Apple recently hired Frederic Jacobs, one of the key brains behind Signal, an encrypted chat app for Android and iOS devices. The secure messaging app was repeatedly commended by famous NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.
Jacobs joins Apple's CoreOS security team. He previously spent two and a half years developing software for Whisper Systems, the company that launched Signal.
The cybersecurity communities raise their hats to Signal, and Snowden himself admitted to using the messaging app on a daily basis.
Reputed security analyst Jonathan Ździarski says that the app passed with flying colors in all tests of decryption, stating that in spite of all his efforts, Signal revealed "virtually nothing."
Jacobs was a key member of the team that delivered the cryptographically-secured messaging app to the iPhone, which landed on iOS devices as Signal 2.0.
No details surfaced about the exact project that Jacobs will be assigned to, but it is more than likely that he will cooperate with the encryption department.
Jacobs confirmed his recruitment by Apple in an enthusiastic Twitter post.
I'm delighted to announce that I accepted an offer to be working with the CoreOS security team at Apple this summer.
— Frederic Jacobs (@FredericJacobs) February 25, 2016
It should be reminded that in this period Apple faces unprecedented pressure from authorities in the aftermath of the San Bernardino shooting.
Despite the company's efforts to raise the bar in security with each iOS upgrade, rumors permeated that the company might be thinking about removing the current passcode-free recovery option from future iPhones. What this means, among other things, is that Apple could encrypt and store iPhone backups in its iCloud.
The action comes as a response to the pressure exerted by the FBI, which wants Apple to break into the iPhone of one of the San Bernardino shooters. Should the company implement the changes, any such break-in would become impossible.
As expected, the FBI and Apple stand on opposing fronts on the matter.
James Comey, the Director of the FBI, made clear that his intentions are far from having backdoors in all iPhones.
"We don't want to break anyone's encryption or set a master key loose on the land." Comey wrote.
He went on to add that people will find it in themselves to understand that the intention behind the FBI's determination is a positive one.
In retort, Tim Cook, CEO at Apple, focused on the long-term implications of such a double-edged move. He did not hold back and in a recent ABC interview, Cook explained one of the main reasons for keeping up with current security policies.
"We are [the ones] advocating for civil liberties, it's incredibly ironic," Apple's CEO says.
He also described the strategy deployed by FBI as "chilling" and restated that the security and safety of all Apple customers is paramount for the company.
"[A] master key to turn 100 million locks, even if in the possession of a person you trust, could be stolen," Cook notes.
He underlines that the importance of that piece of code would be enormous, and brings into discussion the huge number of people whose data was hijacked by hackers.
Photo: Frederic Jacobs | Flickr
