Wire (software)
Wire (software)
Wire is a cross-platform, encrypted instant messaging client created by Wire Swiss. It is available for iOS, Android, Linux, Windows, macOS and Web browser clients. It uses the Internet to make voice and movie calls; send text messages, files, pictures, movies, audio files and user drawings depending on the clients used. It can be used on any of the available clients, requiring a phone number or email for registration. It is hosted inwards the European Union and protected by European Union laws. [8]
- Android Four.Two or later
- iOS 8.0 or later
- Linux [1]
- macOS Ten.9 or later
- Windows seven or later [Two]
- Wire for Web: Internet Explorer eleven or later, Firefox thirty one or later, Chrome twenty six or later, Safari seven or later, Opera twenty seven or later
- Clients: GPLv3 with components that are licensed under other open-source licenses[Trio][Four]
- Servers: AGPLv3 with parts that are proprietary[Five][6]
Many employees working on Wire have previously worked with Skype, and Skype’s co-founder Janus Friis is backing the project. Audio quality is one of Wire’s key selling points. [9]
Contents
Wire Swiss GmbH launched the Wire app on three December 2014. Shortly after its launch, the company retracted a claim from their website that the app’s messages and conversation history could only be read by the conversation participants. [Ten] [11] In August 2015, the company added group calling to their app. [12] From its launch until March 2016, Wire’s messages were only encrypted inbetween the client and the company’s server. In March 2016, the company added end-to-end encryption for its messaging traffic, as well as a movie calling feature. [13] [14] Wire Swiss GmbH released the source code of the Wire client applications under the GPLv3 licence in July 2016. [15] [Trio] The company also published a number of limitations that apply to users who have compiled their own applications. Among other things, they may not switch the way the applications connect and interact with the company’s centralised servers. [16] [17]
Wire permits users to exchange text, voice, photo, movie and music messages. [Eighteen] The application also supports group messaging.
The app permits group calling with up to ten participants. [Nineteen] A stereo feature places participants in "virtual space" so that users can differentiate voice directionality. [12] The application adapts to varying network conditions.
The application supports the exchange of animated GIFs up to 5MB through a media integration with a company called Giphy. [20] The iOS and Android versions also include a sketch feature that permits users to draw a sketch into a conversation or over a photo. [21] YouTube, Soundcloud, Spotify and Vimeo integrations permit users to share music and movies within talks. [22]
Wire is available on mobile, desktop and web. The web service is called Wire for Web. [22] Wire activity is synced on iOS, Android and web apps. [23] The desktop version supports screen sharing. [24]
Wire also includes a function for ephemeral messaging in 1:1 and group conversations. [25] [26]
Wire provides end-to-end encryption for its instant messages. Wire’s instant messages are encrypted with Proteus, a protocol that Wire Swiss developed based on the Signal Protocol. [27] [28] Wire’s voice calls are encrypted with DTLS and SRTP, [12] [27] and its movie calls with RTP. [13] In addition to this, client-server communication is protected by Transport Layer Security. [9]
Metadata Edit
In May 2017, Motherboard published an article telling that the Wire servers "keep a list of all the users a customer contacted until they delete their account". [29] Wire Swiss confirmed that the statement was accurate, telling that they keep the data in order to "help with syncing conversations across numerous devices", and that they might switch their treatment in the future. [29]
In December 2016, Wire’s whitepapers were reviewed by a security researcher at the University of Waterloo. [30] The researcher praised Wire for its open treatment to security, but identified serious issues that still need addressing. These included a man-in-the-middle attack on voice and movie communications, possible audio and movie leakage depending on unspecified codec parameters, the fact that all user passwords are uploaded to Wire’s servers, significant attack surface for code replacement in the desktop client, and the fact that the server is not open sourced. The researcher described the security of Wire as powerless in comparison to Signal, but also depicted its problems as surmountable. Wire’s developers announced the addition of end-to-end authentication to Wire’s calls on fourteen March 2017, [31] and commenced open-sourcing Wire’s server code on seven April 2017. [Five] In March 2017, the review was updated with the conclusion that "the remaining issues with Wire are relatively minor and also affect many of its competitors." [30]
On nine February 2017, Kudelski Security and X41 D-Sec published a joint review of Wire’s encrypted messaging protocol implementation. [32] Non-critical issues were found that had the potential of leading to a degraded security level. The review found that "invalid public keys could be transmitted and processed without raising an error." [32] The report also recommended that other security improvements be implemented to address thread-unsafety risks and sensitive data in memory. [32] Wire’s developers have said that "the issues that were discovered during the review have been immovable and deployed on iOS and Android. Deployment is ongoing for Wire for Web and desktop apps." [33]
Wire Swiss GmbH receives financial backing from a rock hard called Iconical. [14] According to an article published by Reuters, Wire Swiss has not disclosed how much funding it has received, and in March 2016, it had yet to detect a sustainable business model. [14] Wire Executive Chairman Janus Friis told Bloomberg that the company will "never create an advertising-based business model", but "might charge for certain premium services in the future". [13] In July 2017, Wire Swiss announced a beta version of its team feature that is a paid product creating a business model for the company. [34]
