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Telegram (software)

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Telegram
Developer(s)Telegram Messenger LLP
Initial releaseAugust 2013 (2013-08)
Stable release
Android11.1.0[1] Edit this on Wikidata / 6 September 2024; 10 days ago (6 September 2024)
iOS, iPadOS11.1[2] Edit this on Wikidata / 6 September 2024; 10 days ago (6 September 2024)
Windows, macOS, Linux
(Telegram Desktop)		5.5.1[3] Edit this on Wikidata / 6 September 2024; 10 days ago (6 September 2024)
macOS11.1[4] Edit this on Wikidata / 6 September 2024; 10 days ago (6 September 2024)
Repository
Operating systemGoogle Android, Apple iOS, Windows Phone, MS Windows, Linux, OS X
Size9.6 MB (Android)
Available inEnglish, Arabic, Spanish, German, Italian, Korean, Dutch, Portuguese (Brazil & Portugal)
TypeInstant messaging
LicenseGPL v2 (client), closed source (server)
Websitewww.telegram.org

Telegram Messenger is a cross-platform instant messaging system whose clients are open source and servers are proprietary software. Telegram users can exchange encrypted and self-destructing messages, photos, videos and documents (all files types are supported).

Official and unofficial software for Telegram is available for many different platforms, including Android, iOS, Windows Phone, Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.[5][6] Are also available from independent developers who make use of the Telegram API.

History

Telegram was launched in 2013 by the brothers Nikolai and Pavel Durov, the founders of VK, Russia's largest social network.[7] Telegram Messenger LLP is an independent nonprofit company based in Berlin, Germany,[8] which is not connected to VK.[9] Nikolai created the new MTProto protocol that the messenger is based on, while Pavel provided financial support and infrastructure through his Digital Fortress fund.[10]

In October 2013, Telegram had 100,000 daily active users.[7] On 24 March 2014, Telegram announced that it has reached 35 million monthly users and 15 million daily active users.[11]

On December 21, 2013, a Russian IT-community user discovered a security problem in Telegram. The user was rewarded with a $100,000 USD bounty after it was fixed.[12]

On March 1, 2014 the first contest ended with no winners and Telegram published the keys necessary to decrypt traffic.[13][clarification needed] Telegram claims that challenges to break their crypto are a permanent feature of the project and announced that they are working on a new contest that would allow more active attacks.[13][14]

In November 2014 Telegram scored 5 out of 7 points on the Electronic Frontier Foundation's secure messaging scorecard.[15]

Features

Key features and functions of this system, emphasizing privacy, are the following:

  • Unlimited cloud storage: Chats and files can be shared in the cloud, even synchronized with other devices.[16]
  • Large files: Sending documents, multimedia and other up to 1 gigabyte each.
  • Search history: From the above feature, you can search on any word or phrase cloud of stored conversations without having to open the chat or download to your phone.[17]
  • Interactive conversations: The sent and received files can be viewed with a button. Also, you may download and delete them.[18]
  • Secrets chats: Telegram claims it is more secure than mass market messengers like WhatsApp and LINE. Conversations are encrypted with AES-256 using the MTProto protocol developed by Telegram[7][19][20] That is assigned a key to be shared mutually until the system encryption and decryption. Only two devices may use the secret chat simultaneously, making it impossible to forward to other platforms.[18]
  • Phone Number Confirmation : If the number is assigned to the first installed application, a code will be sent by SMS or phone call. Starting next device, the IP address and time of application, followed by the security code will be sent directly to those already allocated.
  • Creating groups: for up to 200 people.[21]
  • Alias identification: Each user can assign your own number with a alias, in the same way it is done with a user account. So, the receiver can search for and identify the alias without having added to your contacts.[18] Since December 2014, the username will be configured as direct access like telegram.me/myuser.[22][23]
  • User list: It is capable of sending a message to multiple contacts at once using a personal list, and keep it for future use.
  • Under consent, the emergence of checks (Check):[24]
    • One, when the message is sent to the cloud.
    • Two, when the recipient has already read once received.
  • Sends audio notes and geo-zones. In addition to sharing GIFs via Giphy.
  • Transferring user to another number: Telegram provides migrate from one number to another directamenete. By using the option Change number, all messages and information about the user account are transferred to a new line with no chance to undo. For contacts that have added the above phone number and not be blocked by the user will receive the new number automatically.[22][23]
  • The possibility of block users and silencing user groups and/or only certain members of them.[25]

