs corporations use to keep tabs on consumers, it’s a fair question to ask. There are a number of apps that can keep individual messages private, tho’ there are some things you should keep in mind before using them.

Wickr

• Doesn’t require users to upload their contact list
• Users can set auto-destruct timers on messages from one 2nd to six days
• Talk with up to ten people at a time in a group
• Wiped messages are deleted from the hard drive of the device
• Users can delete metadata from their messages
• 100% ad-free

• Can only talk with other users of the Wickr app
• Wickr’s cryptography hasn’t been made open source so that its strength can be monitored by outside parties
• Users who have forgotten their password will be locked out of their account
  • Wickr is working on a way for users to switch their password, but it will still require them to know their initial password

• Wickr supports twenty three languages
• Named the Official App of the Oslo Freedom Forum
• Wicker has suggested a $100,000 bounty to anyone who can find a bug that affects the integrity of their system

Cryptocat

• Encryption is open source and can be reviewed
• Users can send encrypted files to one another
• Cryptocat messages practice flawless forward security
• Should someone hack the system in the future, past messages would not be readable
• Facebook users can use Cryptocat to have encrypted conversations with other Facebook+Cryptocat users

• Can only encrypt messages inbetween Cryptocat users
• App does not mask IP address

• Given a ideal score by the Electronic Freedom Foundation’s Secure Messaging Scorecard
• In 2013, the Iranian government blocked citizens from accessing Cryptocat
• Ranked very first (along with Threema and Surespot) by the German PSW Group for secure messaging apps

Threema

• Ad-free
• No message data is stored on Threema’s servers
• Users can talk anonymously
• Securely finds friends by encrypting contact list
• Users can verify the ID of other users by scanning their QR codes
  • A user can confirm that the public key they have for an individual is correct by scanning that person’s QR code
• Color-coded messages display users how sure they can be that another user is who they claim to be

• Cryptography is not open source
• If users lose their private key/passcode, they cannot be restored
• Only one Threema ID can be associated with a single device

• The app’s servers are located in Switzerland, where the software was designed
• In February 2014, downloads of Threema doubled in twenty four hours
• This took place shortly after the acquisition of WhatsApp by Facebook

Silent Text (Part of Silent Circle)

• Silent Circle plans range from $9.95/mo to $39.95/mo

• Private keys are stored on user devices, not Silent Circle servers
• Users can send files up to one hundred MB that are automatically encrypted by the service
• Messages can be set to self-destruct after a certain amount of time has passed
• Messages can also be by hand deleted from both devices by the sender at any time
• Messages are secured and encrypted from end to end
• Fresh encryption keys are created for each conversation, and then demolished

• App only usable by Silent Circle subscribers
• Silent Text users can only communicate with other Silent Text users
• Encryption is not open-source

• Two of the company co-founders are ex-Navy Seals
• Phil Zimmermann was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame
• He created Pretty Good Privacy (PGP), an email encryption method

TextSecure

• Moxie Marlinspike (AKA Matthew Rosenfeld)
• Stuart Anderson

• Encryption is open source
• Users can talk in groups
• Messages are encrypted locally
• Can automatically detect if message recipients are TextSecure users

• Sometimes has trouble sending photos/movies/audio clips
• If a user’s password is cached in the phone, fresh texts will emerge in plain text in the notification center
• This would permit User A to trick User B into sending a message intended for User A to a third user without User B’s skill

• WhisperSystems, the company behind TextSecure, consists only of two people:
  • Moxie Marlinspike
  • Stuart Anderson
• WhisperSystems partnered with WhatsApp in November two thousand fourteen to encrypt users’ messages by default using their TextSecure protocol
• Billions of encrypted messages are sent daily through this partnership
• TextSecure was used by Egyptian dissidents in 2011

surespot

• Ad-free
• Encryption is open source
• Users do not need to create an account with their email address or phone number
• Features end-to-end encryption
• Numerous IDs are possible on the same device
• Voice messaging is available

• Passwords cannot be reset or restored
• Does not practice ideal forward security
• Can only communicate with other surespot users

Telegram Secret Talks

• Ad-free
• Encryption is open source
• Users can talk with up to two hundred people in a group
• Messages can be set with an auto-destruct timer
• Messages are encrypted end-to-end
• Users can talk, send multimedia messages, or share files

• Users have to choose to communicate through secret talks

• Telegram has fifty million monthly users
• Over one billion messages are sent through Telegram daily
• Telegram offers a $300,000 bounty to anyone that can break their encryption protocol
• Their $200,000 bounty for 2013-2014 went unclaimed

As cryptographer and security experienced Bruce Schneier says, “You shouldn’t use them if your life is on the line.” But for anyone who wants to keep their private messages exactly that — private — secure messaging apps are a good fit.

