Subj : Cabal
To   : NuSkooler
From : Oli
Date : Sat Jan 02 2021 10:36 am

NuSkooler wrote (2021-01-01):

 Ol>> I think the cabal encryption is completely stupid. If you have the
 Ol>> key, you have access to all messages in the channel (if any of the
 Ol>> participants is still online)

 N> Uh, you literally just described every single symetric key system. If you
 N> have the key, you can get in. Yes. That's how keys work. If I post the
 N> key to *anything* then "oops".

Which symmetric key systems that are used in internet software are you talking about? TLS connections, Signal, Whatsapp, Matrix Olm/Megolm, XMPP OMEMO are using symmetric keys too, but they don't use the password for entering a chat as the symmetric key to encrypt the connection and all messages.

"All traffic is encrypted using a symmetric key, meaning that anybody who has the cabal://abcdef key can read cabal network traffic."

It suggest than a man-in-the middle can capture cabal network traffic and decrypt everything without even appearing as a participant in the channel if they know the key. Or capture traffic and decrypt it later when they get hold of the key.

Which other messaging systems use this kind of simplistic encryption?

 N> Twas Saturday, January 2nd when Oli said...
 Ol>> other p2p chat software before (IMO). I also don't understand how
 Ol>> Cabal is IRC like. IRC has all kind of permissions and offers
 Ol>> public and non-public list of channels.

 N> I can see you didn't try it or read their docs. Ther are channels,
 N> (decentralized) channel mods, so on.

I don't see any docs on their website. Do you have a link to the docs.

 N> On Saturday, January 2nd Oli muttered...
 Ol>> How would you join cabal, if you don't have
 Ol>> exchanged a key/URL by other means?

 N> Not sure what this is asking. You wouldn't. You need the key to get in,
 N> that's the point.

I can log in to IRC, Slack, Matrix, Rocket.Chat, Mattermost and see a list of channels and the channels I'm allowed to enter. I don't need to exchange keys/URLs over another medium.

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