Packet data has headers that can identify where it’s coming from and where it’s going to. The contents of the packet can be securely encrypted, but destination is not. So long as you know which IPs Signal’s servers use (which is public information), it’s trivial to know when a device is sending/receiving messages with Signal.
This is also why something like Tor manages to circumvent packet sniffing, it’s impossible to know the actual destination because that’s part of the encrypted payload that a different node will decrypt and forward.
Wouldn’t you have to have some sort of MITM to be able to inspect that traffic?
That, or a court order telling your ISP or mobile operator to allow the sniffing. Or just the police wanting to snoop your stuff because they can. Not every country cares about individual or human rights, you know
How dumb are you? Like someone said the point is they can see the fact that you sent a secured message period. Not with the guardian app though. Pretty easy to comprehend so I am confused why you are acting so stupid.
Yes, the guardian app allows you to send encrypted messages through their app to their journalists. 100,000 people check the news, one person is whistleblowing. That one person’s messaging traffic is mixed in with the regular news data, so it’s not possible to tell which of those 100,000 people are the source. Signal messages travel through their servers, so anyone inspecting packets can see who is sending messages through signal, just not what the messages contain. Thats a big red arrow pointing to only people sending encrypted messages. With this implementation, those people are mixed in with everyone else just reading news or even just having the app on their device.
Ulrich@feddit.org 3 weeks ago
It’s called encryption
ICastFist@programming.dev 3 weeks ago
Packet data has headers that can identify where it’s coming from and where it’s going to. The contents of the packet can be securely encrypted, but destination is not. So long as you know which IPs Signal’s servers use (which is public information), it’s trivial to know when a device is sending/receiving messages with Signal.
This is also why something like Tor manages to circumvent packet sniffing, it’s impossible to know the actual destination because that’s part of the encrypted payload that a different node will decrypt and forward.
Ulrich@feddit.org 3 weeks ago
Wouldn’t you have to have some sort of MITM to be able to inspect that traffic?
ICastFist@programming.dev 3 weeks ago
That, or a court order telling your ISP or mobile operator to allow the sniffing. Or just the police wanting to snoop your stuff because they can. Not every country cares about individual or human rights, you know
Cenzorrll@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
You mean like your workplace wifi that you’re blowing the whistle at?
papertowels@mander.xyz 3 weeks ago
Would you? Are the headers encrypted?
papertowels@mander.xyz 3 weeks ago
How exactly do you think encryption prevents the analysis of seeing when an encrypted message is sent?
Natanael@infosec.pub 3 weeks ago
I run a cryptography forum
Encryption doesn’t hide data sizes unless you take extra steps
Roughknite@lemm.ee 3 weeks ago
How dumb are you? Like someone said the point is they can see the fact that you sent a secured message period. Not with the guardian app though. Pretty easy to comprehend so I am confused why you are acting so stupid.
Ulrich@feddit.org 3 weeks ago
The entire point of the article in the OP is that you can send secured messages with The Guardian app. 🤦♂️
Cenzorrll@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Yes, the guardian app allows you to send encrypted messages through their app to their journalists. 100,000 people check the news, one person is whistleblowing. That one person’s messaging traffic is mixed in with the regular news data, so it’s not possible to tell which of those 100,000 people are the source. Signal messages travel through their servers, so anyone inspecting packets can see who is sending messages through signal, just not what the messages contain. Thats a big red arrow pointing to only people sending encrypted messages. With this implementation, those people are mixed in with everyone else just reading news or even just having the app on their device.