Submit Hint Search The Forums LinksStatsPollsHeadlinesRSS
14,000 hints and counting!

Enable encrypted iChats without using .Mac Apps
The free and open source Off-the-Record Messaging program offers a proxy for iChat that allows encrypted private messages, without requiring a .Mac account.

There's a plugin for Gaim, too, and support for other platforms and chat programs (Trillian, Adium, etc).

[robg adds: I haven't tested this one...]
    •    
  • Currently 1.00 / 5
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  (1 vote cast)
 
[16,402 views]  

Enable encrypted iChats without using .Mac | 6 comments | Create New Account
Click here to return to the 'Enable encrypted iChats without using .Mac' hint
The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
Enable encrypted iChats without using .Mac
Authored by: jctull on Feb 22, '06 08:14:59AM

I've been using this a little bit lately. It is fairly straightforward to set up and use by following the instructions. You have to remember to start it prior to starting iChat. It always hangs on quit after having run iChat on my Powerbook G4 titanium requiring a force quit. I run OS 10.4.5.

Lastly, it requires the user on the other end to be using the same encryption technology in order to have encrypted chats. Adium has OTR built-in as its encryption engine, so Adium users just have to turn on the encryption in their preferences. But you can still have unencrypted chats with any user.



[ Reply to This | # ]
Enable encrypted iChats without using .Mac
Authored by: GaelicWizard on Feb 22, '06 04:21:36PM

Good hint, but there is no need what-so-ever to use some sort of proxy. All you need to use iChat's and AIM's BUILT-IN encryption is to have a certificate with your chat name as the "common name". For conversations on the AIM network, its your screen name. This is exactly what .Mac does, it issues you a certificate with yourmembername as the common name.

The proxy is just *another* security breakdown point, not a point of safety.

JP

---
Pell



[ Reply to This | # ]
Enable encrypted iChats without using .Mac
Authored by: n9yty on Feb 22, '06 05:50:39PM

Obviously I don't know, I haven't tested it, but still, I thought I'd ask...

Doesn't it require that the certificates being used are issued by the same (legitimate) Certificate Authority? I would have thought that the reason it was enabled only for .Mac members is that it required two certificates issued by Apple's .Mac Certificate Authority.

I'd be glad to hear otherwise... :)



[ Reply to This | # ]
Enable encrypted iChats without using .Mac
Authored by: txtravelboy on Mar 11, '06 07:13:54AM

Where do you get the certificate and where would you put it?



[ Reply to This | # ]
Enable encrypted iChats without using .Mac
Authored by: thomas_witt on Feb 23, '06 12:55:32AM

That's right, but the installation is a bit of a hassle. It's not a plugin, it's not plug-and-play.

Please notice, that Adium offers OTR-Encryption right out of the box, without the need of installing further programs. Very recommended.



[ Reply to This | # ]
Enable encrypted iChats without using .Mac
Authored by: pepi on Feb 27, '06 04:48:27AM

With Panther there was an iChat encryption Framework that offered AES128 encrpytion by simply dropping in a Plug-In. It worked completely transparent, there was nothing to enable or configure. If both sides chatting ahd the Plug-In it would encrypt the whole conversation with one-time-keys. If not, it would stay silent.

I'd really like to see that simplicity for iCaht encryption again. It was useable by any USER. Like "even my mom could use this". Just install and nothing to worry anymore.
Sadly it doesn't work with iChat 3 anymore. I really miss that one.
Pepi



[ Reply to This | # ]