Top 5 messengers for paranoiac people for 2021
A Kingdom Prince might not hack yours, but a colleague or stranger can!
Even Jeff Bezos' WhatsApp is not secure, as reported by the newspaper "The Guardian".
Not only that, Facebook paid the price, so you don't have to!
Facebook had to pay a record penalty of $5 Billion for secretly leaking user data in the name of metadata, as FTC claimed that Facebook deceived users by making them believe that their privacy is safeguarded.
These incidents provoked security personnel to eliminate privacy issues in messengers, and some of them came up with apps safe for messaging while being completely anonymous.
I would argue about the end-to-end encryption of most of the commonly used messengers since you can receive messages and the history of messages when logging into another device.
Sean Wright, an InfoSec Researcher
Hell, lots of risks are present with the use of Facebook Messenger, Twitter, or WhatsApp.
Let's find some app that conforms to all standards together.
Table of Contents
Disclaimer: This blog is not funded in any way, and the content here is just for the educational drive, and we don't want to deprecate any of the messengers. We want to encourage the concept of shielding your data and picking a secure messenger.
While all the messengers mentioned in this article are secure and offer most of the security features we need to protect our privacy, choosing one can be a headache; therefore, we present a table comparing all the features in detail.
|
Messenger/
Feature |
Threema
|
Wickr Me
|
Signal
|
Session
|
Element/Riot
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Phone number or email address requirement
|
No
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
|
Yes
|
|
End to end encryption of transmitted messages
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Data Backup to Cloud
|
No
|
No
|
No
|
No
|
No
|
|
Advertisements
|
No
|
No
|
No
|
No
|
No
|
|
Access to Contacts
|
No
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
|
No
|
|
Copy of chats on the server
|
No
|
No
|
No
|
No
|
No
|
|
Open Source or not
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Latest Security Audit
|
2020
|
2014
|
2014
|
No
|
No
(Matrix's encryption library reviewed by an independent party)
|
|
Cryptographic primitives
|
Curve25519 256 / XSalsa20 256 / Poly1305-AES 128
|
ECDH512 / AES-256 / HMAC-SHA256
|
Curve25519 / AES-256 / HMAC-SHA256
|
X25519 / XSalsa20 256 / Poly1305
|
Curve25519 / AES-256 / HMAC-SHA256
|
|
Can the Company read messages?
|
No
|
No
|
No
|
No
|
No
|
|
Metadata encryption?
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Depends on your joined matrix server.
|
|
Self-destructing messages?
|
No
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
|
|
Free or Paid?
|
Paid
|
Paid
|
Free
|
Free
|
Paid
|
For everyone who still uses Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, which one do you choose: a vulnerable messenger or a secure platform?
Non Encrypted messengers are a cakewalk for attackers and especially when left vulnerable. Once exploits are located, we must start to educate people about the risks and start transitioning to privacy apps.
Image source – statista.com
What makes Messengers vulnerable to threats?
When messengers consume a pile of information from users, it is usually done on the name of data collection, more commonly termed as metadata collection.
This data includes:
- Purchase history
- Location
- Contact information
- Name
- Gameplay Content
- Search History
- Browsing History,
- User ID
- Device ID
- Product interaction
- Crash Data
- Performance Data
- Health data
- Customer Support Data
- Messages
- Call logs
This intrusive collection of metadata forced FTC to take action against Facebook.
If the vast database is even slightly exposed due to any reason, it can result in the loss of precious data. It has happened to many services in the past, and the internal factors involved were:
- Weak Passwords
- Insider threats (from employees)
Even a secure messaging app is only as safe as the device it is installed in.
Top 5 Most Secure Messenger for 2021
Many of us believed that all the private data we shared over our commonly used messenger apps like Facebook Messenger, Skype, Instagram, Snapchat, or Twitter was safe, but all of it was an illusion.
It shattered as soon as vulnerabilities started to arise.
But there is light as the end of the tunnel, and that is those messengers made for security.
I compiled a list of the top 5 Most Secure Messengers of 2021 to contribute to your struggle in keeping your data safe.
Threema
Threema was developed by a Switzerland-based software company, "Threema GmbH," known very best to develop their Most Secure Messenger.
