End-to-End Encryption Isn’t as Safe as You Think!
This post hasn't been updated for 4 years
What Makes an Enterprise Messaging Platform More Secure & Encrypted?
It’s always said that using an encrypted messaging tool like WhatsApp or Signal for business interaction and privacy control is picture-perfect.
“An end-to-end encryption isn’t a privacy panacea anymore”.
The purpose of encrypted communication for mainstream usage has been so complicated. But there are some apps like WhatsApp and Signal that make the privacy of messages more accessible and effectuating.
With all these security features that these apps offer, like Advanced encryption H-256, and disappearing of messages after a certain period of time may bring you peace of mind, but these secure real-time messaging apps aren’t a perfect security.
As technology meets huge upgrades everyday, there’s always a chance for risk of theft and messages can be read.
End-to-end Encryption Is Like Your Bodyguard
End-to-end encryption changes the message/multimedia into untraceable chunks of data once the message has been sent from the server. Once the message has been sent from the sender server, along the entire journey towards the client-server and device, the data has been protected from unauthorized access or prying eyes.
It’s just like a bodyguard who picks you up from your home, rides into the traffic, around your car and walks with you to the entrance. The entire E2E encryption process carried in any messaging platform has been explained below.
Your entire message is safe in and around the transmission of data, but this shouldn’t end here.
Modern Enterprise Messaging Platforms Deserves More Than End-to-end Encryption
Encryption isn’t magic. Even the most sought-after encryption platforms get it wrong. So you and your entire conversation may get screwed.
In an FBI investigation, the FBI was able to access the Signal messages which was sent by the former Senate Intelligence Committee aide James Wolfe. Some of the information about the encrypted messages are reported by the New York Times.
After the justice, the department seized the communication from the encrypted server for records. It’s quite undiscoverable how the FBI got access to the encrypted chats from the application.
To all these crypto-breaking backdoors, there’s something that could bring trust to encrypted messaging platforms. Some underrated protocols & OS are available in the market such as OMEMO and Rattlesnake OS designed specifically for a secure messaging experience across any device. The underrated encryption protocols & OS are offered by enterprise messaging solutions like MirrorFly in the market.
OMEMO protocol is multi-client end-to-end encryption which uses the Double Ratchet Algorithm to offer multi-end E2EE. As we discussed the OMEMO encryption uses Double Ratchet Algorithm, it offers few features;
- Symmetric end-to-end encryption:
- Independent Key Renewal
- Forward Secrecy
- No lost or Out-of-order messages
- Plausible Key Renewal
Symmetric end-to-end encryption Once the data has been sent, the data which as messages encrypted on the sender’s end and decrypted on all the recipient's end with the same key. The symmetric algorithm eases the key exchange.
Independent Key Renewal In this algorithm, it doesn’t require a peer or public key infrastructure to get the new keys, instead, it uses key derivation function (KDF).
Forward secrecy It uses unique ephemeral keys for every message. If a particular set is compromised, then all other messages remain encrypted with different keys.
Plausible Deniability If a message gets intercepted, snoopers won’t be able to determine who has sent it.
Out-of-order Messages or No lost Each of the messages is embedded with a session number on the header so, if a message gets undelivered, it won’t mess up with the key derivation chain.
The Working of Double Ratchet Algorithm
The actual encryption of messages uses AES-256 cipher which provides quantum-resistant scrambling of the data/messages which is reversible only if you have the key. This is considered as the hard part where the hard part is of sharing the key over the unsecured channel with N number of recipients. In one-to-one communication, the process is handled by the Diffie Hellman (DH) key exchange. Dob Ratchet Algorithm is the ideal way to perform multiple Diffie-Hellman key exchanges simultaneously. The entire communication is handled by running two ratched algorithms in parallel, namely;
- Root chain,
- Sender and receiver chains
On the other hand, Rattlesnake OS is primarily used in defense communication possibilities. The Rattlesnake OS makes use of the cross-platform tool which uses AWS infrastructure to build your own operating system.
Benefits of RattleSnake OS for Messaging Platforms
- Customizable chat channels can be built on RattleSnake OS just like iOS & Android.
- The RattleSnake OS meant for chat supports Google Pixel smartphones and other brands.
- It contains many security-hardened features.
- Messaging Platforms built on RattleSnake OS acts as a mixed security layer of E2EE and OS security features.
End-to-end encrypted messaging Platforms are just like tools, and like any other tool, they possess limited uses
While the entire end-to-end encrypted messaging platforms are the significant leaders in the market which can prevent many types of massage, data access, still you need to understand how other advanced attackers and government access the chat logs. Choosing some encrypted messaging platform may put you to unknown risk factors. Some enterprise secure messaging platforms haven’t enabled any services to evaluate their messaging cryptography.
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