The world of mobile is becoming simply engaging and fast pace, every year you come across lot of new varieties of smartphones and other mobile devices, which make your life contented and sophisticated. Usually, most of these phones come with various pre installed applications like messaging apps, video, camera, games and many other features. Among all these messaging apps are the most popular as they connect everyone coherently and make the communication more facile and easier. Moreover, many users use these messaging apps across the globe from a child to his grandfather, from a plumber to a business tycoon.
However, before using these apps, have you ever considered how much secure this apps are? Certainly not. Because for users, security is less priority rather they are more inclined to know which of these apps their friends use, so that they can also install those apps on their mobiles. However, this is the time that you need to pay attention to the security of your messaging apps if you do not want to get deceived by the mobile or internet hackers.
In this regard, the Electronic Frontier Foundation is doing a remarkable job as they had planned to rate every messaging app based on certain criteria. They are producing a secure messaging scorecard and based on the scorecard, they will rate each messaging app.
Below, we are mentioning the prime criteria that they are focusing.
- Are all the messages encrypted or encoded in transit properly?
- Are the messages encoded appropriately so that the provider can read them?
- Can you verify or check the contact’s identities?
- If your keys are stolen, then all your past communication will remain safe or not?
- Is the code open to any independent review or not?
- Has the security code been audited properly or not?
- Is the security design properly documented and registered or not?
Since many companies are welcoming their customers with various secured messaging apps so that the customers can use these apps and in this way, the company can enhance their profit. But, the factor is how far these apps are secured. In order to disinter the answer of this question, the EFF (Electronic Frontier foundation) has conducted a campaign regarding the security and usable crypto. At the end of the first phase campaign, they came up with the scorecard which will help them to rate the apps based on the certain criteria. In the next phase, they are planning to go in a deeper way by examining the usability and security of the tools.
The apps that have scored all the seven green ticks are ChatSecure, CryptoCat, Signal, SilentPhone, SilentText and TextSecure. You might be astonished to know that the most popular and the applauded messaging apps like BBM, Skype, SnapChat, WhatsApp, FaceBook Chat and Google Hangouts were unable to meet the expectations and didn’t score well. While on the other hand, Apple’s iMessage performed in a good way and got five out of seven ticks. From this, it can be concluded that iOS is more advanced and far away from its competitors. For Apple, security always comes first and they always try to welcome their customers with some safe and secure apps so that the customers can enjoy those apps without any intricacy.
Like Apple, other companies also need to focus on the security issue especially for the messaging or chatting apps. Moreover, a general awareness has also required the security and encryption. Nowadays, the world is flooded with the fraudulent and unscrupulous persons, so everyone needs to realise that they should use those messaging apps or other applications, which will provide them with the highest level of safety and security. Do not get tempted that your friend is using a chatting app or any other app and hence, you need to install the same app to your mobile. Rather you should consider the safety and security of any app before installing them to your smartphones.
One more tip, don’t connect your phone to any public or open network as these networks are open so they can easily be hacked by any adroit internet hacker. So, don’t use any messaging app or mail with any open network if you want to lead a healthy and peaceful life.