Jump to content

Signal adds PINs, which will help you move your profile across devices


Karlston

Recommended Posts

Signal adds PINs, which will help you move your profile across devices

It’s a smart security feature

telegramsignal.0.jpg

  Photo by Tom Warren / The Verge

Signal has added PINs to its secure messaging service. It’s a move that’s intended to make the company less reliant on phone numbers as its users’ primary identification.

 

The feature is available to all Signal users now, according to ZDNet, and once the feature is enabled, you’ll be able to choose a PIN that will be associated with your account. That four-digit code or string of alphanumeric text will then be used to encrypt settings, local contacts, and profile information, and then upload a copy of that data to Signal’s servers. The PIN won’t cover conversations, as Signal doesn’t store that data on its servers, and moreover, developers can’t access or view any data without a PIN. The PINs can also be used to lock accounts and prevent other malicious users from registering a Signal account to a new device using a phone number.

 

The point of all that functionality is to make it easier for users to migrate their profiles across devices — say, if a phone is lost or stolen. But beware: because Signal doesn’t know your PIN, it’s unrecoverable if it’s lost. Still, it’s a smart feature, one that should make your account even more secure.

 

 

Source: Signal adds PINs, which will help you move your profile across devices (The Verge)

Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Replies 1
  • Views 590
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Thought that the 

Quote

four-digit code or string of alphanumeric text

was too short for the PIN to be secure enough. According to the ZDNet article, it's:

Quote

The PIN can be anything from a four-digit number to a long alpha-numerical string.

 

And according to signal support:

Quote

How long can my PIN be?
There is no limit. Feel free to add as many characters as you want.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...