Sources

• Wickr: Can the Snapchat for Grown-Ups Save You From Spies? – mashable.com
• You Can Now Send Self-Destructing Wickr Messages from Your Computer – mashable.com
• Wickr – itunes.apple.com
• Wickr – Top-Secret Messenger – wickr.com
• Wickr – Meet the Team – wickr.com
• How Wickr Works – wickr.com
• Secure Messaging App Wickr Adds twenty two Languages To Give More People A Private Voice – techcrunch.com
• Cryptocat Encryption App Maker Apologizes, Swats Bug – pcworld.com
• Cryptocat – chrome.google.com
• Private Talk Can Be Effortless and Accessible – crypto.cat
• Cryptocat Aims for Easy-to-use Encrypted IM Talk – pcworld.com
• Cryptocat Blog – blog.crypto.cat
• Encrypted Talk Service ‘Cryptocat’ Released iOS App – thehackernews.com
• Cryptocat, Now with Encrypted Facebook Talk – blog.crypto.cat
• Secure Messaging Scoreboard – eff.org
• Iran Blocks Encrypted Talk Service Despite Claims of Internet Freedom – mashable.com
• The Results of Our Good Messenger Assay – translate.google.com
• The Swiss Response to WhatsApp – translate.google.com
• The Lord of the Manor – translate.google.com
• Threema – threema.ch
• FAQ – play.google.com
• Threema – amazon.com
• Threema – threema.ch
• Whatsapp Competitor Threema Doubled the Number of Users – translate.google.com
• An Internet Hall Of Famer And Some Navy Seals Want To Make Your iPhone Safer – businessinsider.com
• Vinnie Moscaritolo – linkedin.com
• Plans & Pricing – silentcircle.com
• Philip Zimmermann – internethalloffame.org
• Idealism Costs: Silent Circle Announces Ultra-Private, Ultra-Expensive Blackphone – pando.com
• Android App Aims to Permit Wiretap-Proof Cell Phone Calls – forbes.com
• Switching Threats to Privacy: Moxie Marlinspike on Privacy Threats at Defcon – privacy-pc.com
• Twitter Nabs The Two Guys Behind Mobile Security Startup Whisper Systems – techcrunch.com
• Private Text and Talk for Android – whispersystems.org
• TextSecure :: Private SMS/MMS (for Android) – pcmag.com
• Auditors Find Encrypted Talk Client TextSecure Is Secure – theregister.co.uk
• A Security Audit Exposes That TextSecure App Is Vulnerable to Unknown Key-Share Attack – securityaffairs.co
• Open Whisper Systems – twitter.com
• Open Whisper Systems Playmates with WhatsApp to Provide End-To-End Encryption – whispersystems.org
• Hackers Build Android Encryption Apps For Egypt – forbes.com
• Surespot Encrypted Messenger – appannie.com
• School of Privacy – school-of-privacy.com
• surespot – surespot.me
• Surespot Encrypted Messenger – itunes.apple.com
• FAQ and Support – surespot.me
• Meet Telegram, A Secure Messaging App From The Founders Of VK, Russia’s Largest Social Network – techcrunch.com
• Telegram Applications – telegram.org
• Telegram – play.google.com
• Telegram Reaches one Billion Daily Messages – telegram.org
• Can You Trust ‘Secure’ Messaging Apps? – bits.blogs.nytimes.com

KeriLynn is a content marketing specialist and writer at Awesome Motive. Before that, she worked as a freelance writer for various websites. She is an advocate for domestic manhandle victims and has way too many hobbies. KeriLynn lives in Connecticut.

True Private Messaging: seven Apps to Encrypt Your Talks

True Private Messaging: seven Apps to Encrypt Your Talks

Blog » True Private Messaging: seven Apps to Encrypt Your Talks

Are your text messages private and secure? Or are they vulnerable to prying eyes?

Given the news lately, it’s safe to assume they’re not.

It’s been exposed that the National Security Agency has been collecting text messages for years — up to two hundred million a day. They collect everything they can from anyone they can, from phones all over the globe. Just by analyzing your text messages, they can extrapolate who you’re talking to, how often and about what, your location at any given time, and even glean information about your financial transactions.

They may even be assisted by carelessly designed apps on your smartphone. Many so-called “leaky apps” are exploited by government organizations to mine even more sensitive data about their users. A surprising number of the most popular messaging apps are insecure, as their creators put usability and features over the security and privacy of their users.

Other apps are purposely harvesting your information, taking advantage of the privileges and permissions you grant them when they’re installed. One famous example is the Facebook messaging app, which sparked a storm of controversy over all the permissions the app asked for upon installation. Since Facebook’s entire business model is built on selling your data to advertisers, why wouldn’t they attempt to harvest as much of it as they could with a fresh app?

The controversy didn’t last long, however, and millions of people determined to download the app anyway. As Facebook knows, most people don’t pay attention to the fine print, and even if they do, they’re willing to trade their right to privacy in exchange for convenience.

