Security experts are questioning claims by developers of theTelegram messaging app – said to be a popular way for Islamic State operatives to communicate – that it is more secure than its rivals.
Telegram, which claims to be “more secure” than WhatsApp, uses the MTProto protocol developed by the Russian brothers who developed the app, Pavel and Nikolai Durov. The service, which has 60 million users, provides Snapchat-like self-destruct timers for encrypted messages. There is also a mobile and desktop version available. However, security researchers say the chat app is problematic and almost certainly insecure. “Telegram is prone to errors, does not have a good encryption system, massive data leaks have occurred, address thefts, and is now known as a terrorist hangout,” said the OpSec expert. Grugq concludes with a damning assessment. “I couldn’t think of a worse combination for secure messaging.” Telegram engineers said the company uses two types of communication: For regular messages, it uses client-server encryption, and for “secret” messages, it uses end-to-end encryption. The company is running a contest offering $300,000 to the first person to crack its cryptography.
Last week, Telegram blocked a number of “public” channels associated with ISIS. Specifically, it shut down “Nasir” and “Khalifa,” channels that had 16,000 members, among others. The app has been used by the terrorist organization to spread its beliefs.
The company also said it had blocked 78 ISIS-related channels in 12 languages and that they were only available to those who had installed the messaging app. It later said it had blocked another 164 public channels used to spread terrorist propaganda in response to negative reports about it.
Telegram channels broadcast publicly. It is the opposite of private conversations. Do not confuse the two,” Pavel Durov said on Twitter. He continued, “Our policy is simple: Privacy is of the utmost importance. Public channels, however, have nothing to do with privacy. ISIS channels should be blocked.”
