So Much For Encrypted Apps …

So Much For Encrypted Apps …

And so you use Signal or WhatsApp and think that it is secure. And yes, it is while the messages are being sent and received at the other side. But what happens when someone gets access to your account, and can view all your messages?

Recently an investigation around Michael Cohen — the longtime personal lawyer for Donald Trump — shows that investigators managed to get 731 pages of evidence from encrypted apps running on his phone (over 300 MBs from his two Blackberry devices), and also managed to piece together 16 pages of documents that were put into a shredder. The search warrant defines [here]:

The data included information from WhatsApp and Signal. While it is difficult to determine how the encryption was broken, s recent case around Paul Manafort identified that law enforcement obtained a subpoena for his iCloud account in order to break into his WhatsApp and Telegram account. This could have allowed them to discover his login password (and then use Web browser based tools to account his account). Many users still do not enable multi-factor authentication on their account, or where a password reset on the account could even up within an associated email account.

So basically, if law enforcement want your data, there’s a good chance they will get it.

Here is our analysis of a so-called encrypted application, and the trails of evidence it leaves behind:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324759344_Forensics_study_of_IMO_call_and_chat_app