But what if you turn down to give up your privacy? What if you know that having “nothing to hide” is a dangerous fallacy, and understand the dangers of letting individual information fall into the wrong mitts to be used against you?

If you want to protect your privacy while messaging on your smartphone, it’s vital to use a secure app. Here are the top seven apps we found that can help you protect your privacy.

True Private Messaging: seven Apps to Encrypt Your Talks

Are your text messages and IMs safe? Given the skill of extensive government surveillance programs that resumes to leak out and the massive tracking programs corporations use to keep tabs on consumers, it’s a fair question to ask. There are a number of apps that can keep individual messages private, however there are some things you should keep in mind before using them.

Wickr

• Doesn’t require users to upload their contact list
• Users can set auto-destruct timers on messages from one 2nd to six days
• Talk with up to ten people at a time in a group
• Wiped messages are deleted from the hard drive of the device
• Users can delete metadata from their messages
• 100% ad-free

• Can only talk with other users of the Wickr app
• Wickr’s cryptography hasn’t been made open source so that its strength can be monitored by outside parties
• Users who have forgotten their password will be locked out of their account
  • Wickr is working on a way for users to switch their password, but it will still require them to know their initial password

• Wickr supports twenty three languages
• Named the Official App of the Oslo Freedom Forum
• Wicker has suggested a $100,000 bounty to anyone who can find a bug that affects the integrity of their system

Cryptocat

• Encryption is open source and can be reviewed
• Users can send encrypted files to one another
• Cryptocat messages practice ideal forward security
• Should someone hack the system in the future, past messages would not be readable
• Facebook users can use Cryptocat to have encrypted conversations with other Facebook+Cryptocat users

• Can only encrypt messages inbetween Cryptocat users
• App does not mask IP address

• Given a ideal score by the Electronic Freedom Foundation’s Secure Messaging Scorecard
• In 2013, the Iranian government blocked citizens from accessing Cryptocat
• Ranked very first (along with Threema and Surespot) by the German PSW Group for secure messaging apps

Threema

• Ad-free
• No message data is stored on Threema’s servers
• Users can talk anonymously
• Securely finds friends by encrypting contact list
• Users can verify the ID of other users by scanning their QR codes
  • A user can confirm that the public key they have for an individual is correct by scanning that person’s QR code
• Color-coded messages display users how sure they can be that another user is who they claim to be

• Cryptography is not open source
• If users lose their private key/passcode, they cannot be restored
• Only one Threema ID can be associated with a single device

• The app’s servers are located in Switzerland, where the software was designed
• In February 2014, downloads of Threema doubled in twenty four hours
• This took place shortly after the acquisition of WhatsApp by Facebook

Silent Text (Part of Silent Circle)

• Silent Circle plans range from $9.95/mo to $39.95/mo

• Private keys are stored on user devices, not Silent Circle servers
• Users can send files up to one hundred MB that are automatically encrypted by the service
• Messages can be set to self-destruct after a certain amount of time has passed
• Messages can also be by hand deleted from both devices by the sender at any time
• Messages are secured and encrypted from end to end
• Fresh encryption keys are created for each conversation, and then ruined

• App only usable by Silent Circle subscribers
• Silent Text users can only communicate with other Silent Text users
• Encryption is not open-source

• Two of the company co-founders are ex-Navy Seals
• Phil Zimmermann was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame
• He created Pretty Good Privacy (PGP), an email encryption method

TextSecure

• Moxie Marlinspike (AKA Matthew Rosenfeld)
• Stuart Anderson

• Encryption is open source
• Users can talk in groups
• Messages are encrypted locally
• Can automatically detect if message recipients are TextSecure users

• Sometimes has trouble sending pics/movies/audio clips
• If a user’s password is cached in the phone, fresh texts will show up in plain text in the notification center
• This would permit User A to trick User B into sending a message intended for User A to a third user without User B’s skill

• WhisperSystems, the company behind TextSecure, consists only of two people:
  • Moxie Marlinspike
  • Stuart Anderson
• WhisperSystems partnered with WhatsApp in November two thousand fourteen to encrypt users’ messages by default using their TextSecure protocol
• Billions of encrypted messages are sent daily through this partnership
• TextSecure was used by Egyptian dissidents in 2011

surespot

• Ad-free
• Encryption is open source
• Users do not need to create an account with their email address or phone number
• Features end-to-end encryption
• Numerous IDs are possible on the same device
• Voice messaging is available

• Passwords cannot be reset or restored
• Does not practice flawless forward security
• Can only communicate with other surespot users

Telegram Secret Talks

• Ad-free
• Encryption is open source
• Users can talk with up to two hundred people in a group
• Messages can be set with an auto-destruct timer
• Messages are encrypted end-to-end
• Users can talk, send multimedia messages, or share files

• Users have to choose to communicate through secret talks

• Telegram has fifty million monthly users
• Over one billion messages are sent through Telegram daily
• Telegram offers a $300,000 bounty to anyone that can break their encryption protocol
• Their $200,000 bounty for 2013-2014 went unclaimed

As cryptographer and security experienced Bruce Schneier says, “You shouldn’t use them if your life is on the line.” But for anyone who wants to keep their private messages exactly that — private — secure messaging apps are a good fit.

