Ilia Zaichuk, proof engineer at Digamma.ai
You’ve probably heard of Signal, right? It’s that messaging app that doesn’t suck. Okay, it might not have all the fancy features that some other apps have, but at least with Signal, you’re not handing over your private chats to the likes of Mark Zuckerberg or the NSA.
Now, I’m not here to get you to use Signal or to tell you it’s the ultimate secure messaging app. Actually, I’m here to say it could be even more secure! Sure, it’s good enough for sharing cute pics of your pup, but it’s not quite ready for something as important as, say, nuclear codes.
The thing is, Signal is built on some seriously strong math, using algorithms that claim to offer top-notch security and privacy for users. If these algorithms are implemented right, they should be pretty solid. But that’s the big question – is Signal’s code as trustworthy as the math it’s based on?
Luckily, there’s a way to find out. There are techniques that can actually prove, mathematically speaking, that Signal’s algorithms, protocols, and code are on point, making it super secure. These techniques are called formal verification. But before we dive into how that works, let’s take a closer look at what Signal promises in terms of security.
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