Hacker News with Generative AI: Messaging Apps

Multiple Russia-aligned threat actors actively targeting Signal Messenger (cloud.google.com)
Google Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG) has observed increasing efforts from several Russia state-aligned threat actors to compromise Signal Messenger accounts used by individuals of interest to Russia's intelligence services.

Cybersecurity, Russia, Messaging Apps, Espionage, Threat Intelligence

817 points by karel-3d 2 days ago | 286 comments

Russian phishing campaigns exploit Signal's device-linking feature (bleepingcomputer.com)
Russian threat actors have been launching phishing campaigns that exploit the legitimate “Linked Devices” feature in the Signal messaging app to gain unauthorized access to accounts of interest.

Cybersecurity, Phishing, Signal, Messaging Apps, Russia

7 points by todsacerdoti 2 days ago | 0 comments

Reviewing the cryptography used by Signal (soatok.blog)
Last year, I urged furries to stop using Telegram because it doesn’t actually provide them with any of the privacy guarantees they think it gives them.

Cryptography, Privacy, Security, Messaging Apps

168 points by todsacerdoti 3 days ago | 144 comments

European Parliament urges lawmakers to use encrypted messages after China hacks (politico.eu)
The European Parliament has asked lawmakers, parliamentary assistants and staff to use Signal, an end-to-end-encrypted messaging app, as an instant messaging tool for work-related communications, according to an internal email seen by POLITICO.

Cybersecurity, Europe, Government, Messaging Apps

4 points by nickslaughter02 7 days ago | 1 comments

A guide to using Signal for government workers (wholelottanothing.org)
As a federal civilian with some technical know-how, I wanted to share with my fellow colleagues the importance of moving to Signal for messages instead of using other tools like iMessage.

Privacy, Security, Messaging Apps, Government

3 points by benwerd 18 days ago | 2 comments

Signal: A Synchronized Start for Linked Devices (signal.org)
With Signal on Desktop and iPad, you can link your primary Android or iOS account with another device, letting you check and respond to messages in both places or conduct video meetings and calls from the comfort of a bigger screen.

Messaging Apps, Cross-Platform, Mobile Devices, Security

11 points by EvanHahn 25 days ago | 1 comments

Signal Messenger is now available on Guardian F-Droid repo (guardianproject.info)
Signal is a messaging app with privacy at its core. It is free and easy to use, with strong end-to-end encryption that keeps your communication completely private.

Messaging Apps, Privacy, Security, Open Source, Android

13 points by vilib 26 days ago | 3 comments

0-click deanonymization attack targeting Signal, Discord, other platforms (github.com)
I'm publishing this writeup and research as a warning, especially for journalists, activists, and hackers, about this type of undetectable attack. Hundreds of applications are vulnerable, including some of the most popular apps in the world: Signal, Discord, Twitter/X, and others. Here's how it works:

Security, Privacy, Zero-Click Attacks, Messaging Apps

1457 points by hackermondev 31 days ago | 437 comments

Don't Use Session (Signal Fork) (soatok.blog)
Last year, I outlined the specific requirements that an app needs to have in order for me to consider it a Signal competitor.

Privacy, Messaging Apps, Open Source

68 points by xena 38 days ago | 12 comments

A decade and a half of instability: The history of Google messaging apps (2021) (arstechnica.com)
Sixteen years after the launch of Google Talk, Google messaging is still a mess.

Google, Messaging Apps, Technology, History

24 points by mooreds 40 days ago | 9 comments

How WhatsApp became an unstoppable global cultural force (restofworld.org)
With over 2 billion users, WhatsApp is not just the most popular messaging app in the world — it’s a digital lifeline.

Social Media, Messaging Apps, Global Culture, Technology, Communication

63 points by insane_dreamer 72 days ago | 194 comments

WhatsApp became an unstoppable cultural force (restofworld.org)
With over 2 billion users, WhatsApp is not just the most popular messaging app in the world — it’s a digital lifeline.

Social Media, Culture, Technology, Messaging Apps

36 points by sohkamyung 72 days ago | 1 comments

WhatsApp Ate the World (restofworld.org)
WhatsApp is already the world’s most widely used messaging app. Meta wants it to be a lot more.

Messaging Apps, Social Media, Meta, Business

9 points by cannibalXxx 73 days ago | 0 comments

Ask HN: Which messaging apps do you use? (ycombinator.com)
I used to enjoy signal, but now it's mostly useless as only a handful of my contacts adopted it. I would like something that's what Signal used to be so I can message all my contacts with encrypted messaging once again.

Messaging Apps, Privacy, Security, Communication

6 points by whoitwas 74 days ago | 28 comments

Bad news for Verizon users: Samsung Messages is ditching RCS in January 2025 (neowin.net)
Samsung Messages will no longer support RCS after 1.6.2025. Switch to Google Messages to maintain the more robust messaging you're used to.