Sources

• Wickr: Can the Snapchat for Grown-Ups Save You From Spies? – mashable.com
• You Can Now Send Self-Destructing Wickr Messages from Your Computer – mashable.com
• Wickr – itunes.apple.com
• Wickr – Top-Secret Messenger – wickr.com
• Wickr – Meet the Team – wickr.com
• How Wickr Works – wickr.com
• Secure Messaging App Wickr Adds twenty two Languages To Give More People A Private Voice – techcrunch.com
• Cryptocat Encryption App Maker Apologizes, Swats Bug – pcworld.com
• Cryptocat – chrome.google.com
• Private Talk Can Be Effortless and Accessible – crypto.cat
• Cryptocat Aims for Easy-to-use Encrypted IM Talk – pcworld.com
• Cryptocat Blog – blog.crypto.cat
• Encrypted Talk Service ‘Cryptocat’ Released iOS App – thehackernews.com
• Cryptocat, Now with Encrypted Facebook Talk – blog.crypto.cat
• Secure Messaging Scoreboard – eff.org
• Iran Blocks Encrypted Talk Service Despite Claims of Internet Freedom – mashable.com
• The Results of Our Superb Messenger Assay – translate.google.com
• The Swiss Reaction to WhatsApp – translate.google.com
• The Lord of the Manor – translate.google.com
• Threema – threema.ch
• FAQ – play.google.com
• Threema – amazon.com
• Threema – threema.ch
• Whatsapp Competitor Threema Doubled the Number of Users – translate.google.com
• An Internet Hall Of Famer And Some Navy Seals Want To Make Your iPhone Safer – businessinsider.com
• Vinnie Moscaritolo – linkedin.com
• Plans & Pricing – silentcircle.com
• Philip Zimmermann – internethalloffame.org
• Idealism Costs: Silent Circle Announces Ultra-Private, Ultra-Expensive Blackphone – pando.com
• Android App Aims to Permit Wiretap-Proof Cell Phone Calls – forbes.com
• Switching Threats to Privacy: Moxie Marlinspike on Privacy Threats at Defcon – privacy-pc.com
• Twitter Nabs The Two Guys Behind Mobile Security Startup Whisper Systems – techcrunch.com
• Private Text and Talk for Android – whispersystems.org
• TextSecure :: Private SMS/MMS (for Android) – pcmag.com
• Auditors Find Encrypted Talk Client TextSecure Is Secure – theregister.co.uk
• A Security Audit Exposes That TextSecure App Is Vulnerable to Unknown Key-Share Attack – securityaffairs.co
• Open Whisper Systems – twitter.com
• Open Whisper Systems Fucking partners with WhatsApp to Provide End-To-End Encryption – whispersystems.org
• Hackers Build Android Encryption Apps For Egypt – forbes.com
• Surespot Encrypted Messenger – appannie.com
• School of Privacy – school-of-privacy.com
• surespot – surespot.me
• Surespot Encrypted Messenger – itunes.apple.com
• FAQ and Support – surespot.me
• Meet Telegram, A Secure Messaging App From The Founders Of VK, Russia’s Largest Social Network – techcrunch.com
• Telegram Applications – telegram.org
• Telegram – play.google.com
• Telegram Reaches one Billion Daily Messages – telegram.org
• Can You Trust ‘Secure’ Messaging Apps? – bits.blogs.nytimes.com

KeriLynn is a content marketing specialist and writer at Awesome Motive. Before that, she worked as a freelance writer for various websites. She is an advocate for domestic manhandle victims and has way too many hobbies. KeriLynn lives in Connecticut.

True Private Messaging: seven Apps to Encrypt Your Talks

True Private Messaging: seven Apps to Encrypt Your Talks

Blog » True Private Messaging: seven Apps to Encrypt Your Talks

Are your text messages private and secure? Or are they vulnerable to prying eyes?

Given the news lately, it’s safe to assume they’re not.

It’s been exposed that the National Security Agency has been collecting text messages for years — up to two hundred million a day. They collect everything they can from anyone they can, from phones all over the globe. Just by analyzing your text messages, they can extrapolate who you’re talking to, how often and about what, your location at any given time, and even glean information about your financial transactions.

They may even be assisted by carelessly designed apps on your smartphone. Many so-called “leaky apps” are exploited by government organizations to mine even more sensitive data about their users. A surprising number of the most popular messaging apps are insecure, as their creators put usability and features over the security and privacy of their users.

