Ricochet (software)
 | |
| Developer(s) | Blueprint for Free Speech |
|---|---|
| Initial release | June 2014[1] |
| Stable release | |
| Repository | |
| Written in | C++ |
| Operating system | Windows,OS X,Linux,FreeBSD |
| License | BSD-3-Clause[4] |
| Website | www |
RicochetorRicochet IMis afree software,multi-platform,instant messagingsoftware project originally developed by John Brooks[5]and later adopted as the official instant messaging client project of the Invisible.im group.[6]A goal of the Invisible.im group is to help people maintain privacy by developing a "metadatafree "instant messaging client.[7]
History
[edit]Originally called Torsion IM, Ricochet was renamed in June 2014.[1]Ricochet is a modern alternative toTorChat,[8]which hasn't been updated in several years, and toTor Messenger,which is discontinued.[9]On September 17, 2014, it was announced that the Invisible.im group would be working with Brooks on further development of Ricochet in aWiredarticle byKim Zetter.[5]Zetter also wrote that Ricochet's future plans included a protocol redesign and file-transfer capabilities.[5]The protocol redesign was implemented in April 2015.[10]
In February 2016, Ricochet's developers made public asecurity auditthat had been sponsored by theOpen Technology Fundand carried out by theNCC Groupin November 2015.[11]The results of the audit were "reasonably positive".[12]The audit identified "multiple areas of improvement" and one vulnerability that could be used to deanonymize users.[11]According to Brooks, the vulnerability has been fixed in the latest release.[13]
Technology
[edit]Ricochet is a decentralized instant messenger, meaning there is no server to connect to and share metadata with.[8]Further, usingTor,Ricochet starts aTor hidden servicelocally on a person's computer and can communicate only with other Ricochet users who are also running their own Ricochet-created Tor hidden services. This way, Ricochet communication never leaves the Tor network. A userscreen name(example:ricochet:hslmfsg47dmcqctb) is auto-generated upon first starting Ricochet; the first half of the screen name is the word "ricochet", with the second half being the address of the Tor hidden service. Before two Ricochet users can talk, at least one of them must privately or publicly share their unique screen name in some way.
Privacy benefits
[edit]- Ricochet does not reveal user IP addresses or physical locations because it uses Tor.[5]
- Message content is cryptographically authenticated and private.[11]
- There is no need to register anywhere in order to use Ricochet, particularly with a fixed server.[8]
- Contact list information is stored locally, and it would be very difficult for passive surveillance techniques to determine whom the user is chatting with.[5]
- Ricochet does not save chat history. When the user closes a conversation, the chat log is not recoverable.
- The use of Tor hidden services prevents network traffic from ever leaving the Tor network, thereby preserving anonymity and complicating passive network surveillance.[5][8]
- Ricochet is aportable application,users do not need to install any software to use Ricochet. Ricochet connects to the Tor network automatically.[8]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^abBrooks, John."The name 'Torsion' is not ideal".GitHub.Archivedfrom the original on 7 December 2018.Retrieved13 January2016.
- ^https://github.com/ricochet-im/ricochet/releases.
{{cite web}}:Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^"Release 1.1.4".7 November 2016.Retrieved15 March2018.
- ^Brooks, John."Ricochet / LICENSE".GitHub.Archivedfrom the original on 7 September 2021.Retrieved7 September2021.
- ^abcdefZetter, Kim (17 September 2014)."Middle-School Dropout Codes Clever Chat Program That Foils NSA Spying".Wired.Condé Nast.Retrieved2 November2014.
- ^Invisible.im Team (17 September 2014)."2014-09-17: Update from the Invisible.im Team".invisible.im(Press release). Archived fromthe originalon 9 January 2016.Retrieved13 January2016.
- ^ricochet-im."ricochet-im/ricochet".GitHub.Archivedfrom the original on 27 October 2014.Retrieved2 November2014.
- ^abcdeHacker10 (23 March 2014)."Tor proxy anonymous Instant Messenger".hacker10.com(Blog).Archivedfrom the original on 11 July 2021.Retrieved13 January2016.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^sukhbir."Tor Messenger Beta Chat over Tor easily"(Blog). Tor Project.Archivedfrom the original on 30 October 2015.Retrieved13 January2016.
- ^Brooks, John (11 April 2015)."Ricochet 1.1.0".GitHub.Archivedfrom the original on 19 July 2020.Retrieved13 January2016.
- ^abcHertz, Jesse; Jara-Ettinger, Patricio; Manning, Mark (15 February 2016)."Ricochet Security Assessment"(PDF).NCC Group.Archived(PDF)from the original on 13 January 2021.Retrieved17 February2016.
- ^Baraniuk, Chris (19 February 2016)."Tor: 'Mystery' spike in hidden addresses".BBC News.BBC.Archivedfrom the original on 21 February 2016.Retrieved19 February2016.
- ^Cox, Joseph (17 February 2016)."'Ricochet', the Messenger That Beats Metadata, Passes Security Audit ".Motherboard.Vice Media LLC.Archivedfrom the original on 23 January 2017.Retrieved17 February2016.