Apple hired author Signal

    Apple has hired the author of the Signal messenger , which is considered one of the safest free applications for exchanging information between users. Signal author Frederick Jacobs previously worked for Open Whisper Systems and was developing a messenger that received the highest security ratings from data gurus like Bruce Schneier, Matthew Green and Edward Snowden. Unlike other instant messengers, Signal offers users secure end-to-end encryption, without having to decrypt the transmitted data at an intermediate stage.



    For Apple itself, the problem of securing user data on mobile devices running iOS has become more acute than ever. The company and US intelligence agencies have reached a new level of debate about the possibility of disclosing user data, which could be a precedent for a large-scale offensive by intelligence agencies on the privacy policy of user data of all high-tech companies.

    It should be noted that Apple previously cared about user safety, we already wrote that versions of iOS 8+ received the encryption function of user data by default on the device, and from the ninth version the ability to expand the installed unlock code to six digits.

    The conflict between the company and law enforcement agencies began in connection with Apple’s refusal to provide a tool to extract encrypted data from a terrorist’s locked device involved in the San Bernardino massacre. The peculiarity of the situation also lies in the fact that the FBI, having appealed to the court, managed to win this case, that is, Apple, in fact, was obliged to provide a tool to extract data from the device according to the court's verdict. To create such a tool, in fact, Apple is forced to implement a backdoor in iOS, because without it it is not possible to quickly access encrypted device data. The unlock code (passcode) is known only to the user and no one except him, and he, in turn, is involved in data encryption. Thus, without knowing the passcode to decrypt the data, it is quickly impossible.

    The role of Signal's author in Apple is not yet entirely clear, but TechCrunch reports that the company plans to further minimize the risk of opening user data for anyone, in particular, it is about encrypting iOS backup files in iCloud, instead of storing them in clear view. Also, in future versions of iOS, the iOS recovery function from the backup file without the unlock code (passcode-free recovery mode) may disappear.

    More detailed information on this case, including technical features, can be obtained in the wonderful posts of Elcomsoft specialists who are engaged in the development of forensic tools for Apple devices.

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