Apple’s iMessage gains industry-leading quantum security

Apple is preparing for future threats to iMessage by introducing upgraded encryption for its messaging service by using quantum computers.

Think of it as state-of-the-art quantum security for messaging at scale, the company says, resulting in Apple’s messaging system being more secure against both current and future foes.

What is the protection?

Announced on Apple’s Security Research blog, the new iMessage protection is called PQ3 and promises the “strongest security properties of any at-scale messaging protocol in the world.”

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What is Contact Key Verification and how is it used?

Many business professionals require highly secure messaging solutions, particularly when they travel. Apple’s iMessage will soon offer a new secure identity verification system enterprise professionals might find useful. It’s called Contact Key Verification.

What is Contact Key Verification?

Apple actually announced the system in 2022. It is now expected to go live across the Apple ecosystem with the release of iOS 17.2 and updates for Macs and iPads.

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Apple: Proposed UK law is a ‘serious, direct threat’ to security, privacy

New UK government surveillance laws are so over-reaching that tech companies can’t possibly meet all of their requirements, according to Apple, which argues the measures will make the online world far less safe

Apple, WhatsApp, Meta all threaten to quit UK messaging

The UK Home Office is pushing proposals to extend the Investigatory Powers Act (IPA) with a range of proposals that effectively require messaging providers such as Apple, WhatsApp, or Meta to install backdoors into their services. All three services are now threatening to withdraw messaging apps from the UK market if the changes move forward.

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Morgan Stanley fines some employees $1M for WhatsApp, iMessage use

Investment banking firm Morgan Stanley has punished some of its employees with fines that topped more than $1 million for breaching compliance rules by using WhatsApp and iMessage for business communications.

The fines were levied by docking previous bonuses or future pay, according to a report  in the Financial Times.

While the fines might seem steep, Morgan Stanley itself has had to pay millions of dollars in fines for previous SEC violations related to the use of consumer messaging apps for business purposes.

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AWS releases Wickr, its encrypted messaging service for enterprises

Just days after announcing the close of its consumer-oriented Wickr Me encrypted messaging service, Amazon Web Services (AWS), at its annual re:Invent conference on Monday, said that it was making the enterprise version of the app generally available.

Dubbed simply AWS Wickr, the service was first announced in July and has been in preview till now.

The enterprise version of the messaging service, designed to allow enterprise users to securely collaborate via text, voice and video, along with file and screen sharing, is expected to help enterprises meet auditing and regulatory requirements such as e-discovery and US Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, the company said in a statement.

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16 Wall Street firms fined $1.8B for using private text apps, lying about it

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has fined big-name banks and brokerages a collective $1.8 billion over workers’ use of private texting apps to discuss work and for not always saving those messages. The fines include $1.1 billion assessed by the SEC and a $710 million fine from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

The SEC investigation uncovered what the agency called “pervasive off-channel communications,” that were collected by the firms themselves from employee devices. The employees included senior and junior investment bankers and debt and equity traders.

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