Architecture

Encryption

Explanation of secret chats, included in Telegram, using the keys of the devices, then share the code modified for use as single key encryption and locally synchronized.

All chats are encrypted with the new MTProto protocol created by Nikolai Durov, regardless of type. This is based on 256-bit symmetric AES encryption, RSA 2048 encryption and Diffie–Hellman secure key exchange.[26]

The application features two types of chats. Ordinary chats use client-server encryption and can be accessed from multiple devices. Secret Chats use end-to-end encryption and can only be accessed from the two participating devices. Telegram claims that third parties, including the Telegram administrators, cannot get access to your messages.[27] Messages and media in Secret Chats can also be set to self-destruct in a set period of time after being read. Once the time runs out, the messages disappear from both devices.[28]

In december of 2014, it implanted into the secrets chats technology Perfect forward secrecy, to refresh keys as time passes without compromising old messages.[22][23]

Licensing

All official Telegram clients (and some of the unofficial clients) are open source.[29] Telegram's server-side software, however, is closed source proprietary software. Pavel Durov mentioned that the server code is not free software, because Telegram requires a major redesign of architecture in order to allow independent servers to exchange data and act as a part of the unified Telegram cloud.[30] In their FAQ, Telegram says "All code will be released [ie open sourced] eventually. We started with the most useful parts — a well-documented API that allows developers to build new Telegram apps, and open source clients that can be verified by security specialists."[31]

Security concerns

Several members of the cryptographic community, including security researchers Moxie Marlinspike and Taylor Hornby, have criticized Telegram's cryptanalysis contests for being no proof of security and misleading the public.[32][33][34][35]

List of Applications

File:Webogram Screenshot.png
Telegram Web, aka Webogram.

Telegram has various clients. Are expected to increase the supported platforms. It server system is decentralized and distributed around the world to improve response times by geographical position..[36] In this list, versions developed with the official platform, backed by the team or supported by the community to be integrated in a future.

Desktop

  • Telegram for Mac OS X. The first official aplication, available for Mac OS X. Originally developed by Denis Olszyna.[37]
  • Telegram Desktop: is a version that can be used in Windows (besides being portable application), Mac OSX and Linux-based. It is developed by the community.

Mobile

  • Official:
    • iOS: Launched in August 2013 to iPhone and iPod Touch and relaunched in July 2014 with support for iPad ,[38] is optimized for devices with iOS 6 or recent.
    • Android: Available from Android 2.2, including tablets, whose mechanism is similar.[39]
    • Windows Phone: Ngram-based application, in May 2014 a new official update was released in beta. With a Metro interface, have adapted the same features of its predecessors.[40][41] [42]
    • Firefox OS: Has an official, available in Marketplace client based on Webogram.


