How does end-to-end encryption work?

 

There are a variety of reasons why you would want to restrict access to your data. It might contain sensitive information, or if the wrong person sees it, it might be detrimental. Online privacy will always be a real worry, regardless of the cause. Although iPhones and many popular Android phones have a number of privacy-protecting protections, not all of those features function when you use third-party apps. However, end-to-end encryption is a reasonably successful privacy solution that is gaining popularity in messaging apps.

But what does end-to-end encryption actually mean? How does it prevent others from viewing your data? It's a method of encrypting data on your device before it is transferred, to put it briefly. It achieves this in a manner that restricts message decoding to the designated receiver. The encrypted data is meaningless on its own even if a messaging software saves your scrambled message on its servers or if an unwelcome third party intercepts the scrambled message. The recipient of your message is the only one who, theoretically at least, can decode the scrambled message.

Keys used for public and private end-to-end encryption

Every user of end-to-end encryption has two unique numbers they refer to as "keys." The "public key," which is one key, is visible to everyone. Everyone, including the developers of the software, is kept in the dark about the second key, the "private key." A message is encoded using the public key, and the message can only be decoded with the associated private key.

Your public key is used by the recipient's app to encrypt the message when they send you an encrypted message. Over the internet, the encrypted message is transmitted. The message cannot, however, be converted back into its original format using the public key. You'll need your private key for that. This is feasible due of the unique relationship between the public key and private key, which is nearly impossible to decipher from the public key alone.

End-to-end encryption's complex mathematics

The state of technology now prevents anyone from knowing their private key. The process's secret is this: With present technology, it is virtually hard to determine someone's private key. The two keys are generated by a one-way function. It is simple for a computer to produce this one-way function, but it requires a lot of processing power to reverse it. When these functions are used on large enough numbers, such as a 64-digit private key, reversing the function becomes almost difficult.

Take an integer, square it, then divide it by the product of two prime numbers, taking the residual as the one-way function. It is simple to reverse the function and determine the original number if you are aware of the two prime numbers. To calculate the original number without the prime numbers, however, needs brute force. No computer in the world has the processing capacity necessary to brute force the solution if the two prime numbers are large enough.

It is simple to decrypt a communication if you have someone else's private key. To address this problem, several apps frequently swap out users' private and public keys. Only a few messages can be decoded using one of these programmes after finding a user's private key.

Which messaging applications employ end-to-end encryption?

Knowing what end-to-end encryption is one thing. But if you don't know which apps use it, that information is bare of any use. The following applications either offer end-to-end encryption as an option or have it turned on by default.

An original texting app is called Signal. Not because of its characteristics, but rather due to its fundamental philosophy. The end-to-end encrypted app, which is free, was created by the charity Signal Foundation. The creation of open-source communications privacy technology is the stated objective of this foundation. Due to this, both the Signal app and the Signal System, the Signal's underlying encryption protocol, are open source.

Threema

Another messaging software that supports end-to-end encryption for all of its communications is Threema. However, the Threema GmbH, a swill company, couldn't be more dissimilar than Signal in terms of its guiding principles. Since Threema is a proprietary app, nobody can see how it works exactly. Additionally, you have to pay $5 to access the app, making it a premium service. If a business need further protection, Threema also provides a self-hosted version of its software, which it can deploy on its own servers.

WhatsApp

With nearly two billion monthly active users worldwide, WhatsApp is the most widely used messaging and video chat software. Although it's not very well known outside of the United States, some people there virtually exclusively use it as their main messaging service. For instance, WhatsApp is used by 96% of South Africans, 93% of Argentinians, and 91% of Brazilians.

The end-to-end encryption mechanism used by Signal is also used by WhatsApp. For its messaging and business messaging features, the app automatically turns on this encryption. You can also enable end-to-end encryption for your message backups.

Telegram

Telegram does not automatically enable end-to-end encryption for its users, in contrast to Signal, Threema, and WhatsApp. End-to-end encryption is used in private chats, though. The recipient must be online in order to use this form of conversation. Other privacy-conscious features in Telegram include self-destruct timers that destroy hidden communications and a setting that instantly deletes your account after a predetermined amount of inactivity.

Instagram Messenger

It shouldn't come as a surprise that Facebook Messenger includes end-to-end encryption given that Meta controls both Facebook and WhatsApp. Facebook has end-to-end encryption, but not all messages may use it, unlike WhatsApp. You must click the I button in the top-right corner of an existing chat and select the option to enable secret conversations in order to enable end-to-end encryption in Facebook Messenger. The option to delete communications from secret talks automatically after a predetermined amount of time is also available.

Wire

While the majority of the apps mentioned above only provide end-to-end encryption for texts, Wire can secure a larger variety of communications. End-to-end encryption is a feature of Wire that may be used for communications, file sharing, voice calls, video calls, and conference calls with up to 25 participants at once. Team collaboration features are also end-to-end encrypted with Wire.

Messages on Google

The list of applications with end-to-end encryption has just grown to include Google's default texting app for Android devices. Android users can get the beta version of the end-to-end encryption feature while it is still in beta mode by choosing the "Become a tester" option from the play store.

Encryption from end to end is not flawless.

It may be tempting to believe that end-to-end encryption is impenetrable when you learn about the technology that powers it. However, in addition to the cryptography, there are other considerations. For instance, if someone has access to your phone and knows your password, they might easily circumvent it. Despite the fact that many of their apps feature end-to-end encryption, people who fall victim to phishing assaults are still at risk.