Other apps are purposely harvesting your information, taking advantage of the privileges and permissions you grant them when they’re installed. One famous example is the Facebook messaging app, which sparked a storm of controversy over all the permissions the app asked for upon installation. Since Facebook’s entire business model is built on selling your data to advertisers, why wouldn’t they attempt to harvest as much of it as they could with a fresh app?

The controversy didn’t last long, however, and millions of people determined to download the app anyway. As Facebook knows, most people don’t pay attention to the fine print, and even if they do, they’re willing to trade their right to privacy in exchange for convenience.

But what if you reject to give up your privacy? What if you know that having “nothing to hide” is a dangerous fallacy, and understand the dangers of letting individual information fall into the wrong forearms to be used against you?

If you want to protect your privacy while messaging on your smartphone, it’s vital to use a secure app. Here are the top seven apps we found that can help you protect your privacy.

True Private Messaging: seven Apps to Encrypt Your Talks

Are your text messages and IMs safe? Given the skill of extensive government surveillance programs that resumes to leak out and the massive tracking programs corporations use to keep tabs on consumers, it’s a fair question to ask. There are a number of apps that can keep private messages private, however there are some things you should keep in mind before using them.

Wickr

• Doesn’t require users to upload their contact list
• Users can set auto-destruct timers on messages from one 2nd to six days
• Talk with up to ten people at a time in a group
• Wiped messages are deleted from the hard drive of the device
• Users can delete metadata from their messages
• 100% ad-free

• Can only talk with other users of the Wickr app
• Wickr’s cryptography hasn’t been made open source so that its strength can be monitored by outside parties
• Users who have forgotten their password will be locked out of their account
  • Wickr is working on a way for users to switch their password, but it will still require them to know their initial password

• Wickr supports twenty three languages
• Named the Official App of the Oslo Freedom Forum
• Wicker has suggested a $100,000 bounty to anyone who can find a bug that affects the integrity of their system

Cryptocat

• Encryption is open source and can be reviewed
• Users can send encrypted files to one another
• Cryptocat messages practice ideal forward security
• Should someone hack the system in the future, past messages would not be readable
• Facebook users can use Cryptocat to have encrypted conversations with other Facebook+Cryptocat users

• Can only encrypt messages inbetween Cryptocat users
• App does not mask IP address

• Given a ideal score by the Electronic Freedom Foundation’s Secure Messaging Scorecard
• In 2013, the Iranian government blocked citizens from accessing Cryptocat
• Ranked very first (along with Threema and Surespot) by the German PSW Group for secure messaging apps

Threema

• Ad-free
• No message data is stored on Threema’s servers
• Users can talk anonymously
• Securely finds friends by encrypting contact list
• Users can verify the ID of other users by scanning their QR codes
  • A user can confirm that the public key they have for an individual is correct by scanning that person’s QR code
• Color-coded messages demonstrate users how sure they can be that another user is who they claim to be

• Cryptography is not open source
• If users lose their private key/passcode, they cannot be restored
• Only one Threema ID can be associated with a single device

• The app’s servers are located in Switzerland, where the software was designed
• In February 2014, downloads of Threema doubled in twenty four hours
• This took place shortly after the acquisition of WhatsApp by Facebook

Silent Text (Part of Silent Circle)

• Silent Circle plans range from $9.95/mo to $39.95/mo

• Private keys are stored on user devices, not Silent Circle servers
• Users can send files up to one hundred MB that are automatically encrypted by the service
• Messages can be set to self-destruct after a certain amount of time has passed
• Messages can also be by hand deleted from both devices by the sender at any time
• Messages are secured and encrypted from end to end
• Fresh encryption keys are created for each conversation, and then demolished

• App only usable by Silent Circle subscribers
• Silent Text users can only communicate with other Silent Text users
• Encryption is not open-source

• Two of the company co-founders are ex-Navy Seals
• Phil Zimmermann was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame
• He created Pretty Good Privacy (PGP), an email encryption method

TextSecure

• Moxie Marlinspike (AKA Matthew Rosenfeld)
• Stuart Anderson

• Encryption is open source
• Users can talk in groups
• Messages are encrypted locally
• Can automatically detect if message recipients are TextSecure users

• Sometimes has trouble sending photos/movies/audio clips
• If a user’s password is cached in the phone, fresh texts will emerge in plain text in the notification center
• This would permit User A to trick User B into sending a message intended for User A to a third user without User B’s skill

• WhisperSystems, the company behind TextSecure, consists only of two people:
  • Moxie Marlinspike
  • Stuart Anderson
• WhisperSystems partnered with WhatsApp in November two thousand fourteen to encrypt users’ messages by default using their TextSecure protocol
• Billions of encrypted messages are sent daily through this partnership
• TextSecure was used by Egyptian dissidents in 2011

surespot

• Ad-free
• Encryption is open source
• Users do not need to create an account with their email address or phone number
• Features end-to-end encryption
• Numerous IDs are possible on the same device
• Voice messaging is available

