Meta has announced that the immediate availability of end-to-end encryption for all chats and calls made through the Messenger app, as well as the Facebook social media platform.
End-to-end encryption protects clear data by ensuring that it is readable only to the parties involved in the exchange.
Anyone else accessing it would get scrambled information.
It works by encrypting the data on the sender's device using a unique encryption key so that it travels safely over the internet in a form that cannot be deoded by intermediaries.
The recipient of the message decrypts it locally on their device using a private key that is only available to them.
In a separate post with additional details about the underlying technology of the implemented E2EE mechanism, Meta explains that communications and media exchanged through Messenger will be stored in encrypted form on Meta's servers to maintain availability across all user devices.
For this purpose, Meta's engineers created a new encrypted storage and on-demand cyphertext retrieval system named Labyrinth, with details avaialble in this whitepaper.
The new E2EE mechanism introduced to Messenger is based on the open-source Signal protocol, according to the Messenger End-to-End-Encryption Overview paper.
Finally, Meta says E2EE in group messaging on the Messenger app is currently being tested and is scheduled for future releases.
Another feature announced in Meta's E2EE update is the ability to edit sent messages.
The action is possible within 15 minutes from the moment it was sent.
Meta faces EU ban on Facebook, Instagram targeted advertising.
French government recommends against using foreign chat apps.
WhatsApp's new Secret Code feature hides your locked chats.
Signal tests usernames that keep your phone number private.
WhatsApp now lets users hide their location during calls.
This Cyber News was published on www.bleepingcomputer.com. Publication date: Thu, 07 Dec 2023 14:31:00 +0000