Editing 2691: Encryption
Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
The edit can be undone.
Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then save the changes below to finish undoing the edit.
Latest revision | Your text | ||
Line 10: | Line 10: | ||
==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
+ | {{incomplete|Created by ALICE FOR BOB - Please change this comment when editing this page.''Possibly connected to Elon buying Twitter? thoughts? talk about secure messaging apps'' Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} | ||
− | When teaching encryption / cryptography, it is common to use a story about sending messages | + | When teaching encryption / cryptography, it is common to use a story about sending messages between people named {{w|Alice and Bob}} (Party "A" and Party "B" respectively). Cueball claims to have created a texting app that only allows for this one thing. It is unclear how it enforces this restriction. The title text mentions Eve, who represents an "eavesdropper", someone who attempts to intercept the messages between Alice and Bob. The fact that persons named Eve are 'forbidden' from installing the app suggests that it might not actually be as secure as Cueball advertises -- it may be that he naively thinks that it's just the name that makes the eavesdropper, and that by excluding all Eves, Alice's messages to Bob will remain private. It is not clear which phones will support this app, but it appears to be perfectly suited for the [[:Category:xkcd Phones|xkcd Phones]]. |
− | |||
− | |||
The comics [[177: Alice and Bob]] and [[1323: Protocol]] are also about Alice and Bob. | The comics [[177: Alice and Bob]] and [[1323: Protocol]] are also about Alice and Bob. | ||
− | + | If the names of the users don't need to be verified, it seems possible to circumvent the security features of the app with double installations and a complete mess of a contact list in which all people are named "Alice" or "Bob". Also, it would appear that "Bob" needn't be the real name of the message receiver, but it could also be a diminutive. Thus a user might claim to be "Bob" whichever hit given name is. | |
− | This may be related to the announcement that | + | This may be related to the announcement that Signal would be discontinuing support for SMS/MMS messages. |
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
− | :[Cueball showing a phone to | + | {{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} |
+ | :[Cueball showing a phone to Alice] | ||
:Cueball: The app will let you send messages to your friend Robert, or my brother. | :Cueball: The app will let you send messages to your friend Robert, or my brother. | ||
:Alice: Can they reply? | :Alice: Can they reply? |