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Signal’s devs recommend that it be installed from the Play Store, and that is what the vast majority of people do. There has been heavy speculation that certain

Signal’s devs recommend that it be installed from the Play Store, and that is what the vast majority of people do. There has been heavy speculation that certain state actors are able to push a compromised Play Store update to users of interest. Moreover, the Signal board has been overhauled recently, Moxie left, and at least one new member has a US government background. It’s possible that the organization itself has been somehow compromised. (While Signal still offers an .apk for download from its website, the organization does not recommend it. Moreover, that APK comes with its own update functionality where the same risks may exist as with the Play Store.)

logicchains 3y ago
Tucker Carlson claims he was contacted by US intelligence asking him to call off a planned interview with Putin that he had only discussed over Signal, although that could presumably have been achieved by a keylogger or spyware without compromising Signal itself.
- philistine 3y ago
  It's far more likely the US government has spies inside Carlson's production looking over his shoulder while doing his makeup.
  - maxerickson 3y ago
    Spies, or even just sources, in the Russian government are probably somewhat more likely.
petertodd 3y ago
> There has been heavy speculation that certain state actors are able to push a compromised Play Store update to users of interest. I'm sure Hamas could figure out how to install Signal from clean APKs, or use something else entirely. They may be barbarians. But they're not stupid. People forget that Gaza isn't a particularly poor country. It's GDP per capita is on par with neighboring Egypt, and only a little less than Ukraine. The supermajority of Gazan's have internet access too.
- OfSanguineFire 3y ago
  > I'm sure Hamas could figure out how to install Signal from clean APKs I think you are overestimating how technically savvy guerrilla fighters – or armies in general – typically are. Even if a handful of elites were savvy, the vast majority are going to have less knowledge and show terrible opsec. And considering that even many security researchers complain how difficult it is to ensure a secure setup for Signal or any other smartphone-based system, I wouldn’t expect Hamas to be any better. Of course Gaza wasn’t a particularly poor country. It even has its own dev community attracting outsourcing work. But that doesn’t make opsec in this area any easier or them any more qualified than the average.

logicchains 3y ago

Tucker Carlson claims he was contacted by US intelligence asking him to call off a planned interview with Putin that he had only discussed over Signal, although that could presumably have been achieved by a keylogger or spyware without compromising Signal itself.

philistine 3y ago
It's far more likely the US government has spies inside Carlson's production looking over his shoulder while doing his makeup.
- maxerickson 3y ago
  Spies, or even just sources, in the Russian government are probably somewhat more likely.

petertodd 3y ago

> There has been heavy speculation that certain state actors are able to push a compromised Play Store update to users of interest. I'm sure Hamas could figure out how to install Signal from clean APKs, or use something else entirely. They may be barbarians. But they're not stupid. People forget that Gaza isn't a particularly poor country. It's GDP per capita is on par with neighboring Egypt, and only a little less than Ukraine. The supermajority of Gazan's have internet access too.

OfSanguineFire 3y ago
> I'm sure Hamas could figure out how to install Signal from clean APKs I think you are overestimating how technically savvy guerrilla fighters – or armies in general – typically are. Even if a handful of elites were savvy, the vast majority are going to have less knowledge and show terrible opsec. And considering that even many security researchers complain how difficult it is to ensure a secure setup for Signal or any other smartphone-based system, I wouldn’t expect Hamas to be any better. Of course Gaza wasn’t a particularly poor country. It even has its own dev community attracting outsourcing work. But that doesn’t make opsec in this area any easier or them any more qualified than the average.