Messaging application is one of the best if not the Most important applications we use
Daily. Whether it is in touch with family and friends all over
world, contact colleagues or run business activities, messaging apps like
WhatsApp, iMessage, Skype and Facebook Messenger play an important part in us
Daily contact information.

We often share things like personal photos or business
Confidential and legal documents about messaging apps, information we don't want
to give to the wrong people. But how far can we trust your message
Application to protect all our confidential messages and sensitive information?

Here are some guidelines to help you evaluate
The level of security that your favorite messaging app will provide.

A few words about coding

Of course, all messaging platforms claim to encrypt your data. Encryption uses mathematical equations to tamper with your data during conversion to prevent eavesdroppers from reading your messages.

Consistent encryption ensures that only the sender and
The message recipient will be aware of its content. However not all types
The coding is done the same.

The most secure messaging applications are those that provide end-to-end encryption (E2EE). EEE
The app only stores the decryption key on the user's device. E2EE does not just protect you
communication against eavesdroppers, but also ensures that the company
Won won app store can read your messages. This also means
Your messages will be protected against data breaches and guaranteed intrusions by
three word organ.

More and more messaging applications are provided
terminal encryption. Signal is one of the first platforms to support E2EE.
In recent years, other applications have adopted Signal encryption
or have developed their own E2EE technology. Examples include WhatsApp, Wickr
and iMessage.

Facebook Messenger and Telegram also support E2EE messaging,
Although it is not enabled by default, this makes them less secure. So does Skype
Added a recent Private Chats option that gives you from start to finish
Encrypt on a conversation of your choice.

Google Hang Hangouts does not support end-to-end encryption,
but the company offers Allo and Duo, text messaging and video conferencing
Terminal encrypted applications.

Delete the message

There is more to security than just encrypting the message. What
if your device or the device of the person you are chatting with is hacked either
fall into the wrong hands? In that case, encryption will be of little use,
because malicious actors will be able to see the message in their unencrypted section
Format.

The best way to protect your messages is to remove them
when you don't need them anymore. This ensures that even if your device
become compromised, malicious actors have gained access to your secrets and
sensitive message.

All messaging applications offer some form of message deletion,
but again, not all message removal features are equally secure.

For example, Hangouts and iMessage allow you to delete your chat history. But while messages will be deleted from your device, they will remain on the devices of the people you were chatting with.

Therefore, if their device is compromised, you will still lose sensitive data. According to its credit, Hangouts has the option to turn off chat history, which will automatically delete messages from all devices after each session.

In Telegram, Signal, Wickr and Skype, you can delete messages for all participants in the conversation. This can ensure that sensitive communications don remain in any device participating in a conversation.

WhatsApp also added a delete option for everyone in 2017, but you can use it to delete only the messages you have sent within the past 13 hours. Recently, Facebook Messenger has also added a feature of Unsend, but it only works for 10 minutes after you send the message.

Signals, Telegram and Wickr also provide the ability to self-destruct
Message feature, will immediately delete messages from all devices
A configuration period has elapsed. This feature is especially good for
sensitive conversations and save you the effort of manually deleting messages.

metadata

Each message comes with an extra amount of information, also known as metadata, such as the sender and recipient ID, the time the message was sent, received and read, the IP address, the phone number, Device ID, etc.

The messaging server stores and processes that type of information to ensure that messages are delivered to the right recipient and on time and allow users to browse and organize their chat logs.

Although metadata does not contain message text, in the wrong hands, it can be very harmful and reveal a lot about the types of user communication such as their geographic location, the time they use the app. their uses, the people they communicate with, etc.

In case messaging services become victims of data breaches, this type of information could pave the way for cyber attacks such as phishing and other social engineering programs.

Most messaging services collect a lot of metadata and
Unfortunately, there is no sure way to know what kind of information message
service shop. But from what we know, Signal has the best track record.
According to the company, its servers only register phone numbers
You created your account and the last day you logged into your account.

transparent

Each developer will let you know their messaging application is secure,
But how can you be sure? How do you know the application is not hidden
Government backdoor? How do you know the developer did well
Application testing work?

The app generates source code of
Their application is publicly available, also known as open source, and much more
trusted because independent security experts can check and validate
Are they safe or not.

Signal, Wickr and Telegram are open source messaging apps,
means they have been peer reviewed by independent experts. Signal in
especially with the help of security experts like Bruce Schneier and
Edward Snowden.

WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger are closed source, but they are
use the Open Source Signal Protocol to encrypt their messages. This means that
At least you can be assured that Facebook, which owns both applications, won
Look at the content of your message

For fully closed source applications like Apple Plus
iMessage, you must completely trust the developer to avoid causing disasters
security error.

To be clear, open source does not mean absolute security. But
At least you can be sure that this app does not hide anything nasty under
Hood.