• Passwords cannot be reset or restored
• Does not practice ideal forward security
• Can only communicate with other surespot users

Telegram Secret Talks

• Ad-free
• Encryption is open source
• Users can talk with up to two hundred people in a group
• Messages can be set with an auto-destruct timer
• Messages are encrypted end-to-end
• Users can talk, send multimedia messages, or share files

• Users have to choose to communicate through secret talks

• Telegram has fifty million monthly users
• Over one billion messages are sent through Telegram daily
• Telegram offers a $300,000 bounty to anyone that can break their encryption protocol
• Their $200,000 bounty for 2013-2014 went unclaimed

As cryptographer and security pro Bruce Schneier says, “You shouldn’t use them if your life is on the line.” But for anyone who wants to keep their private messages exactly that — private — secure messaging apps are a good fit.

Sources

• Wickr: Can the Snapchat for Grown-Ups Save You From Spies? – mashable.com
• You Can Now Send Self-Destructing Wickr Messages from Your Computer – mashable.com
• Wickr – itunes.apple.com
• Wickr – Top-Secret Messenger – wickr.com
• Wickr – Meet the Team – wickr.com
• How Wickr Works – wickr.com
• Secure Messaging App Wickr Adds twenty two Languages To Give More People A Private Voice – techcrunch.com
• Cryptocat Encryption App Maker Apologizes, Swats Bug – pcworld.com
• Cryptocat – chrome.google.com
• Private Talk Can Be Effortless and Accessible – crypto.cat
• Cryptocat Aims for Easy-to-use Encrypted IM Talk – pcworld.com
• Cryptocat Blog – blog.crypto.cat
• Encrypted Talk Service ‘Cryptocat’ Released iOS App – thehackernews.com
• Cryptocat, Now with Encrypted Facebook Talk – blog.crypto.cat
• Secure Messaging Scoreboard – eff.org
• Iran Blocks Encrypted Talk Service Despite Claims of Internet Freedom – mashable.com
• The Results of Our Fine Messenger Assay – translate.google.com
• The Swiss Response to WhatsApp – translate.google.com
• The Lord of the Manor – translate.google.com
• Threema – threema.ch
• FAQ – play.google.com
• Threema – amazon.com
• Threema – threema.ch
• Whatsapp Competitor Threema Doubled the Number of Users – translate.google.com
• An Internet Hall Of Famer And Some Navy Seals Want To Make Your iPhone Safer – businessinsider.com
• Vinnie Moscaritolo – linkedin.com
• Plans & Pricing – silentcircle.com
• Philip Zimmermann – internethalloffame.org
• Idealism Costs: Silent Circle Announces Ultra-Private, Ultra-Expensive Blackphone – pando.com
• Android App Aims to Permit Wiretap-Proof Cell Phone Calls – forbes.com
• Switching Threats to Privacy: Moxie Marlinspike on Privacy Threats at Defcon – privacy-pc.com
• Twitter Nabs The Two Guys Behind Mobile Security Startup Whisper Systems – techcrunch.com
• Private Text and Talk for Android – whispersystems.org
• TextSecure :: Private SMS/MMS (for Android) – pcmag.com
• Auditors Find Encrypted Talk Client TextSecure Is Secure – theregister.co.uk
• A Security Audit Exposes That TextSecure App Is Vulnerable to Unknown Key-Share Attack – securityaffairs.co
• Open Whisper Systems – twitter.com
• Open Whisper Systems Playmates with WhatsApp to Provide End-To-End Encryption – whispersystems.org
• Hackers Build Android Encryption Apps For Egypt – forbes.com
• Surespot Encrypted Messenger – appannie.com
• School of Privacy – school-of-privacy.com
• surespot – surespot.me
• Surespot Encrypted Messenger – itunes.apple.com
• FAQ and Support – surespot.me
• Meet Telegram, A Secure Messaging App From The Founders Of VK, Russia’s Largest Social Network – techcrunch.com
• Telegram Applications – telegram.org
• Telegram – play.google.com
• Telegram Reaches one Billion Daily Messages – telegram.org
• Can You Trust ‘Secure’ Messaging Apps? – bits.blogs.nytimes.com

KeriLynn is a content marketing specialist and writer at Awesome Motive. Before that, she worked as a freelance writer for various websites. She is an advocate for domestic manhandle victims and has way too many hobbies. KeriLynn lives in Connecticut.

True Private Messaging: seven Apps to Encrypt Your Talks

True Private Messaging: seven Apps to Encrypt Your Talks

Blog » True Private Messaging: seven Apps to Encrypt Your Talks

Are your text messages private and secure? Or are they vulnerable to prying eyes?

Given the news lately, it’s safe to assume they’re not.

It’s been exposed that the National Security Agency has been collecting text messages for years — up to two hundred million a day. They collect everything they can from anyone they can, from phones all over the globe. Just by analyzing your text messages, they can extrapolate who you’re talking to, how often and about what, your location at any given time, and even glean information about your financial transactions.

