#Signal desktop security how to#
#Signal desktop security full#
#Signal desktop security code#

But if your working process requires it for some tasks, then we recommend the following: Therefore, the best advice would be not to use the desktop version of Signal (and desktop versions of messengers in general).

#Signal desktop security how to#

How to stay safe?Īccording to the CVE Program, Signal developers disagree with the importance of these vulnerabilities, stating that their product should not and cannot protect from attackers with this level of access to the victim’s system. It would be enough to infect the computer with malware that allows outsiders to manipulate files. But this isn’t an unreal scenario - we’re not necessarily talking about physical access. It’s important to emphasize that exploitation of both vulnerabilities is possible only if the attacker already has access to the victim’s computer. Thus, with further transfers of the same file, its owner will spread the malware to their contacts. Here, an attacker with access to this computer can replace one of the files, or, for the sake of stealth, modify an existing document, for example by inserting a malicious script into it. Let’s say a person frequently receives and sends files through the Signal desktop app (for example, a manager sending tasks to subordinates). The exploitation of the second vulnerability requires a more comprehensive approach.

#Signal desktop security full#

The same thing may happen if full disk encryption is enabled on the computer and the owner tends to leave it somewhere unattended (in hotel rooms, for example).

If a user of Signal’s desktop version leaves their computer unlocked and unattended, someone could gain access to files sent through Signal.

The potential risks posed by CVE-2023-24069 are more or less understandable. How might these vulnerabilities be dangerous? Therefore, with further transfers, a user will distribute the switched file instead of the one they were intended to forward. That is, if the forwarded file is opened on the desktop client, someone could replace it in the local folder with a forged one. Theoretically, this allows an attacker to replace them. It turns out that the client lacks a file validation mechanism. The second vulnerability, CVE-2023-24068, was found upon closer study of the client. Moreover, despite the fact that Signal is positioned as a secure messenger and all communications via it are encrypted, the files are stored in unprotected form.

When a file is deleted, it disappears from the directory… unless someone answers it or forwards it to another chat. When you send a file to a Signal chat, the desktop client saves it in a local directory. The first vulnerability, CVE-2023-24069, lies in an ill-conceived mechanism that handles files sent via Signal. All versions up to the latest (6.2.0) are vulnerable.

#Signal desktop security code#

Since Signal desktop applications for all operating systems have a common code base, both vulnerabilities are present not only in the Windows client, but in the MacOS and Linux clients as well. The expert is sure that malefactors can exploit these vulnerabilities for espionage. Cybersecurity researcher John Jackson has published a study on two vulnerabilities he’s found in the Signal messenger desktop client - CVE-2023-24069 and CVE-2023-24068.