![]() ![]() The only limitation: the names other users in a particular conversation have already taken. With no accounts for users, you simply pick any nickname you like. For example, enter the conversation name "lobby" and you'll be dumped into a massive group chat of strangers. Anyone can join any conversation simply by typing in its exact name. You can share this chat room name with your friends through other means-over the phone or, ideally, in person. ![]() Here's the gist of it: Entering the name of a conversation creates a new chat room. ![]() As in Editors' Choice Wickr, there's no account creation, just two blank fields for a user nickname and "conversation name." The browser version is much richer, with mouse-over popups explaining how to use the service. The first time you use Cryptocat, you might also find it confusing, which is odd, given that its goal is to be fast and easy to use, as well as disposable. Setup Cryptocat is very different from most other chatting services and might not seem very secure at first blush. Think of it like a disposable "burner" cell phone for instant messaging. I can't imagine using it every day, but it's quite good for quickly and easily sharing secrets. It lacks media attachments, buddylists, and profiles instead it focuses on a totally secure and deniable model. But Cryptocat is not like other messaging services, and it's not trying to be a secure replacement for SMS. Plus, it's cross compatible with OS X and browser clients, and the developer says an Android version is coming soon. Cryptocat (free, App Store) is a very simple app that will secure your conversations with your pals. As an alternative, nongovernmental organizations could set up their own Cryptocat servers, Kobeissi said.In this post-Snowden world, people are worried about who might be listening to their communications. Tiny packages containing Raspberry Pis and the Cryptocat server software could also be sent to regions in need. He’s also planning to purchase some of the US$25-$35 Raspberry Pi mini-computers under development by the Raspberry Pi Foundation. There already is an add-on application for Google’s Chrome browser, and Kobeissi expects to release native applications for iOS and Android later this year. Kobeissi has plans for quite a few Cryptocat improvements. By using a “.onion” URL for Cryptocat, the Cryptocat server will not know the users’ true IP addresses, Kobeissi said. A user creates a chat session, picks a nickname and then types a random string of characters in order to generate the 256-bit AES encryption keys for the public key cryptography system it uses.Ĭryptocat’s code is open source, and Kobeissi has published details on how its encryption works in order to get feedback from other cryptology specialists.Īs an added security measure, Cryptocat is compatible with TOR (The Onion Router), a worldwide network that make web surfing more anonymous by randomly routing traffic through its servers. First, one of its versions is web-based, so no application has to be downloaded. The beauty of Cryptocat is its simplicity. OTR must be downloaded, installed and configured, and both parties having a conversation must have it enabled in order for the messages to be encrypted. There are proven encryption technologies for instant messaging, such as PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) and OTR (Off The Record), an add-on encryption program for IM applications such as Pidgin and Adium.īut PGP can be “difficult to use for people who aren’t computer geeks,” Kobeissi said. Messages are encrypted when transmitted, but those conversations are decrypted on the servers running those services, potentially allowing interlopers to record them. Many of those applications implement SSL (Secure Sockets Layer), an encryption protocol that underpins e-commerce transactions. ![]()
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