Signal is finally tightening its desktop client's security by changing how it stores plain text encryption keys for the data store after downplaying the issue since 2018.
let me just highlight that if someone has access only to your signal desktop conversations, they have access to your signal desktop conversations.
if someone has access to your windows recall db, they have access to your signal desktop conversations, the pages you’ve browsed including in private windows, documents you’ve written, games you’ve played, social media posts you’ve seen, and pretty much anything you’ve done using that machine.
perhaps that does demand a slightly different level of concern.
True that Recall collects more than Signal, but copying actual files, browser session cookies / passwords, mailbox content if desktop mail client is used makes more sense if you have access to device. Recall is also not supposed to collect data from private sessions from popular web browsers. I assume for that it uses some hard coded list of exceptions with an option to add your own.
Both should have protected that kind of data with additional safeguards so that merely copying that data without authentication would have no value.
Recall is also not supposed to collect data from private sessions from popular web browsers.
it makes one wonder how well that works; if it’s based on OCR, does it “redact” the bounding box corresponding to the private window? What happens with overlapping windows; how does it handle windows with transparency; I can’t help to think there’s a high probability their solution is flaky.
Here is a video demonstration. Snapshots contain window that is in focus not the whole desktop and for exclusions I assume it would just base it on process name + additional parameters (private browser windows have same process name so must be something additional). You can also add websites for exclusions. Here is an article that lists other things that are not being captured like DRM protected content and one time WhatsApp images.
In two specific scenarios, Recall will capture snapshots that include InPrivate windows, blocked apps, and blocked websites. If Recall gets launched, or the Now option is selected in Recall, then a snapshot is taken even when InPrivate windows, blocked apps, and blocked websites are displayed. However, these snapshots are not saved by Recall. If you choose to send the information from this snaps
let me just highlight that if someone has access only to your signal desktop conversations, they have access to your signal desktop conversations.
if someone has access to your windows recall db, they have access to your signal desktop conversations, the pages you’ve browsed including in private windows, documents you’ve written, games you’ve played, social media posts you’ve seen, and pretty much anything you’ve done using that machine.
perhaps that does demand a slightly different level of concern.
True that Recall collects more than Signal, but copying actual files, browser session cookies / passwords, mailbox content if desktop mail client is used makes more sense if you have access to device. Recall is also not supposed to collect data from private sessions from popular web browsers. I assume for that it uses some hard coded list of exceptions with an option to add your own.
Both should have protected that kind of data with additional safeguards so that merely copying that data without authentication would have no value.
it makes one wonder how well that works; if it’s based on OCR, does it “redact” the bounding box corresponding to the private window? What happens with overlapping windows; how does it handle windows with transparency; I can’t help to think there’s a high probability their solution is flaky.
Here is a video demonstration. Snapshots contain window that is in focus not the whole desktop and for exclusions I assume it would just base it on process name + additional parameters (private browser windows have same process name so must be something additional). You can also add websites for exclusions. Here is an article that lists other things that are not being captured like DRM protected content and one time WhatsApp images.
Also from support article: