Tech site 404 Media says Signal-like app used by Trump adviser was hacked

[cayugafalls]

5. There are backdoors on all consumer based applications, intentional or not, they exist.

I lived IT for the past 40 years and written thousands, if not millions, of lines of code in that time and EVERY single application I wrote could be hacked by any coder with REAL knowledge of how things work.

I've reversed engineered code before on applications owned by corps, where source code has been lost, it can be done and has been done.

Proper security does not rely on the APPLICATION being used, it relies on the secure system it is used on and how that security is managed and maintained.

A consumer smartphone is like carrying all your personal data, passwords, bank accounts, credit cards around written in a notebook and then leaving it on a bus...your screwed if someone bad get their hands on it.

Trust me, a lost iphone or google phone can be hacked in under an hour if stolen in a foreign country, how do I know? I spent 2 years working support after retirement for Apple and I can't count how many frantic calls I got from people travelling abroad who had their phone stolen and they were watching their email, credit cards and online accounts being hacked in real time.

Lesson learned? When travelling abroad, use a burner phone, leave your main device at home.

JMH IT Opinion

Peace.