They may even be assisted by carelessly designed apps on your smartphone. Many so-called “leaky apps” are exploited by government organizations to mine even more sensitive data about their users. A surprising number of the most popular messaging apps are insecure, as their creators put usability and features over the security and privacy of their users.

Other apps are purposely harvesting your information, taking advantage of the privileges and permissions you grant them when they’re installed. One famous example is the Facebook messaging app, which sparked a storm of controversy over all the permissions the app asked for upon installation. Since Facebook’s entire business model is built on selling your data to advertisers, why wouldn’t they attempt to harvest as much of it as they could with a fresh app?

The controversy didn’t last long, however, and millions of people determined to download the app anyway. As Facebook knows, most people don’t pay attention to the fine print, and even if they do, they’re willing to trade their right to privacy in exchange for convenience.

But what if you deny to give up your privacy? What if you know that having “nothing to hide” is a dangerous fallacy, and understand the dangers of letting private information fall into the wrong mitts to be used against you?

If you want to protect your privacy while messaging on your smartphone, it’s vital to use a secure app. Here are the top seven apps we found that can help you protect your privacy.

True Private Messaging: seven Apps to Encrypt Your Talks

Are your text messages and IMs safe? Given the skill of extensive government surveillance programs that resumes to leak out and the massive tracking programs corporations use to keep tabs on consumers, it’s a fair question to ask. There are a number of apps that can keep individual messages private, tho’ there are some things you should keep in mind before using them.

Wickr

• Doesn’t require users to upload their contact list
• Users can set auto-destruct timers on messages from one 2nd to six days
• Talk with up to ten people at a time in a group
• Wiped messages are deleted from the hard drive of the device
• Users can delete metadata from their messages
• 100% ad-free

• Can only talk with other users of the Wickr app
• Wickr’s cryptography hasn’t been made open source so that its strength can be monitored by outside parties
• Users who have forgotten their password will be locked out of their account
  • Wickr is working on a way for users to switch their password, but it will still require them to know their initial password

• Wickr supports twenty three languages
• Named the Official App of the Oslo Freedom Forum
• Wicker has suggested a $100,000 bounty to anyone who can find a bug that affects the integrity of their system

Cryptocat

• Encryption is open source and can be reviewed
• Users can send encrypted files to one another
• Cryptocat messages practice flawless forward security
• Should someone hack the system in the future, past messages would not be readable
• Facebook users can use Cryptocat to have encrypted conversations with other Facebook+Cryptocat users

• Can only encrypt messages inbetween Cryptocat users
• App does not mask IP address

• Given a flawless score by the Electronic Freedom Foundation’s Secure Messaging Scorecard
• In 2013, the Iranian government blocked citizens from accessing Cryptocat
• Ranked very first (along with Threema and Surespot) by the German PSW Group for secure messaging apps

Threema

• Ad-free
• No message data is stored on Threema’s servers
• Users can talk anonymously
• Securely finds friends by encrypting contact list
• Users can verify the ID of other users by scanning their QR codes
  • A user can confirm that the public key they have for an individual is correct by scanning that person’s QR code
• Color-coded messages demonstrate users how sure they can be that another user is who they claim to be

• Cryptography is not open source
• If users lose their private key/passcode, they cannot be restored
• Only one Threema ID can be associated with a single device

• The app’s servers are located in Switzerland, where the software was designed
• In February 2014, downloads of Threema doubled in twenty four hours
• This took place shortly after the acquisition of WhatsApp by Facebook

Silent Text (Part of Silent Circle)

• Silent Circle plans range from $9.95/mo to $39.95/mo

• Private keys are stored on user devices, not Silent Circle servers
• Users can send files up to one hundred MB that are automatically encrypted by the service
• Messages can be set to self-destruct after a certain amount of time has passed
• Messages can also be by hand deleted from both devices by the sender at any time
• Messages are secured and encrypted from end to end
• Fresh encryption keys are created for each conversation, and then ruined

• App only usable by Silent Circle subscribers
• Silent Text users can only communicate with other Silent Text users
• Encryption is not open-source

• Two of the company co-founders are ex-Navy Seals
• Phil Zimmermann was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame
• He created Pretty Good Privacy (PGP), an email encryption method

TextSecure

• Moxie Marlinspike (AKA Matthew Rosenfeld)
• Stuart Anderson

• Encryption is open source
• Users can talk in groups
• Messages are encrypted locally
• Can automatically detect if message recipients are TextSecure users

• Sometimes has trouble sending pictures/movies/audio clips
• If a user’s password is cached in the phone, fresh texts will show up in plain text in the notification center
• This would permit User A to trick User B into sending a message intended for User A to a third user without User B’s skill

