How secure is Signal for desktop?

4 pointsnightwalkerid2 comments

I'm using Signal to talk to a source sharing some sensitive information. Is the desktop app secure enough or should I just stick to the mobile app? Thanks!

View on HN

As always, that depends on your threat model. I'm definitely not an expert on the matter, but in the last couple of months there were a number of vulnerabilities in electron apps, including Slack, Discord, and Microsoft teams. The Signal desktop app is also electron based, so I wouldn't be surprised if some vulnerability was published in the next couple of months. Additionally, I have no idea how exactly the signal desktop app stores its data, and how easy it would be to extract it.

Personally, I'd stay away from the desktop app if I (or the source) were actively targeted by someone with enough resources to spend on either electron bugs, or other ways of accessing my computer. That includes spear phishing.

Hey, thanks for the elaborate reply. I think it's best to just use the app on my phone.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com