Russian messengers for android which is better. Rating of instant messengers in Russia. The notorious “Russian hackers. New Russian messenger TamTam: what's good about it Why is it important to protect correspondence

Opportunities for communicating with friends will become a little less, but replacing your favorite messenger can be almost painless. We offer you 20 alternatives to the brainchild of Pavel Durov for exchange instant messaging.

Let's start with Telegram's obvious competitors. In Russia, WhatsApp is the most popular, followed by Viber and Facebook Messenger.

Whatsapp

Hangouts- a messenger that combines the functionality of the previous two. At the same time, it is also a direct heir to the instant messaging system Google Talk, Chats and Hangouts from Google+. Works on Android and iOS mobile platforms and in a browser (on the Chromium engine). In addition, Hangouts allows you to stream live to YouTube.

Line

Snapchat

Probably the most controversial Telegram replacement proposal on our list. The very idea of ​​disappearing messages is cool, but how do you manage the channel then? No way. There are no channels here. The application works on smartphones, allows you to send messages with a certain "lifetime". In general, self-destruction of messages after reading is the main one. There are Stories here - which are familiar to most from Instagram. There is also a Discover section where their "stories" are published by media such as BuzzFeed, National Geographics, MTV, CNN, etc. Among these videos, there have already appeared serials.

Bleep

It is a cross-platform messenger from BitTorrent. According to the developers, it uses a peer-to-peer decentralized P2P network to transfer messages, without using servers. That is, encryption occurs directly between two users, and the history of the correspondence is not stored anywhere else, except for the memory of the smartphone itself. Supported text messages, photo transfer and voice calls. No stickers, no channels. And all chats are secret by default.

FireChat

This messenger is available only on smartphones running iOS and Android. Its main advantage is the ability to work without the Internet, using wireless networks WiFi and Bluetooth. Each device with a client installed becomes a repeater for other devices that are detected within a radius of 60 meters. Networks created according to this principle should show themselves well when they arise with communication - the developer positions the application for communication in nature or football matches. By the way, if one or more devices on the network have access to the Internet, then all users of the messenger nearby will be able to send messages online.

Threema

Another secure messenger from Switzerland - here, when registering, you don't even need to indicate your phone number or your mail. Each user of the application is assigned a unique ID, on the basis of which keys for encryption and decryption are generated. Features "classic" - exchange of test messages, group chats, transfer of photos and videos. Works on smartphones (iOS, Android and Windows) and in the browser.

Signal Messenger

From Edward Snowden. Signal encryption protocols developed by Open Whisper Systems have long been recognized as reliable and adopted by other messengers, including the previously mentioned WhatsApp and Allo. The functionality is standard - messages and file transfer.

Slack

This messenger is suitable for companies that have used Telegram for business communication. Slack is self-hosted and integrates almost 100 third-party services like Dropbox, Google Docs, Twitter, or MailChimp. Communication takes place in open channels, private groups and private messages. Free version is available for an unlimited number of participants, but only 10 services can be integrated, which should be enough for small and medium-sized businesses. It should be noted that the messenger does not have a separate application - it works as a web service.

If all of the above does not suit you, then you can always return to ICQ - apparently. ICQ has video chats, group chats, stickers and calls - all this is encrypted and works on different platforms. Do not forget about the cross-platform [email protected] - from the same Mail.ru Group. In addition, we have at our disposal on different platforms - the pioneer of ip-telephony - with group chats, group video calls and conference calls. And there is always an opportunity to send an SMS or make a call, in the end - there is also such an archaic thing as live communication at a meeting.

Employees of companies around the world use mobile devices to work: it is easier and faster for them to resolve issues. For the same reason, the popularity of instant messaging programs is growing. But how to combine a messenger and the stringent requirements for information security in business?

The answer is known by the development director of Cybernika, Vladimir Pivovarov, one of the creators of the protected Russian messenger Sibrus.

CNews: Today, company employees actively use a variety of instant messengers, especially on mobile devices... Some developers say that they provide privacy of correspondence. What is another secure messenger for?

Vladimir Pivovarov:

At first glance, indeed, most instant messengers provide protection mechanisms using encryption. But this is only one of the data protection methods. Now there are many channels of information leakage, and each one needs specific protection.

For example, the data that is transmitted using our messenger is stored both on the server and on user devices, because a business always needs to have access to the history of correspondence with all the necessary documents. But if the device is lost or stolen, the information will fall into the wrong hands, and this could threaten the company. Therefore, to protect the stored data, complex tools are also needed to ensure system security, user control, etc. Simple encryption, as in public services, is not enough.