• WhisperSystems, the company behind TextSecure, consists only of two people:
  • Moxie Marlinspike
  • Stuart Anderson
• WhisperSystems partnered with WhatsApp in November two thousand fourteen to encrypt users’ messages by default using their TextSecure protocol
• Billions of encrypted messages are sent daily through this partnership
• TextSecure was used by Egyptian dissidents in 2011

surespot

• Ad-free
• Encryption is open source
• Users do not need to create an account with their email address or phone number
• Features end-to-end encryption
• Numerous IDs are possible on the same device
• Voice messaging is available

• Passwords cannot be reset or restored
• Does not practice flawless forward security
• Can only communicate with other surespot users

Telegram Secret Talks

• Ad-free
• Encryption is open source
• Users can talk with up to two hundred people in a group
• Messages can be set with an auto-destruct timer
• Messages are encrypted end-to-end
• Users can talk, send multimedia messages, or share files

• Users have to choose to communicate through secret talks

• Telegram has fifty million monthly users
• Over one billion messages are sent through Telegram daily
• Telegram offers a $300,000 bounty to anyone that can break their encryption protocol
• Their $200,000 bounty for 2013-2014 went unclaimed

As cryptographer and security pro Bruce Schneier says, “You shouldn’t use them if your life is on the line.” But for anyone who wants to keep their private messages exactly that — private — secure messaging apps are a good fit.

Sources

• Wickr: Can the Snapchat for Grown-Ups Save You From Spies? – mashable.com
• You Can Now Send Self-Destructing Wickr Messages from Your Computer – mashable.com
• Wickr – itunes.apple.com
• Wickr – Top-Secret Messenger – wickr.com
• Wickr – Meet the Team – wickr.com
• How Wickr Works – wickr.com
• Secure Messaging App Wickr Adds twenty two Languages To Give More People A Private Voice – techcrunch.com
• Cryptocat Encryption App Maker Apologizes, Swats Bug – pcworld.com
• Cryptocat – chrome.google.com
• Private Talk Can Be Effortless and Accessible – crypto.cat
• Cryptocat Aims for Easy-to-use Encrypted IM Talk – pcworld.com
• Cryptocat Blog – blog.crypto.cat
• Encrypted Talk Service ‘Cryptocat’ Released iOS App – thehackernews.com
• Cryptocat, Now with Encrypted Facebook Talk – blog.crypto.cat
• Secure Messaging Scoreboard – eff.org
• Iran Blocks Encrypted Talk Service Despite Claims of Internet Freedom – mashable.com
• The Results of Our Good Messenger Assay – translate.google.com
• The Swiss Reaction to WhatsApp – translate.google.com
• The Lord of the Manor – translate.google.com
• Threema – threema.ch
• FAQ – play.google.com
• Threema – amazon.com
• Threema – threema.ch
• Whatsapp Competitor Threema Doubled the Number of Users – translate.google.com
• An Internet Hall Of Famer And Some Navy Seals Want To Make Your iPhone Safer – businessinsider.com
• Vinnie Moscaritolo – linkedin.com
• Plans & Pricing – silentcircle.com
• Philip Zimmermann – internethalloffame.org
• Idealism Costs: Silent Circle Announces Ultra-Private, Ultra-Expensive Blackphone – pando.com
• Android App Aims to Permit Wiretap-Proof Cell Phone Calls – forbes.com
• Switching Threats to Privacy: Moxie Marlinspike on Privacy Threats at Defcon – privacy-pc.com
• Twitter Nabs The Two Guys Behind Mobile Security Startup Whisper Systems – techcrunch.com
• Private Text and Talk for Android – whispersystems.org
• TextSecure :: Private SMS/MMS (for Android) – pcmag.com
• Auditors Find Encrypted Talk Client TextSecure Is Secure – theregister.co.uk
• A Security Audit Exposes That TextSecure App Is Vulnerable to Unknown Key-Share Attack – securityaffairs.co
• Open Whisper Systems – twitter.com
• Open Whisper Systems Playmates with WhatsApp to Provide End-To-End Encryption – whispersystems.org
• Hackers Build Android Encryption Apps For Egypt – forbes.com
• Surespot Encrypted Messenger – appannie.com
• School of Privacy – school-of-privacy.com
• surespot – surespot.me
• Surespot Encrypted Messenger – itunes.apple.com
• FAQ and Support – surespot.me
• Meet Telegram, A Secure Messaging App From The Founders Of VK, Russia’s Largest Social Network – techcrunch.com
• Telegram Applications – telegram.org
• Telegram – play.google.com
• Telegram Reaches one Billion Daily Messages – telegram.org
• Can You Trust ‘Secure’ Messaging Apps? – bits.blogs.nytimes.com

KeriLynn is a content marketing specialist and writer at Awesome Motive. Before that, she worked as a freelance writer for various websites. She is an advocate for domestic manhandle victims and has way too many hobbies. KeriLynn lives in Connecticut.

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