- cross-posted to:
- foss
- privacy@lemmy.ca
- cross-posted to:
- foss
- privacy@lemmy.ca
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But… That’s how encryption keys are stored.
opportunistic TPM integration would be nice.
I.e. use the security chip of the device, if one is found. Otherwise use password.
OR use a Nitrokey etc, which can act as a secure device to store these keys too.
Take that, Windows. You dont need a builtin TPM if you can use a Nitrokey 3 with a secure element, externally.
Should the encryption keys be… encrypted?
With what? Where would you store the encryption key for the encryption key on a desktop system where it would not be accessible to an attacker?
Perhaps there could be a pin or password that must be entered every time to decrypt it into memory.
As the article states, currently all processes are able to read the file which contains the key. Instead, you could store the key in the macOS Keychain (and Linux/Windows equivalents), which AFAIK is a list of all sorts of sensitive data (think WiFi passwords etc.), encrypted with your user password. I believe the Keychain also only let’s certain processes see certain entries, so the Signal Desktop App could see only its own encryption key, whereas for example iMessage would only see the iMessage encryption key.
Wifi passwords are piss easy to read out well at least on windows.
Only if you’re logged in as an Administrator though. A “standard” user account can’t access WiFi passwords on Windows.
Because a non admin account is the default right? Right?
UAC prompts you since vista if you want to let a process elevate it’s rights to be able to do that
Luckily nobody ever just clicks through those.
Something you know, something you have, something you are.
3FA:
- Pin
- Security Key/TPM/Secure element
- fingerprint / iris scan
You could also start with just one of these
fingerprint / iris scan
Nope, I’m out. I’m not giving my unchangeable biological data to the Computer Gods because A) Fuck that and B) the police in my country can compel the use of biometrics to unlock things but cannot compel you to give up your pass as it is protected by the first amendment. Yes I think the bios should be protected too but that isn’t the reality in which I live.
Yeah that factor may not be wanted. But it is a security factor, because only you have it.
You could hash it securely so the computer gods dont know your fingerprint. And you could only use it in addition to another factor.
Isn’t the idea that not everyone has access to your biometrics?
There’s honestly no need to make computers ask people for piss scans:
something you know
A password
something you have
Access to the password
something you are
The person who knows the password
A password can be cracked and is often very bad.
But that can be said of any of the other such called factors:
A yubikey can be stolen
A fingerprint can be scanned and distributed
So its not really an argument against passwords (or passkeys, or passwordless, or whatever marketing want to call them these days).
Most people just need to fear their passwords being cracked remotely. In masses.
If your threat model is being known, people stealing your stuff to login to your things, this is very high.
My yubikey can be stolen but good luck guessing my PIN in the 3 to 9 tries allowed before it self destructs.
luck? I have a $5* wrench.
* (Actually a $7 wrench. Inflation is murder around here.)
Yo dawg
I just read the full article, and I’m not even that concerned about storing the key in plaintext. I find the possibility of copying the files, and then being able to run the same session simultaneously a lot scarier.
If your computer is compromised to the point someone can read the key, read words 2-5 again.
This is FUD. Even if Signal encrypted the local data, at the point someone can run a process on your system, there’s nothing to stop the attacker from adding a modified version of the Signal app, updating your path, shortcuts, etc to point to the malicious version, and waiting for you to supply the pin/password. They can siphon the data off then.
Anyone with actual need for concern should probably only be using their phone anyway, because it cuts your attack surface by half (more than half if you have multiple computers), and you can expect to be in possession/control of your phone at all times, vs a computer that is often left unattended.
While true I don’t get why this is long known and also news at the same time.
For Signal Backup tools for example this isn’t a bug but a feature and the only way to make long term archival of chats possible.
You could archive chats encrypted too.
Yep, decrypt … export elsewhere to csv txt json … encrypt
I’ve heard criticism of the desktop app before as well, maybe they’ll finally rework it?
Who is behind Stackdiary, btw?