SILC

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

SILC ( English: Secure Internet Live Conferencing , dt about, Secure conference via the Internet, in real time '.) Is a network protocol for secure Synchronous conferencing and are designed mainly for MUC (multi-user chat, dt. Multiuser chat used).

Features and functionality

A SILC network can (similar to an IRC network) be distributed over several servers. Despite the superficial similarity to IRC, the internal structure is fundamentally different.

A major difference to many other chat protocols is that SILC enables secure communication over insecure networks, as it offers the possibility of leaving messages encrypted along the entire transmission path (end-to-end encryption).

Like many other conference and chat protocols, SILC also offers channels (groups), nicknames, private messages and other common functions. However, in contrast to many other protocols (e.g. IRC ) , SILC nicknames are not unique: A user can use any nickname, even if it is already in use. The actual identification is carried out in the protocol by a unique client ID. The SILC protocol makes use of this to manage nickname collisions - a problem that occurs in many other protocols. All messages sent on a SILC network are binary coded so that they can contain any type of data, including text, video, audio and other multimedia data.

The structure of the SILC networks prevents net splits , which can occur with IRC.

Components of the protocol

The SILC protocol can be divided into three main parts:

  1. SILC Key Exchange (SKE) protocol
  2. SILC authentication protocol
  3. SILC packet protocol .

In the SILC protocol, additional SILC commands are defined which are used to control the SILC session.

The SKE protocol is used to determine a session key and other security parameters that secure the SILC packet protocol. The SKE itself is based on the Diffie-Hellman key exchange algorithm (a form of asymmetric cryptography ) and the exchange is secured with digital signatures . The SILC authentication protocol is used after successful execution of the SKE protocol in order to authenticate a client and / or a server. The authentication can be based on a passphrase or on digital signatures and, if successful, allows access to the corresponding SILC network. The SILC packet protocol is intended as a secure binary packet protocol which guarantees that the content of each packet (consisting of a packet header and packet user data) is secured and authenticated. The packets are secured using algorithms based on symmetric cryptography and authenticated using the Message Authentication Code algorithm, HMAC .

SILC channels (groups) are protected by symmetrical channel keys. It is optionally possible to digitally sign all channel messages. It is also possible to secure messages with a privately generated channel key that has been agreed in advance by the channel members. Private messages between users in a SILC network are secured with session keys. However, it is possible to apply the SKE protocol between two users and to use the generated key to secure private messages. Private messages can optionally be digitally signed. If messages are secured with a key material generated by the SKE protocol or a key material agreed in advance (e.g. passphrases), then SILC offers security even if the SILC server could have been compromised.

history

SILC was designed by Pekka Riikonen and first published in the summer of 2000.

Implementations

Clients

Surname Platform (s) License Internet presence
Pidgin Windows / Linux & Unices ( GIMP Toolkit ) GPL http://pidgin.im/
Silky Windows / Linux & Unices ( GIMP Toolkit ) GPL http://silky.sourceforge.net/
Colloquy Mac OS X ( Cocoa ) GPL http://colloquy.info/
irssi with SILC plug-in Linux & Unices ( command line ) GPL http://penguin-breeder.org/silc/
SILC client Windows / Linux & Unices ( command line ) GPL http://silcnet.org/
kopete_silc Linux & Unices GPL http://www.brokenpipe.de/hp/wiki.cgi/KopeteSilc

Bots

Networks

This list does not claim to be complete.

network Round robin Single server Server lists and information Motto, description, specialty Registered clients
Nov. 1, 2007 between 10:45 pm and 11:00 pm
SILCNet silc.silcnet.org http://silcnet.org/ "SILC Network (SILCNet) is the very first SILC network, and is also the official SILC network." 408
silcnyet silc.silcnyet.org http://silcnyet.org/ "Where crypto matters" 22nd
c3d2 (CCC Dresden) silc.c3d2.de or silc.dresden.ccc.de https://www.c3d2.de/wiki/SILC silc.toidinamai.de ​​can also be reached as a Tor hidden service via t3oisyiugzgvxph5.onion 30th
compsec silc.compsec.net http: //www.compsec.net… 165
luusa silc.luusa.org http: //www.luusa.org… Linux / Unix user group Sankt Augustin 19th
Network without a name
silc.riseup.net
silc.immerda.ch
 This network has no name. 40
Étoilé project silc.etoile-project.org 1
NMRC-NET hell.nmrc.org
silc.caughq.org
dodo.unspecific.com
cheshire.unspecific.com 		DC214 and NMRC 27
FFII Switzerland silc.bsdprojects.net
penrose.bsdprojects.net 		7th
SFOBUG silc.sfobug.org San Francisco OpenBSD Users Group 2
certies silc.brokenpipe.de https: //www.zerties.org… cccrbg 7th
silc.perl.lt silc.perl.lt
tornado.ktu.lt 		http: //silc.perl.lt… Lithuanian 6th
Networld silc.networld.to http://silc.networld.to A small SILC server which can be used by everybody and is used by MokSec . 6th
network Round robin Single server Server lists and information Motto, description, specialty Registered clients
Nov. 1, 2007 between 10:45 pm and 11:00 pm

See also

Web links