Apple will be adding a new feature to its iMessage app to enhance its security.
‘Contact Key Verification’ is the latest feature added to the iMessage messaging platform. It allows users greater identity verification and privacy to meet evolving threats via cryptographic technology and Key Transparency. In simple terms, Contact Key Verification can detect sophisticated attacks on the platforms servers, with users able to identify their communication partners.
Some services attach public keys to users for identification, which could lead to a directed attack if compromised. Apple intends to have Contact Key Verification plug that vulnerability by having a more secure way to identify users in a different way. Key Transparency utilizes a log-backed map data structure that has audits and cryptographic proofs for user privacy and scalability, going beyond the key directory system.
In line with Contact Key Verification, Apple has on-device verification on crucial logs, with iMessage verifying consistency and checking for service compromise.
