Falcongaze company specializing in software development for data leak prevention, ranked mobile messenger, on the basis of their degree of reliability in terms of protection of correspondence. On it informs Cnews.
After the selection of the seven most popular instant messengers that are made in a survey of Falcongaze analysts evaluated the safety applications on a number of factors: is the Protocol messenger open or closed (available for study), do the encryption and, if so, how (what parts of the route of transmission of the message is encrypted).
Of these factors first in importance was the availability of end-to-end encryption, then in the absence of end-to-end encryption – the presence server-the subscription encryption, then if the messenger Protocol for the study. Was also taken into account available information about vulnerabilities, whether they were fixed by developers.
As a result, each messenger was given a score from 1 to 7 points. By the number of points was assigned to the appropriate place. According to the research results, first place was taken by Telegram, second is WhatsApp third — Viber, the fourth — Skype, Google Hangouts, sixth — Facebook Messenger and the last, the seventh — ICQ.
1. Telegram
First place in the reliability rating took a Telegram Pavel Durov, founder of Vkontakte, WhatsApp ahead. This result is despite the fact that WhatsApp recently introduced end-to-end encryption of all data, whereas in the Telegram this feature is optional (the user is prompted to activate the secure independently chat if he so desires).
2. WhatsApp
WhatsApp on points in second place. As explained in Falcongaze, extra points were awarded for Telegram is open source code, and additional features not found in competitor. These functions include: delete all messages after reading from devices of the sender and the recipient, the lack of synchronization of secret chats with other devices and technically realized the impossibility to make a screenshot of the secret chat.
3. Viber
Viber won third place thanks to numerous innovations about which the messenger developer announced recently. First, end-to-end encryption, and secondly, the automatic removal of messages from the device of the recipient (as in Telegram), and, thirdly, hidden chats, which are not visible on the screen. All of these new features the company promised to launch in the next few weeks.
4. Skype
Skype took the average position for a number of reasons. “The Protocol that the messenger is closed, so it is difficult to assess embedded developers security measures and the encryption used does not provide adequate protection. After in 2011, Skype was bought by Microsoft, the fact that intelligence agencies have access to the correspondence users, not particularly concealed. And then there is information about new vulnerabilities that, for example, allow you to control Skype calls using spyware”, — explained in Falcongaze.
5. Google Hangouts
Quite easy to use Google Hangouts encrypts all information, including video conferencing. However, data is encrypted only between the device and servers of the developer and the area between the server and the interlocutor. That is, when they get to the server, the security guarantee no.
6. Facebook Messenger
“Facebook Messenger does not provide end-to-end encryption. In addition, earlier this messenger was spotted in the center of the scandal, because the installation has requested permission to use the microphone of the device user to record audio, at any time and without obtaining user confirmation. If the user inadvertently gave this permission, the messenger had the opportunity to not only record audios, but also to take photos and videos anytime, and also get access to the files,” said the experts.
7. ICQ
At the last place of ranking messenger ICQ, the development of which the company does Mail.ru Group. Despite the recent opening of its initial year, the experts agree that safe from the point of view of confidentiality, this messenger will not name. “The Protocol is reliable, and data encryption and can not speak,” the verdict on the researchers.
