Re:Tanker: End-to-End Encryption SDK for JavaScript
by nothrabannosir on Wednesday May 22, 2019 @05:54PM
(#19985971)
> EDIT: To be clear, the browser is a code distribution platform, just like the App Store.
Not exactly the same, and the difference is important.
An iOS app is an iOS app is an iOS app: every user gets the same app. Malicious updates to bonafide releases cannot be targeted to specific users and will be distributed to everybody. Same for playstore.
A browser effectively requests an update, directly, every single time the app is started.† Updates can be targeted very precisely, both to a time and a user.
Circumventing this difference is not a detail, and eliding that when talking about browsers, honestly, implies regular use. Including the behaviour described above.
† An exception is a trick using web workers and github which appeared on HN a while back. That was an actual novice use for JS crypto.
Not exactly the same, and the difference is important.
An iOS app is an iOS app is an iOS app: every user gets the same app. Malicious updates to bonafide releases cannot be targeted to specific users and will be distributed to everybody. Same for playstore.
A browser effectively requests an update, directly, every single time the app is started.† Updates can be targeted very precisely, both to a time and a user.
Circumventing this difference is not a detail, and eliding that when talking about browsers, honestly, implies regular use. Including the behaviour described above.
† An exception is a trick using web workers and github which appeared on HN a while back. That was an actual novice use for JS crypto.