Wire (software)
Wire (software)
Wire is a cross-platform, encrypted instant messaging client created by Wire Swiss. It is available for iOS, Android, Linux, Windows, macOS and Web browser clients. It uses the Internet to make voice and movie calls; send text messages, files, photos, movies, audio files and user drawings depending on the clients used. It can be used on any of the available clients, requiring a phone number or email for registration. It is hosted inwards the European Union and protected by European Union laws. [8]
- Android Four.Two or later
- iOS 8.0 or later
- Linux [1]
- macOS Ten.9 or later
- Windows seven or later [Two]
- Wire for Web: Internet Explorer eleven or later, Firefox thirty one or later, Chrome twenty six or later, Safari seven or later, Opera twenty seven or later
- Clients: GPLv3 with components that are licensed under other open-source licenses[Trio][Four]
- Servers: AGPLv3 with parts that are proprietary[Five][6]
Many employees working on Wire have previously worked with Skype, and Skype’s co-founder Janus Friis is backing the project. Audio quality is one of Wire’s key selling points. [9]
Contents
Wire Swiss GmbH launched the Wire app on three December 2014. Shortly after its launch, the company retracted a claim from their website that the app’s messages and conversation history could only be read by the conversation participants. [Ten] [11] In August 2015, the company added group calling to their app. [12] From its launch until March 2016, Wire’s messages were only encrypted inbetween the client and the company’s server. In March 2016, the company added end-to-end encryption for its messaging traffic, as well as a movie calling feature. [13] [14] Wire Swiss GmbH released the source code of the Wire client applications under the GPLv3 licence in July 2016. [15] [Three] The company also published a number of limitations that apply to users who have compiled their own applications. Among other things, they may not switch the way the applications connect and interact with the company’s centralised servers. [16] [17]
Wire permits users to exchange text, voice, photo, movie and music messages. [Legitimate] The application also supports group messaging.
The app permits group calling with up to ten participants. [Nineteen] A stereo feature places participants in "virtual space" so that users can differentiate voice directionality. [12] The application adapts to varying network conditions.
The application supports the exchange of animated GIFs up to 5MB through a media integration with a company called Giphy. [20] The iOS and Android versions also include a sketch feature that permits users to draw a sketch into a conversation or over a photo. [21] YouTube, Soundcloud, Spotify and Vimeo integrations permit users to share music and movies within talks. [22]
Wire is available on mobile, desktop and web. The web service is called Wire for Web. [22] Wire activity is synced on iOS, Android and web apps. [23] The desktop version supports screen sharing. [24]
Wire also includes a function for ephemeral messaging in 1:1 and group conversations. [25] [26]
Wire provides end-to-end encryption for its instant messages. Wire’s instant messages are encrypted with Proteus, a protocol that Wire Swiss developed based on the Signal Protocol. [27] [28] Wire’s voice calls are encrypted with DTLS and SRTP, [12] [27] and its movie calls with RTP. [13] In addition to this, client-server communication is protected by Transport Layer Security. [9]
Metadata Edit
In May 2017, Motherboard published an article telling that the Wire servers "keep a list of all the users a customer contacted until they delete their account". [29] Wire Swiss confirmed that the statement was accurate, telling that they keep the data in order to "help with syncing conversations across numerous devices", and that they might switch their treatment in the future. [29]
In December 2016, Wire’s whitepapers were reviewed by a security researcher at the University of Waterloo. [30] The researcher praised Wire for its open treatment to security, but identified serious issues that still need addressing. These included a man-in-the-middle attack on voice and movie communications, possible audio and movie leakage depending on unspecified codec parameters, the fact that all user passwords are uploaded to Wire’s servers, significant attack surface for code replacement in the desktop client, and the fact that the server is not open sourced. The researcher described the security of Wire as powerless in comparison to Signal, but also depicted its problems as surmountable. Wire’s developers announced the addition of end-to-end authentication to Wire’s calls on fourteen March 2017, [31] and embarked open-sourcing Wire’s server code on seven April 2017. [Five] In March 2017, the review was updated with the conclusion that "the remaining issues with Wire are relatively minor and also affect many of its competitors." [30]
On nine February 2017, Kudelski Security and X41 D-Sec published a joint review of Wire’s encrypted messaging protocol implementation. [32] Non-critical issues were found that had the potential of leading to a degraded security level. The review found that "invalid public keys could be transmitted and processed without raising an error." [32] The report also recommended that other security improvements be implemented to address thread-unsafety risks and sensitive data in memory. [32] Wire’s developers have said that "the issues that were discovered during the review have been motionless and deployed on iOS and Android. Deployment is ongoing for Wire for Web and desktop apps." [33]
Wire Swiss GmbH receives financial backing from a hard called Iconical. [14] According to an article published by Reuters, Wire Swiss has not disclosed how much funding it has received, and in March 2016, it had yet to detect a sustainable business model. [14] Wire Executive Chairman Janus Friis told Bloomberg that the company will "never create an advertising-based business model", but "might charge for certain premium services in the future". [13] In July 2017, Wire Swiss announced a beta version of its team feature that is a paid product creating a business model for the company. [34]