The team from Open Whispers Systems have unveiled a new app called Signal that can encrypt your voice calls between iPhones to avoid those government surveillance or avoiding eavesdropping from hackers.
The team has long been working on the app since the Whisper Systems- co-founded by Moxie Marlinspike, was procure by by Twitter in 2011 which resulted in closing the project Redphone Adroid which was already been used by Egyptian separatist rebels.
Signal is compatible with RedPhone , and ultimately RedPhone and TextSecure both Android applications that encrypt calls and text messages will be combined into a single Android App.
Signal is noteworthy because its free. Most available encryption apps in the markets are expensive and are focused for enterprise users.
Signal is open source code that developers can check the code and authenticate its integrity. Common concerns that developers add back-doors for their products that can help government surveillance programs.
At registration, Signal checks the user's address book to identify other Signal users, and its integrated with Redphone, allowing encrypted calls between iPhone and Android users.
Signal is simple to use. Verification is done by sending a one time code that is sent through SMS. Signal displays only details of users who have the software installed in it. During registration ,Signals finds other signal users and with Redphone integration it can provide iPhone and Android encrypted calls.
The beauty of Signal is its simplicity. Setup requires verifying the device’s phone number through a one-time code that is sent by SMS. Signal displays only the contact details of the other user who has it installed.
During calls, Signal provides two words on the screen that is used for verification to the other end to make sure a man-in-the-middle protection.Signal is using the ZRTP protocol (authored by Phil Zimmerman et al) for key exchange, with AES 128 bit encryption for the calls.
Marlinspike is confident that the Signal and Redphone will always be free. They have receive grants coming from Shuttleworth Foundation and the US government's Open Technology Fund.
