Hacker 10 – Security Hacker

Tag: Tor instant messenger

  • Secure chat communications suite GoldBug

    Secure chat communications suite GoldBug

    GoldBug is an open source secure Instant Messenger with cascade encryption, a way to secure your messages using multiple ciphers, also known as multiencryption. The program main features are encrypted groupchat, sending of encryption keys encrypting them, end to end encryption, public IRC channels with encryption, integrated BitMail, chat over Tor, forward secrecy, sending of random fake messages to confuse eavesdroppers, authenticated chat and many others.

    This program constitutes a full suite of chat utilities using encryption with the advantage that you will be able to interact with your friends in multiple different ways without having to install new software, and the disadvantage being that so many buttons and technical terms can be confusing.

    Encrypted Instant Messenger GoldBug
    Encrypted Instant Messenger GoldBug

    Documentation is clear and comprehensive, you can read every single feature detail in GodlBug website or download a .pdf help manual. GoldBug interface is fairly workable, with tabs quickly switching in between features, one click takes you to the IRC chat window and another click to the StarBeam filesharing and another click to the Instant Messenger chat.

    After installation you will be asked to create a username and password with a minimum of 16 characters before generating the public encryption keys. GoldBug uses end to tend encryption with multiple layers implementing trusted open source cryptology like GnuPG and OpenSSL, you can set your own encryption components with RSA, EL Gamal and DSA, customizing key size, cipher, hash and iteration. Tailored integrals that should not significantly increase your security level, but nice to have anyway, the more security variables, the more an attacker will need to fingerprint you before launching an attack on the scheme you are using.

    This program looks and security resembles my previously reviewed FireFloo Communicator, both programs appear to share part of the code but GoldBug has many more elements like the IRC chat, Tor and file sharing, and it is fully documented, I liked it much more because of this.

    I liked that the messenger is open source and it adopts known encryption algorithms and technologies. I would feel reasonably safe behind this program, favouring it over others because third party data retention is not possible in GoldBug as there is no central server and all of the different ways it has to securely communicate with each other peer to peer, it comes out as a well thought messenger.

    I wish other developers would stress user documentation as much as GoldBug has done, this is a first class secure communications program.

    Visit GoldBug IM homepage

  • Tor proxy anonymous Instant Messenger

    Tor proxy anonymous Instant Messenger

    Torsion IM (renamed Ricochet in June 2014) is a decentralized real time instant messenger alternative to TorChat that runs on the Tor network. Available for Windows, Mac and Linux, during installation you will be given the option to connect directly to the Tor network or if you are behind a restrictive firewall or in a country that filters the Internet and blocks Tor nodes, you can arrange your network settings.

    Inside Torsion Ricochet network settings you can specify any open port that is not blocked by your firewall, or, enter a Tor bridge address that will get around ISP censorship. Tor bridge relays are not listed anywhere, you can only get them via email following the instructions described in the Tor project website.

    Tor proxy instant messenger Torsion
    Tor proxy instant messenger Torsion

    There is no need to create an account, a Torsion IM Ricochet contact address will be automatically created for you when you install the software, in the form of “ricochet:hslmfsg47dmcqctb“, this will also be your login credentials, no need for a password, registration details are virtually zero, no email, no nothing, just a cryptic torsion: address (changed to ricochet: in June 2014) and the nick of your choice. The messenger interface is easy as pie, it has two buttons, a plus sign where you add a torsion ID contact address to chat with that person and a settings button that lets you see your list of contacts and remove them.

    You will not have to separately install Tor software to get the Torsion IM Ricochet running, the program automatically connects to the Tor network. You can browse the Internet with your real computer IP while the messenger chat is anonymously routed through Tor. I tried to run Torsion IM Ricochet from behind a VPN (LT2P) and it worked smoothly, with no lagging time and no network trouble.

    This is a marvellous metadata free instant messenger that gets the job done, no emoticons or sounds or distractions of any kind, just plain text to get to the point when planning the next revolutionary action over the Tor network, without any central server that could be compromised and with data encrypted over the wire, it can resist censorship and monitoring.

    Torsion IM Ricochet has not been audited by anybody but it is open source and fairly well documented. The messenger will not interoperate with other protocols and both parts need to be using the same program, to convince your friends to stop using insecure Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo, you count with the wonderful benefit of not having to explain to them what Tor is, Torsion IM Ricochet will configure itself to use the Tor network during installation and it will enable people to use it straight away without reading any manual and not affecting their browser settings.

    Note: Experimental and not endorsed by the Tor project.

    Visit Ricochet IM homepage