People trying to communicate across oppressive national firewalls could be interested in ScatterChat, a secure instant-messaging (IM) application developed by an international group of hackers, human rights activists, lawyers and security experts.The application, available for download, is based on the open-source Gain IM client and uses the anonymous Tor network to offer secure end-to-end encryption for both chat and file transfers, the developer group Hacktivisimo said on Friday.It’s designed for “nontechnical human rights activists and political dissidents” but could also be also useful for corporate environments and other settings where privacy is important, according to the group’s website. The software was launched at the Hackers On Planet Earth (HOPE) conference, which ended Sunday in New York City.The anonymity and encryption provided by ScatterChat ensures that both the identities and messages of users “remain a mystery,” lead developer J. Salvatore Testa said in a statement. ScatterChat, which uses a technique called “onion routing” to hide the computers taking part in a secure conversation, is immune to replay attacks, supports Perfect Forward Secrecy, and features limited message deniability properties, according to its website.The application uses 2048-bit ElGamal and 1024-bit digital signature algorithm for encryption and authentication. For each new conversation, it generates a new 256-bit advanced encryption standard message key, a 256-bit SHA-1 hashed message authentication codekey, a 256-bit nonce and a 256-bit AES file transfer key. Additional information is available here.-John Blau, IDG News Service (Dusseldorf Bureau)Keep checking in at our Security Feed for updated news coverage. Related content news Google Chrome zero-day jumps onto CISA's known vulnerability list A serious security flaw in Google Chrome, which was discovered under active exploitation in the wild, is a new addition to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency’s Known Exploited vulnerabilities catalog. By Jon Gold Oct 03, 2023 3 mins Zero-day vulnerability Vulnerabilities Security brandpost The advantages and risks of large language models in the cloud Understanding the pros and cons of LLMs in the cloud is a step closer to optimized efficiency—but be mindful of security concerns along the way. By Daniel Prizmant, Senior Principal Researcher at Palo Alto Networks Oct 03, 2023 5 mins Cloud Security news Arm patches bugs in Mali GPUs that affect Android phones and Chromebooks The vulnerability with active exploitations allows local non-privileged users to access freed-up memory for staging new attacks. By Shweta Sharma Oct 03, 2023 3 mins Android Security Vulnerabilities news UK businesses face tightening cybersecurity budgets as incidents spike More than a quarter of UK organisations think their cybersecurity budget is inadequate to protect them from growing threats. By Michael Hill Oct 03, 2023 3 mins CSO and CISO Risk Management Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe