Filed under: Software, Internet Tools
iChat Encryption post 10.4.3
After installing 10.4.3 earlier, I launched iChat and received a message noting that iChat can automatically encrypt my text, audio, and video chats with other .Mac subscribers who have also enabled encryption.
Neat, I thought, and enabled the encryption.
Now what's funny is that after I enabled this, the first person to IM me was Gavin, and the first two bits of the chat appeared as "Unable to decrypt message."
Great.
Now I'm already eagerly awaiting 10.4.4.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Sam Katz said 9:51AM on 11-01-2005
sounds like they used someone else's encryption code. Zonelabs' IM Secure does this also.
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Sam Katz said 9:54AM on 11-01-2005
and I should add -- it's harmless. It's just a warning to users that their chat is not secure.
--Sam
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DWalla said 11:23AM on 11-01-2005
Works for me... but I had to enable encryption and then restart iChat in order to get it to work.
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renaissanc echambara said 10:45AM on 11-01-2005
Hi, if you need safe chat, I would recommend the Adium X multiprotocol chat client that includes iChat compatability.
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Garrett Kline said 2:57PM on 11-01-2005
A couple of comments...
First, remember encryption requires that both AIM users have paid .Mac accounts. If you one of the chat members has a plain AIM account, this is what can happen.
If both AIM users have paid .Mac accounts, it would be great if you could head over to the Apple Discussions Boards and post more information. That way we can better follow up and help figure out what is going on.
As for encrypted video chats, you need to make sure that your Buddy is in your Buddy list for any encrypted video chats to work.
Garrett.
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deano said 12:09AM on 11-02-2005
Any chance that the .Mac-based chats are using a Jabber server, and thus that JABBER-BASED chats can now all be transparently encrypted? That would be cool. ;)
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Jeff Z said 9:00PM on 11-21-2005
If you enable iChat encryption, .Mac will generate a Certificate and key with your .Mac name and store it in your keychain. This is used to encrypt iChat text and video and works well.
You can also use your .Mac certificate to sign and encrypt email. To do this Open Keychain Access, check that your .Mac certificate is there, then go to the preferences and check "Search .Mac for Certificates". You can then start Apple Mail, use your .Mac email account, and you will see icons on the right above the message window to toggle on/off encrypting and digital signing of email. Remember, to encrypt email to another person you must have their certificate in your keychain.
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Jeff Z said 9:00PM on 11-21-2005
If you enable iChat encryption, .Mac will generate a Certificate and key with your .Mac name and store it in your keychain. This is used to encrypt iChat text and video and works well.
You can also use your .Mac certificate to sign and encrypt email. To do this Open Keychain Access, check that your .Mac certificate is there, then go to the preferences and check "Search .Mac for Certificates". You can then start Apple Mail, use your .Mac email account, and you will see icons on the right above the message window to toggle on/off encrypting and digital signing of email. Remember, to encrypt email to another person you must have their certificate in your keychain.
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John said 7:42PM on 10-31-2005
The other question it begs is what effect will the encryption have on performance, especially video.
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C.K. Sample, III said 7:43PM on 10-31-2005
John: yep. It kept doing this every time someone IMed me, so I disabled the encryption. *annoying*
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Zach Forrester said 7:52PM on 10-31-2005
Is it possible that it only encrypts .Mac conversations, not ones over AIM or Jabber?
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C.K. Sample, III said 7:56PM on 10-31-2005
Zach, yes. That's what it says, but if that's the case, it shouldn't interfere with other non-.Mac chats like it did.
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John said 9:02PM on 10-31-2005
I find when I look in iChat's Help that when you click on the link for What's New then scroll down to the paragraph on the encryption feature, clicking on the Encryption link gives you an error "TopicListNoResults"
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