To maximize the anonymity, this does not require any phone number or critical registration details of the user.
Image source – threema.ch
Image source – behance.net
Moreover, Threema makes sure that your message is read by the intended recipient, which is made possible through Threema's High-level encryption.
Threema also made it clear that they delete the messages once they're delivered.
This feature helps to maintain privacy.
Another great feature offered by Threema is QR code and Fingerprint verification, which helps prevent MITM (man-in-the-middle-attack)
|
Security features
|
|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The only drawback about Threema is it costs 2,99 EUR/month, which is not a huge deal-breaker.
You have to pay a small price to protect your data and privacy and help the Company stay in business because there are no ads for funding.
Nothing like Free lunch exists if you get a service for free. Most probably, you are paying with your data.
Amazon Wickr Me
WickrMe is an America-based software company known best for its one of the world's most secure messenger services. It has its main office located in New York City.
Recent news has revealed that Wickr has joined hands with Amazon, one of the US Big Five Information Technology companies.
Image source – logos.download.com
Image source – underspy.com
They offer 4 packages based on the user's necessities Basic, Silver, Gold, and Platinum.
Their free basic package supports chatting with up to 10 persons, secure voice/video call with up to 70 people, SaaS, 1Gb file transfer, Secure screen sharing, and unlimited searching.
|
Security Features present
|
|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Company promises a solution to this. Also, since Amazon has joined hands with Wickr, we expect drastic changes as well.
Signal
Signal Messaging app is developed by a USA-based software company identified as Signal Technology Foundation and Signal Messenger LLC.
It is not just an application but a protocol and an innovation introduced by the legendary privacy activist Moxie Marlinspike.
Image source – en.wikipedia.org
Image source – macrumors.com
This protocol is integrated into many famous messenger apps like Facebook Messenger, Facebook WhatsApp messenger, Skype, etc. But it could not be verified because they are closed source applications, unlike Signal Application.
A non-profit organization created a Signal; therefore, it is entirely free.
|
Security elements
|
|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Session
The Session app was developed by two Australian Software Companies known as Oxen Privacy Tech Foundation (OPTF) and Loki Foundation.
The Session is considered one of the truest private messengers in the market as it does not even need a phone number to register your account.
It is a modification of Signal Messenger.
Image source – arcanelost.com
Image source – getsession.org
Currently, they're making their moves to recognize Session Messenger as the best secure messaging application.
|
Security Features
|
|---|
|
|
|
|
Their privacy policy, in a nutshell, states that they never know who the user is or with whom he/she is talking or even what he is texting, speaking, listening, sharing, etc. It means they do not collect our information leave alone share it.
Element
The Element was developed by a UK-based software company "Element" formerly known as Riot and Vector.
For security-conscious to consider, they offer end-to-end encryption and allow you to set up your server to store your data.
Yes, that's where their provided free matrix account comes into play.
Image source – onetwotwo.sg
Image source – element.io
You can also use element messenger to communicate with another messenger that supports matrix protocol, including Slack, SMS, Signal, Telegram, Facebook Messenger, Google Hangout, Skype, Discord, and even iMessage.
Of course, to implement cross-platform chatting, you'll have to do some homework with coding also set up a matrix server with such integration.
|
Security aspect
|
|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
However, many users are not happy that it requires email and phone no while registering.
Also, it comes with 4 plans, same as Amazon Wickr Me, which are Nickel, Silver, Gold, and Platinum.
Conclusion
Lack of privacy features on commonly used Messenger has led to the development of new security-focused messengers.
Daily we hear about security breaches and identity thefts, so it's inevitable to become more cautious about our privacy. Ever wondered which is the most vulnerable app of 2021?
To those relying entirely on Messenger for day-to-day conversations, you have a choice now.
Keep reading this, and let me know what you think! Please, share your opinion in the comments.
Comments
Signal has great encryption protocol but fails in authentication than is also vulnerable for MITM.
If we really want secure communication, then we need better authentication mechanisms. Signal is in a position to lead the charge. If they do, we can hold other secure messengers to the same standard: authenticated end-to-end encryption.
Forense tools can extract local data from all apps although the device is encrypted, some apps as Protonmail and Wickr can prevent these tools when well installed.
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