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This is something Apple really needs to release all the details of. Even if they got the crypto exactly right, they could have picked a privacy budget/ security
by ianmiers 10y ago
This is something Apple really needs to release all the details of. Even if they got the crypto exactly right, they could have picked a privacy budget/ security parameters that just leaks everything.
And there is every reason to be skeptical about Apple's ability to design even mildly complex crypto given iMessage's flaws. Although the break in iMessage wasn't practically exploitable, that was luck and the fact that the only way to detect if a mulled ciphertext decrypted required attachment messages. The cryptographic mistakes were bad. Given any way to detect decryption of mulled ciphertexts for standard messages (e.g. sequence numbers, timing, actively synching messages between devices, delivery receipts from iMessage instead of APSD), Apple's crypto design bugs would have eliminated nearly all of the E2E security of iMessage.
Remember, this isn't a boon for user privacy. Apple is now collecting far more invasive data about users under the claim that they have protections in place. At best it preserves the status quo and does so only if Apple both picked the parameters correctly and implemented it correctly.
At this point Apple's position should be best summed up as: we have drastically reduced your privacy except not because magic that we (i.e. Apple) do not fully understand.
- mnem 10y agoApple have designed/implemented several quite successful crypto and security systems too.
- ianmiers 10y agoWhat have they actually designed from scratch? Most of what comes to mind (Facetime, filevault) it is off the shelf stuff/ at least there were well known designs to ape which had been subject to analysis. This, well if they just copied what google did, then maybe. But at some level, my comment is pretty harsh on Apple when they have a better track record than most for privacy and encryption. But remember, this is Apple making you less secure by grabbing data and then saying they took care of the issue. With iMessage, Facetime, Filefault, if it failed, you were were no worse off than if you used something else. In this case, you actually are. That means there is a higher burden to getting it right than just name dropping magic crypto pixie dust.
- czr80 10y ago> With iMessage, Facetime, Filefault, if it failed, you were were no worse off than if you used something else. In this case, you actually are. What would someone be better off using?
- ianmiers 10y agoSomething that didn't report these statistics. An old version of IOS for one. Does android do this type of reporting?