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Signal downplays encryption key flaw, fixes it after X drama (www.bleepingcomputer.com)

submitted 4 months ago by dvdnet62@feddit.nl to c/technology@lemmy.world

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[–] eager_eagle@lemmy.world 83 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (11 children)

The whole drama seems to be pushing for Electron's safeStorage API, which uses a device's secrets manager. But aren't secrets stored there still accessible when the machine is unlocked anyway? I'm not sure what this change accomplishes other than encryption at rest with the device turned off - which is redundant if you're using full disk encryption.

I don't think they're downplaying it, it just doesn't seem to be this large security concern some people are making it to be.

This is like the third time in the past two months I've seen someone trying to spread FUD around Signal.

[–] GamingChairModel@lemmy.world 8 points 4 months ago (4 children)

But aren't secrets stored there still accessible when the machine is unlocked anyway?

I think the OS prevents apps from accessing data in those keychains, right? So there wouldn't be an automated/scriptable way to extract the key in as easy of a way.

[–] eager_eagle@lemmy.world 3 points 3 months ago (3 children)

But that's the thing: I haven't found anything that indicates it can differentiate a legitimate access from a dubious one; at least not without asking the user to authorize it by providing a password and causing the extra inconvenience.

If the wallet asked the program itself for a secret - to verify the program was legit and not a malicious script - the program would still have the same problem of storing and retrieving that secret securely; which defeats the use of a secret manager.

[–] AProfessional@lemmy.world 1 points 3 months ago

You are absolutely correct. This can help in a world where every app is well sandboxed (thus can be reliably identified and isolated).

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