Shoutbox

Hi all,

I am finding out the security features provided by Live Messenger/MSN Plus.

Just to double confirm my findings :


Live messenger does not provide encryption for :

• Chat
  
• VOIP

Any other I've missed out?


MSN Plus provides encryption for :

• Chat logs

Any other I've missed out?


Thanks!

Yes, you are correct with both as far as I know.

Messenger Discovery has a feature to encrypting chat conversations, giving that the other contact also has Messenger Discovery with the option turned on.

You can read Jonathan Kay's reply to Live Messenger Text Conversation Encryption.

Please note: The correct name is Messenger Plus! Live (or Msg Plus! Live for short), not MSN Plus. The creator isn't associated with MSN or Microsoft.

Messenger also doesn't encrypt the video stream transmission and it is easily recordable. Such features would degrade the overall quality. IMO adding such encryption features, in regards to both Windows Live Messenger and Messenger Plus! Live, would bloat the software. Everyone already experiences delays due to the network transmission adding features that need to encrypt the data then decrypt it will cause "lag" so to speak.

From here on in; Windows Live Messenger will be referred to as WLM and Messenger Plus! Live will be referred to as Plus!.

WLM is not a service that should in any case be used within a corporate environment. There is very little control a Network Administrator has over the application as a hole. They cannot block the adding of external contacts which would mean data would have to be routed using an unencrypted network transmission protocol through the Microsoft Servers then to the external contacts ISP then to the contact themselves.

For instance Office Communicator 2007 is an internal service which relies on Active Directory and if I am not mistaken has the ability of allowing only domain accounts as contacts which means no external contacts can be added. Therefore encryption is not needed as everything transmitted is sent to a local server and routed accordingly.

I am not sure if this is where you were taking this thread but I thought I would add my two cents.

Note I have not setup Office Communicator yet therefore I am unsure if adding external clients is possible I would assume not.

Yup, Office Communicator is the messenger suited for the coporate envionment. It is just that I am required to reinvent the well for my project.

Thanks for your comment..

quote:

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Originally posted by matty
Messenger also doesn't encrypt the video stream transmission and it is easily recordable. Such features would degrade the overall quality. IMO adding such encryption features, in regards to both Windows Live Messenger and Messenger Plus! Live, would bloat the software. Everyone already experiences delays due to the network transmission adding features that need to encrypt the data then decrypt it will cause "lag" so to speak.

From here on in; Windows Live Messenger will be referred to as WLM and Messenger Plus! Live will be referred to as Plus!.

WLM is not a service that should in any case be used within a corporate environment. There is very little control a Network Administrator has over the application as a hole. They cannot block the adding of external contacts which would mean data would have to be routed using an unencrypted network transmission protocol through the Microsoft Servers then to the external contacts ISP then to the contact themselves.

For instance Office Communicator 2007 is an internal service which relies on Active Directory and if I am not mistaken has the ability of allowing only domain accounts as contacts which means no external contacts can be added. Therefore encryption is not needed as everything transmitted is sent to a local server and routed accordingly.

I am not sure if this is where you were taking this thread but I thought I would add my two cents.

Note I have not setup Office Communicator yet therefore I am unsure if adding external clients is possible I would assume not.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by matty
Messenger also doesn't encrypt the video stream transmission and it is easily recordable. Such features would degrade the overall quality. IMO adding such encryption features, in regards to both Windows Live Messenger and Messenger Plus! Live, would bloat the software. Everyone already experiences delays due to the network transmission adding features that need to encrypt the data then decrypt it will cause "lag" so to speak.

---

Matty I think your a bit wrong there.

The likes of skype encrypts chat with no lag.

http://www.skype.com/intl/en-gb/security/security/

So it M$ should spend a bit of time trying to figure that out.

It shouldnt be a job for an external plugin.

But on a side note:

http://www.secway.fr/us/products/simplite_msn/getsimp.php

That software will encrypt your convo providing the person your talking to has it.