Messaging Apps, Samsung, Verizon, RCS

4 points by bundie 77 days ago | 0 comments

The EU proposal to scan all your WhatsApp chats is back on the agenda. TechRadar (techradar.com)

Privacy, EU Regulations, Messaging Apps, Surveillance

12 points by janandonly 79 days ago | 0 comments

Telegram U-turns and joins child safety scheme (bbc.com)
After years of ignoring pleas to sign up to child protection schemes, the controversial messaging app Telegram has agreed to work with an internationally recognised body to stop the spread of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

Telegram, Child Safety, Messaging Apps, Online Safety

28 points by tartoran 79 days ago | 36 comments

FBI Warns iPhone and Android Users–Stop Sending Texts (forbes.com)
Timing is everything. Just as Apple’s adoption of RCS had seemed to signal a return to text messaging versus the unstoppable growth of WhatsApp, then along comes a surprising new hurdle to stop that in its tracks. While messaging Android to Android or iPhone to iPhone is secure, messaging from one to the other is not.

Cybersecurity, Messaging Apps, Mobile Security, Android, iPhone

23 points by _____k 80 days ago | 1 comments

Cyph – A cryptographically secure messaging and social networking service (cyph.com)
Cyph is the most secure and easiest to use encryption app.

Cryptography, Messaging Apps, Social Media, Security

25 points by nikolay 98 days ago | 10 comments

Tell HN: Telegram is most likely doing client side scanning; I quit Telegram (ycombinator.com)
For years I have ignored warnings around Telegram being "unencrypted". Though, for unknown reasons, they first banned my account and then recently, "restricted" my account. Yesterday, I had a private chat with someone and based on specific keywords, Telegram suddenly "restricted" my account.

Privacy, Censorship, Telegram, Messaging Apps

63 points by stereoradonc 106 days ago | 29 comments

Implementing Signal's Double Ratchet algorithm (2020) (nfil.dev)
I’ve been reading up on the Double Ratchet algorithm and its implementations lately, as it’s an exciting piece of crypto that offers some very nice guarantees: forward secrecy (ie. by breaking a key at some point you can’t read older messages), eventual break-in recovery (ie. by breaking a key you can only read a few messages before the protocol recovers), and of course confidentiality and deniability.

Cryptography, Security, Privacy, Messaging Apps

97 points by todsacerdoti 107 days ago | 8 comments

Russia and Turkey ban Discord messaging app (therecord.media)
Russia and Turkey have blocked access to the messaging platform Discord, claiming that it refuses to cooperate with local authorities.

Russia, Turkey, Discord, Messaging Apps, Censorship

4 points by ankitdce 134 days ago | 0 comments

The EU still wants to scan your private chats – here's what you can do about it (techradar.com)

Privacy, EU Regulations, Messaging Apps, Security

11 points by latexr 150 days ago | 0 comments

Telegram says it will share phone numbers and IPs of 'bad actors' to authorities (therecord.media)
The popular messaging service Telegram has updated its terms of service to discourage “bad actors” from “jeopardizing the integrity” of the platform, according to its founder Pavel Durov.

Telegram, Privacy, Law Enforcement, Messaging Apps

55 points by r721 151 days ago | 19 comments

Bug lets anyone bypass WhatsApp's 'View Once' privacy feature (techcrunch.com)
WhatsApp, the most popular end-to-end encrypted messaging app in the world with more than two billion users, allows users to exchange pictures and videos that disappear soon after opening.

WhatsApp, Security, Privacy, Messaging Apps

5 points by yarapavan 165 days ago | 0 comments

Is Telegram, Ukraine's most popular messenger app, a Russian Trojan horse? (kyivindependent.com)

Telegram, Ukraine, Russia, Messaging Apps, Cybersecurity

10 points by mariuz 173 days ago | 4 comments

Is Telegram, Ukraine's most popular messenger app, a Russian Trojan horse? (kyivindependent.com)

Telegram, Ukraine, Russia, Messaging Apps, Security

15 points by Ozarkian 176 days ago | 3 comments

Telegram CEO charged in France for 'allowing criminal activity' on messaging app (theguardian.com)

Telegram, Messaging Apps, Law Enforcement, France

9 points by skagenpilot 177 days ago | 0 comments

Is iMessage really an encrypted messaging app? (2021) (medium.com)

Messaging Apps, Encryption, Privacy

12 points by leo150 178 days ago | 9 comments

Pavel Durov and the Blackberry Ratchet (oblomovka.com)

Pavel Durov, Social Media, Privacy, Technology, Messaging Apps

82 points by dannyobrien 180 days ago | 31 comments