Otros

  • Web app: Official client web browsers Telegram for both desktop and mobile. Lets share images and files with previously added contacts, including files and emoticons. The web app is available for Google Chrome.[43]
    • Webogram: The free version Telegram, where it originated. The code is available at Github preliminary phase can install on other servers.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Telegram". Google Play. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
  2. ^ "Telegram Messenger". App Store. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
  3. ^ "Releases v5.5.1". Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  4. ^ "Telegram for macOS". Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  5. ^ "List of Telegram applications". February 6, 2014.
  6. ^ "Che cosa è Telegram, Squer.it" (in Italian).
  7. ^ a b c "Meet Telegram, A Secure Messaging App From The Founders Of VK, Russia's Largest Social Network". TechCrunch. October 27, 2013.
  8. ^ "Surveillance drives South Koreans to encrypted messaging apps". The Verge. October 7, 2014.
  9. ^ [1]
  10. ^ "Russia's Zuckerberg launches Telegram, a new instant messenger service". Reuters. August 30, 2013.
  11. ^ Telegram Hits 35M Monthly Users, 15M Daily With 8B Messages Received Over 30 Days, TechCrunch, March 24, 2014
  12. ^ "Crowdsourcing a More Secure Future". Telegram blog. December 21, 2013. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
  13. ^ a b "Winter Contest Ends". Telegram blog. March 2, 2014. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
  14. ^ "Telegram Contest FAQ". Retrieved March 3, 2014.
  15. ^ "Secure Messaging Scorecard. Which apps and tools actually keep your messages safe?". Electronic Frontier Foundation. November 4, 2014.
  16. ^ List of Telegram applications, retrieved February 23, 2014
  17. ^ "Telegram se renueva y ya permite ocultar la hora de última conexión". Tu Experto Apps. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
  18. ^ a b c "Secure Messaging App Telegram Adds Usernames And Snapchat-Like Hold-To-View For Media". Techcrunch. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  19. ^ Telegram F.A.Q.: How secure is Telegram?
  20. ^ Description of MTProto Mobile Protocol
  21. ^ "Should WhatsApp be wary of Telegram?". February 13, 2014.
  22. ^ a b c Jonathan Munizaga (December 1, 2014). "Telegram ya permite migrar conversaciones y contactos a una línea nueva" (in Spanish). Wayerless. Retrieved December 2, 2014.
  23. ^ a b c David G. Mateo (December 1, 2014). "Telegram ahora permite traspasar mensajes al cambiar de número". TuExperto. Retrieved December 2, 2014.
  24. ^ Telegram F.A.Q.: What do the green ticks mean?, February 23, 2014
  25. ^ "Telegram FAQ". Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  26. ^ Telegram technical FAQ for Advanced users
  27. ^ "New instant messenger Telegram protected even from spy intrusions". VentureBeat. November 12, 2013.
  28. ^ "Telegram FAQ". n.d. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
  29. ^ Telegram source code links, retrieved February 12, 2013
  30. ^ "Pavel Durov: "No application is 100% safe"", El Diario Turing, February 2, 2014, retrieved February 12, 2014
  31. ^ "Telegram FAQ". Telegram. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
  32. ^ Moxie Marlinspike (December 19, 2013). "A Crypto Challenge For The Telegram Developers". Retrieved March 2, 2014.
  33. ^ Taylor Hornby (December 19, 2013). "Telegram's Cryptanalysis Contest". Crypto Fails. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
  34. ^ Robin Wauters (December 19, 2013). "Cracking contest: first one who breaks Telegram gets $200,000 in bitcoins (but really, nobody wins)". Tech.eu. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
  35. ^ Thijs Alkemade (April 2, 2014). "Breaking Half of the Telegram Contest". Retrieved April 2, 2014.
  36. ^ "Telegram, el chat que compite con Whatsapp". Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  37. ^ "Вышли тестовые версии клиентов Telegram под Mac OS X и Windows" (in Russian). TJournal.ru.
  38. ^ "Telegram se actualiza para la pantalla del iPad". Cnet.
  39. ^ "Telegram-Anleitung: So benutzt man den Messenger". Newsslash.
  40. ^ "Telegram Beta disponible para Windows Phone". Wayerless.
  41. ^ "Telegram Apps" (in Spanish). Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  42. ^ "Ngram se convierte en el cliente oficial de Telegram para Windows Phone" (in Spanish). Retrieved May 23, 2014.
  43. ^ "Telegram for Google Chrome". Retrieved September 21, 2014.
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