Communication with people is now simpler than ever thanks to the internet. You can start a conversation with someone on the opposite side of the world in a matter of seconds. What happens, though, if you wish to share files or communicate privately? Make certain that you’re utilizing encryption.
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Encryption 101
At its most basic level, encryption is obscuring data to prevent anybody outside the intended receiver from reading it. The assignment of a number to each letter of the alphabet, such as 1, 2, 3, etc., is a very simple form of encryption. Then, words may be represented as strings of numbers, making it impossible for someone who is unaware of your actions to decipher what you have written!
Obviously, the encryption scheme is pretty straightforward and simple to break, but by rearranging the way letters and numbers are assigned, using strange characters, and doing other similar things, you may quickly increase complexity. Such encryption techniques have been in use for thousands of years.
Though the implementation of modern encryption algorithms is compelled to be far more sophisticated, they function on conceptually identical principles. Computers are quite good at using the brute-force guess-and-check method that is frequently required to decrypt encrypted data. Fortunately for all of us, developing new encryption methods has proven to be simpler than building powerful computers capable of cracking them.
Related: Here Are the Main Threats to Phone Security in 2022, Along With Tips for Avoiding Them
However, more factors affect encryption strength than just how reliable the algorithm is. It matters how you employ encryption.
Let’s imagine that you are messaging someone on your phone while using an app. The receiver receives the message when it has been routed from your phone to a central server. In transit encryption is better than no encryption, but it implies that the information you send might be readable by the central server. In transit encryption occurs when a message is encrypted while it is going from you to the central server, and then from the central server to the receiver.
End-to-end encryption is a safer choice (E2EE). With end-to-end encryption, you can be sure that only the intended receiver will be able to decrypt the information. No intermediary has ever been able to read the data you are sharing. However, it isn’t infallible; if an endpoint is compromised, your data won’t be safe.
Here is a list of services that may be used to transmit emails, messages, or files that are end-to-end encrypted. We can mostly be certain that the services on this list are secure because they have all undergone external audits.
ProtonMail (Email)
Swiss-based ProtonMail offers secure email services. Your emails are sent and kept using end-to-end encryption, as is anything you submit. A free membership with ProtonMail provides 150 messages per day, a single email address, and one gigabyte of storage. With a premium membership, you may send limitless emails, access additional email accounts, and create your own email domain.
Additionally, Proton releases transparency reports that describe how frequently they have been asked to provide information to the Swiss authorities.
Thunderbird With OpenPGP (Email)
Mozilla created the desktop email client Thunderbird. It accomplishes the same tasks as applications like Microsoft Outlook and Apple Mail and can seamlessly interact with practically any email provider, including ProtonMail, Gmail, Hotmail, and Yahoo, to name a few.
Since August 2020, Thunderbird has had built-in Open Pretty Good Privacy, or OpenPGP. With the use of the OpenPGP encryption standard, consumers may be certain of two crucial things: that the parties involved in a transaction are who they claim to be, and that the data being sent is secure and unaltered.
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Signal (Chat)
The standard app for encrypted, private communication is now called Signal. Text, multimedia messaging, video chat, and phone calls are all supported. The Signal Protocol, a strong encryption method, is used to secure Signal. The Signal Protocol has undergone several third-party audits and continuously gotten high scores. An encryption scheme’s past success is not a guarantee that it will continue to work well in the future, but it is encouraging.
There is presently no better choice than Signal if you’re searching for a texting software that prioritizes privacy while still offering all the bells and whistles we’ve grown accustomed to.
Telegram (Chat)
Another chat app is Telegram, as the name would imply. Along with standard text and multimedia messaging, Telegram also enables audio and video chatting. The “Secret Chat” function of the app requires your consent; but, once you have, all of your chats will be encrypted with the use of their proprietary MTProto protocol.
WhatsApp (Chat)
We don’t need to introduce WhatsApp. With more than 2 billion users, it is the most popular messaging app worldwide. Since 2016, end-to-end encryption has been enabled by default for all chats on WhatsApp. WhatsApp offers audio and video calling, text messaging, multimedia messaging, and all of these services are fully secured. Even better, the ability to encrypt your backups has been introduced, guaranteeing that your communications will remain private even if the backup were to fall into the wrong hands.
Warning: Complete privacy does not need end-to-end encryption. WhatsApp revised its privacy policies in 2021 to a vehemently unfavorable reaction. WhatsApp still gathers information and shares it with its parent company, Meta, even if it is unable to see the content of your chats.
Facebook Messenger (Chat)
Facebook has never been the privacy poster child, but that hasn’t prevented it from sometimes making a good shift. Similar to WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger provides Signal Protocol-based end-to-end encryption for communications. This implies that your interactions should stay secret as long as the endpoints are appropriately protected.
But Messenger doesn’t have it turned on by default. To activate it, go to the conversation’s options.
Be aware that just though a message’s contents are encrypted, Facebook is still able to gather metadata about your chats.
Apple iMessage (Chat)
IMessage from Apple is extremely well-liked, and for good reason. Since its inception, iMessage has supported a number of cutting-edge features, such as end-to-end encryption, dependable read receipts, and chat responses. Other iPhone users are infamously blue, while everyone else is green, and it comes pre-installed as the default texting software on every iPhone. The hue contrast conveys information that goes beyond what is merely superficial. Green messages have been sent via regular SMS, which is famously unsecure, whereas blue chat bubbles indicate, among other things, that the communication was encrypted between you and the receiver through iMessage.
Even Android users find iMessage to be enticing because to its seamless integration with the iPhone, plethora of functions, and end-to-end encryption.
VeraCrypt (Files)
The open-source project TrueCrypt has been forked into VeraCrypt. Like TrueCrypt before it, Veracrypt provides a quick and effective solution to encrypt anything, including system disks, backup CDs, and individual files. In comparison to the other applications covered in this article, it fulfills a totally distinct purpose. While VeraCrypt is made to enable you to encrypt your data, those programs are primarily made to offer end-to-end encrypted communication.
VeraCrypt creates an encrypted virtual disk that may be mounted like a real hard drive. You may transfer and create files on the encrypted virtual disk just as you would in any other file system after it has been built. When you’re finished, you may send or store the encrypted files knowing that no one can watch what you’re doing. If you want to be really cautious, you may even conceal all of your data in a VeraCrypt Hidden Volume.
Of course, in order to access the file, the receiver must have the VeraCrypt program set up on their computer as well as the password that was used to secure it.
VeraCrypt requires a little more time to get started because it is considerably more interactive than the messaging programs discussed in this post.
Although there are other services available that claim to securely send communications, we encourage and have faith in the ones listed above. While we advise staying away from lesser-known sites that don’t have a solid track record and reputation for privacy and security, certain solutions, such as Gmail’s “secret mode,” aren’t truly as safe as you may assume.
