December 01, 2020
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0How Secure Is Your App: Wickr vs Signal vs Utopia
Recently, the messenger market has been expanding. There are new applications for daily communication and transfer of various files and documents.
For example, relative newcomers to the market Wickr, Signal, and Utopia have already gained popularity among users. Each of them boasts extensive functionality, as well as a reliable data security system.
However, it isn’t easy to use several applications at once. Because you have to switch from one messenger to another and back again. Therefore, you need to choose the best option that would provide all the necessary perks, as well as ensure the protection of your data.
Today, we will analyze in detail Wickr vs. Signal vs. Utopia and compare them in terms of the security side.
Previously, we’ve analyzed Telegram vs. WhatsApp vs. Utopia and chose the best one for secure use. Read the article to know which one is the most reliable.
The main advantage of Wickr is disappearing messages. Of course, you can read incoming messages for some time after receiving them, but do not delay this action, as the application will delete all chat details without the possibility of recovery.
The Wickr app is free of charge. But there are advanced versions of the app like Wickr Pro and Wickr Enterprise which give more functional perks and have a more reliable security system.
This app is available for various digital platforms: macOS, iOS, Windows, Linux, and Android. Most notably, the app works from any device without bugs or system breaking. More than 5 million people have downloaded Wickr from Google Play.
For convenience, the user can connect multiple devices to the same account. However, Wickr does not have a feature for syncing messages between devices.
Security
Wickr’s security system is based on e2e encryption method that works on the user’s side. It means that two users have free access to the data: a sender and a recipient.
The Wickr encryption package consists of:
- Perfect Forward Security
- AES 256
- ECDH521
- RSA 4096
It is quite difficult for the average user to understand the meaning of all these numbers and letters, which represent a reliable encryption. In short, these algorithms block any attempts to access users’ data.
In addition, Wickr registrations are anonymous, so the app does not track your location, IP address, real name, or any other data. And all security details comply with the requirements of the global data protection regulation (GDPR).
Negative sides
Like any modern app, Wickr has both positive and negative sides. For example, the application’s specific way of processing messages: no messages are stored, and all will disappear after a period of time. However, you can get used to it and for some users, it is a plus, rather than a minus.
In addition, many users don’t like the fact that the app’s code is publicly available on GitHub. However, it is worth explaining here that only the source code is published, so no one can disrupt its operation.
Open source vs closed source: What is the best way for messengers? Read in the article and choose the most useful one.
Plus, in the extended and paid version of the Wickr Pro app, the user must enter personal data: name and email address. This is why the extended version of the app is not anonymous.
Signal most often positions itself in the market as the most secure communication app. And this is true. In 2016, an independent audit of the security system of this application was conducted, which showed that there were no critical flaws in the application code or security system.
The source code is available to everyone and has been posted on GitHub. Anyone can make changes to it, which in the final version will not affect the operation of the system.
Signal can be used on devices such as Windows, Android, iOS, and Linux. In addition, the app meets the GDPR requirements 100%.
For more information about Signal features, you can read the article The King of Messengers: Signal vs. WhatsApp vs. Utopia.
Security
Signal uses end-to-end encryption to protect data. All protocols are stored on users’ devices in encrypted form. However, some information is stored on Signal servers.
In addition, registration in Signal is not anonymous. The user must enter a phone number to create an account in the app. However, it should be said here that entering personal data is more of a formal nature. The app does not store any personal data, and does not have access to conversations. In other words, your data can only be obtained if an attacker gets your device and can connect to your account.
As for security protocols, Signal uses Perfect Forward Security and a proprietary Signal Protocol.
Negative sides
Among the negative features of the app, you can highlight the mandatory phone number input during registration, as well as the lack of two-factor user authentication.
The lack of the latter feature can be justified by the fact that if the developers do add it, users will need to enter much more personal data when using it.
Is something wrong with Signal PINs? Read the article to learn all negative aspects of this messenger.
Utopia is an anonymous, decentralized project whose creators still do not disclose their real names. They call themselves the 1984 Group. This measure was chosen to avoid pressure from government agencies or any other commercial organizations on the work of the ecosystem.
If you want to know more about pluses and minuses of decentralization, you can read the article The Clear Advantages of Decentralization.
Utopia is a closed blockchain system that has everything you need for secure and multi-functional work on the network:
- Messenger – the instant messenger that transmits encrypted messages.
- Email – a confidential email that is responsible for the secure transfer of files and documents.
- Browser – an anonymous browser that does not monitor user activity and does not copy the IP address.
- Crypto wallet – a built-in wallet that stores Cryptons, the internal cryptocurrency of the ecosystem that is necessary for making secure payments.
- Mining bot – a built-in bot that automatically charges Cryptons for using the ecosystem.
In addition, the ecosystem has built-in poker that allows you to earn Cryptons by playing Texas hold’em. All the coins won can be transferred to the user’s crypto wallet and used.
Utopia P2P is available on iOS, Windows, and Linux.
Do you know what a P2P network is? We’ve prepared a detailed guide on this topic and highlighted important moments in our article.
Security
In terms of security, the ecosystem comes first. For protection, it uses multi-level encryption based on elliptical curve and 256bit technology. In addition, developers have developed a special data protection system that prevents any cyberattacks.
Registration in the ecosystem is anonymous: users do not enter any personal data. To log in, they only need a private key, which Utopia generates separately for each of them at the registration stage.
In addition, Utopia does not have a single server for storing data. Instead, each user has their own server with unique access to it.
Negative sides
One of the most significant disadvantages of the ecosystem is the lack of a mobile version. However, the developers have announced its release in 2021. According to the plans, it will contain all the same functions as the desktop version.
Utopia is not currently as popular as the other two versions of messengers. However, this is due to the fact that the ecosystem only entered the international market in 2019. Today, Utopia has expanded its user base to more than 100,000 people.
Wickr vs Signal vs Utopia: Who is the winner?
While working on this article, we tried to write objectively about the functions and security system of Signal vs Wickr vs Utopia. Some of the most secure and encrypted messengers were selected for comparison here. Therefore, it is not fair to call one of the apps the absolute winner.
We’ve decided to leave the choice to users, who can test each of the options and choose the best one for them.
