Ricochet (software)
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| Developer(s) | Invisible.im |
|---|---|
| Initial release | June 2014[1] |
| Stable release | 1.1.1 (September 9, 2015[2]) [±] |
| Written in | C++ |
| Operating system | Windows, OS X, Linux, FreeBSD |
| License | BSD[3] |
| Website |
ricochet |
Ricochet or Ricochet IM is an open source, multi-platform, instant messaging software project originally developed by John Brooks[4] and later adopted as the official instant messaging client project of the Invisible.im group.[5] A goal of the Invisible.im group is to help people maintain privacy by developing a "metadata free" instant messaging client.[6]
History
Originally called Torsion IM, Ricochet was renamed in June 2014.[1] Ricochet is a modern alternative to TorChat,[7] which hasn't been updated in several years, and to Tor Messenger, which is still in beta.[8] On September 17, 2014, it was announced that the Invisible.im group would be working with Brooks on further development of Ricochet in a Wired article by Kim Zetter.[4] Zetter also wrote that Ricochet's future plans included a protocol redesign and file-transfer capabilities.[4] The protocol redesign was implemented in April 2015.[9]
Overview
Ricochet is a decentralized instant messenger, meaning there is no server to connect to and share metadata with.[7] Further, using Tor, Ricochet starts a Tor hidden service locally on a person's computer and can only communicate 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 user screen name (example: ricochet:hslmfsg47dmcqctb
Privacy benefits
- Ricochet users are not personally identifiable.[10]
- Ricochet does not reveal user IP addresses or physical locations because of Tor.[4]
- Message content is cryptographically authenticated and private.[10]
- There is no need to register anywhere in order to use Ricochet, particularly with a fixed server.[7]
- Contact list information is stored locally, and it would be very difficult for passive surveillance techniques to determine whom the user is chatting with.[4]
- 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.[4][7]
- Ricochet is a portable application, users do not need to install any software to use Ricochet. Ricochet connects to the Tor network automatically.[7]
Security warnings
- As of March 23, 2014, Ricochet has not been subjected to an independent security audit.[7]
- An already-compromised computer system will typically defeat the privacy protections that Ricochet offers, such as a keystroke logging malware.
- Even though Ricochet uses Tor, other applications will not be using Tor unless the user has independently set up additional Tor services on their computer.
- Active and passive surveillance techniques can still tell if the user is using the Internet, and when, but not necessarily what they are doing on the Internet.[4]
- Since a Ricochet user does not register or log in anywhere to use Ricochet,[7] not even with a password, it is important to implement layered physical security, including disk encryption, to protect Ricochet.
- Tails Linux users, and other live operating systems users, can optionally backup Ricochet to zero-knowledge cloud services such as SpiderOak, or on a personally owned USB drive (ideally encrypted).
See also
References
- 1 2 Brooks, John. "The name 'Torsion' is not ideal". GitHub. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
- ↑ "Releases". ricochet.im. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
- ↑ Brooks, John. "Ricochet / LICENSE". GitHub. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Zetter, Kim (17 September 2014). "Middle-School Dropout Codes Clever Chat Program That Foils NSA Spying". Wired. Condé Nast. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
- ↑ Invisible.im Team (17 September 2014). "2014-09-17: Update from the Invisible.im Team". invisible.im (Press release). Archived from the original on 9 January 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
- ↑ ricochet-im. "ricochet-im/ricochet". GitHub. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Hacker10 (23 March 2014). "Tor proxy anonymous Instant Messenger". hacker10.com (Blog). Retrieved 13 January 2016.
- ↑ sukhbir. "Tor Messenger Beta Chat over Tor easily" (Blog). Tor Project. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
- ↑ Brooks, John (11 April 2015). "Ricochet 1.1.0". GitHub. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
- 1 2 Brooks, John. "Technical design of Ricochet". GitHub. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
External links
- Ricochet on GitHub
- Invisible.im. The developers' homepage.
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