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Table of Contents
Secure audio and video services
Key points:
Encrypted voice
Signal
Jitsi
I find that disabling p2p mode increases performance, at the cost of extra load on your server.
FaceTime? Signal?
Phone calls: do not trust the number on screen
When you receive a phone call, you'll often be shown the number of the person calling you. If that matches a number in your address book, you'll probably be shown the name of the person in your address book, rather than the number.
This is convenient, but the downside is that it is easy for someone to make a phone call display any number they want, thereby pretending to be your friend.
There's nothing you can do about this at the moment (although some work is under way to try to improve the current insecurities), other than to be mindful that a call from your boss, or your client, or your finance team, may not actually be from them.
Be careful where you speak
It should go without being said, but here we go: you can have the most secure, highly encrypted, voice communications system available, but it is of little use if you are going to have a conversation loudly or in a public place.
Trains, coffee shops, the Law Society's Reading Room… no matter how good your cryptography is, if you can be overheard, you're vulnerable.
Beware of fake technical support calls
A reasonably common scam is someone calling up, pretending to be from a technical support team, claiming that there is a problem on your computer. They want to get access to your computer, and then either install malware, or else find a (non-existent) problem and try to bill you to fix it.
Don't get into a discussion with them, or try to lead them on or waste their time. Just put the phone down.
If it's actually, genuinely your IT support team, they'll appreciate your security-aware stance.
If you think you have been scammed in this way, or are in the process of being scammed, get off the phone, disconnect your computer from the Internet quickly — pull out your Ethernet cable, or turn off the Wi-Fi adapter — and get your machine checked.