this post was submitted on 19 Sep 2023
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The Signal messenger and protocol.
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I'm not a cryptography expert, or even a security expert, or even more than middling proficient with computers. Could someone with actual skill in this field read this and pipe in with an opinion on if this is actually sufficient to start with or just a layer of false security?
Just for a point of reference, Moxie Marlinspike was probably one of the biggest names in breaking encryption standards before he started Signal.
And as a lifelong anarchist, the sort of person who designs a protocol with the NSA as the imagined adversary.
If you were going to put faith in an individual regarding crypto choices, I'm not sure there's anyone else I'd recommend moreso.
Didn't he leave signal though? I'm not saying that means signal sucks now, but he's not CEO anymore.
Yes. He's still on the board. He stepped down because he had worked towards integration of a traceless and private crypto option for payments which critics felt made Signal more of a target for governments and to be used by criminal elements.
He was replaced as CEO by the previous co-founder of WhatsApp who used money from the sale to bankroll Signal.
But the idea Moxie isn't involved in crypto decisions for Signal is ludicrous. There's no way he's not actively being involved in protocol discussions.
Not an expert, but what i read here is that they will be using 2 locks. e.g. one traditional key based lock and another fingerprint based lock, and when you need to open the door, you need to open both the locks.
But does that actually give decent protection against quantum decryption?
I don't actually expect you to answer that question, it's pretty pertinent though.
From https://signal.org/docs/specifications/pqxdh/#passive-quantum-adversaries
Also:
Basically this makes it pointless to collect any data now with the intent to decrypt it in the future - e.g. the NSA collecting all your encrypted messages to decrypt them all in 5-10 years once they have a capable quantum computer.
It does not protect against an active quantum attacker - of which there are currently none, so work in the field is likely expected to continue.
OK, cool, thanks for the disambiguation. So kinda actual protection, but at the same time lip service. I'll take that.
Also remember that this is only a layer of added protection. Work on this will continue. But this is more than what any other player in this market space currently offers.