Secure Messaging Application

This ebook was born from my cyber-security thesis which implies a fully functional secure messaging application built using Swift from Apple.

Nowadays the secure messaging market is crowded and there are many options and alternatives for the popular messaging applications like WhatsApp or Telegram, but the questions remains: “How safe are they?”, “Do we trust them?”. In this paper we will elaborate and discuss about a new end-to-end encryption messaging application that will add some value to the market and the user will be the final judge. We will analyze the competition and list the strongest and weakest points. The application will present some common and unique functionalities (end-to-end encryption, 2 factor authentication,

access using the fingerprint, automatically messaging deletion, authentication using a picture).

The smartphone is our closest tool and communicating device that ensures the message is transmitted on the other end as soon as possible, but let’s take a break and think about our security. In this world stricken by paranoia about illicit surveillance conducted by the governments or unauthorised entities we need to open our eyes and look forward to download and install tested secure mobile communications applications. For example, ‘WhatsApp’ is one of the most popular application and offers a good level of protection against unauthorised access but is not so safe and according to WikiLeaks over 8.000 secret CIA files reports that a way to bypass the incremented security layer is already implemented and used. We analyzed in this scientific paper the opportunity to use the base core of the Signal and ChatSecure applications and improve the security by adding some new features like: access using the fingerprint, two factor authentication, login using a picture code, messages with limited time to be read.

The increasing interest in mobile security has heightened the need for a better and secured application for our everyday use and there are a few different choices like Signal, Confide, Telegram, WhatsApp, but a request from the customer remains: to provide a complete package of features in an easy and simple application without any restrictions.

However, few studies have explored all of these issues regarding online privacy, identity and data theft. The only person who triggered a global alarm signal was Edward Joseph Snowden a former CIA employee who leaked classified information’s about global surveillance programs from the National Security Agency of United States of America revealing numerous global surveillance programs. Since then (2013) many application developers started to create encrypting messaging tools or updating their current ones with end-to-end encryption to meet the demands of the customers who have become concerned about their online safety and privacy.

The purpose of this investigation is to give an overview on a specified number of VoIP and messaging applications, performing an in-depth security analysis and to propose a new application that will use all of the strength points and to improve the user satisfaction without storing any data and to be more