We searched among the existing messengers for those that would be sufficiently protected, and did not find a single full-fledged implementation. That's why we built our secure UC platform - a tool for instant messaging, calling and collaboration.

CNews: Is the server installed at the customer's site? Who has access to the correspondence data?

Vladimir Pivovarov:

The main difference between our messenger and public services is that the company itself completely controls the operation of the server, as well as all the data that is transmitted and stored with its help.

Even if the Sibrus server is installed in a commercial data center, the data center administrators can perform only general functions and monitor that the system is working. And user and security management is the responsibility of a company specialist.

Take the problem of preventing leaks, for example. Let's say employees work in a virtual environment and use remote desktops on which corporate messenger... There is a threat that the employee will transfer the file from the corporate cloud to the messenger, and then download it from the phone at home. The administrator can prevent such actions by prohibiting downloading files from the cloud.

CNews: How did you come up with the idea of ​​not just creating a messenger, but making it a commercial product?

Vladimir Pivovarov:

This thought came up a few years ago when we saw a void in the market. We then made solutions to protect data transmission channels for government agencies - the demand for this was quite high, and we faced a problem for business: messengers were needed, but there were no protected ones among them. Then, except, it seems, there was nothing noticeable at all. For Skype, you can theoretically use secure virtual networks VPN, but this required the creation of a complex and expensive solution that not everyone can afford. There were free products as well, but they did not meet other business requirements, such as resiliency. So it turned out that even large companies protected only part of their accounts, while the rest communicated over unsecured connections.

Therefore, the idea arose to bring your own messenger to the market, devoid of all the disadvantages described. We have been developing it for three years already, and a strong team of programmers is working on it. First of all, we tested the technology - it was necessary because we saw the problems of our predecessors. After all, there were other developers before us, I know examples when a company made a commercial messenger for a year, and then closed the project, because the architecture of the solution was initially chosen incorrectly.

As of today, the situation on the market has not changed; Sibrus has no new competitors. We do not take into account the fact that many public services such as or have come out, because users do not manage these services and do not control their security. Perhaps, today only Skype is strengthening as a business solution.

CNews: What functionality is included in Sibrus? Why is it interesting?

Vladimir Pivovarov:

All functions in "Sibrus" are selected so that a corporate user can quickly and easily solve their work tasks. There are two main types of functions in Sibrus: communication and group work. For communication there is correspondence, video calls, calls to phone numbers, video conferencing, chats. It is possible to moderate group chats and conferences, that is, to do everything that users are used to.

The second part of the functionality is group work... It includes tools for organizing work and managing tasks. You can transfer files of any type to your colleagues. We set ourselves the task of realizing real group work - this is different from what we see, for example, in the EDMS. There is a formalized process regarding the approval of documents, but it is about 5% of the work of an ordinary office employee, when everyone has already talked to everyone, created a document and sent it for approval.

Companies have a need for a solution that will allow them to discuss and quickly solve any problems related to various projects. That is, they need to provide the work that underlies the emergence of documents.

CNews: There are categories of customers that are subject to the special requirements of security regulators - these are government agencies, the financial sector ... Does your messenger meet these requirements?

Vladimir Pivovarov:

Yes, in Russia there are several bodies involved in the certification of IT solutions - these are the FSB, FSTEC, the Ministry of Defense, and we are now in the process of obtaining all the necessary certificates. This certification will enable us to install Sibrus in regulated organizations.

There is a widespread misconception in the market that certification "bodies" gain access to corporate correspondence. This is absolutely not the case. When checking software products, they are examined for compliance with regulatory documents and, based on the results of the work performed, a decision is made to issue the appropriate certificates. For example, the FSTEC laboratory looks to program code there were no undeclared features, that is, so that the developer did not gain access to the client's data through some kind of "back door".

The level of trust in certified solutions is higher, so they are preferred even by commercial organizations without government involvement. And the request for certification, as a rule, comes from security personnel who understand how everything works.

CNews: Speaking about the public sector, one cannot fail to mention the inclusion of your messenger in the Register of Russian software. Why do you need it, what prospects does it open?

Vladimir Pivovarov:

This gives us more confidence in the future, because we see the government's course towards import substitution. For us, this word means preferences for Russian developments, including us. It turns out that we, to some extent, have priority over foreign developers.

How does it manifest? Even now, when meeting potential customers, we hear the question: "Are you in the Register?" If "Sibrus" had not been present there, some of the meetings would have ended there. And so we are negotiating with government agencies, companies with state participation, and they look at our decisions.

The second side of this issue is our attractiveness for customers as a reliable company precisely due to the presence in the Register of domestic software. If you look at the requirements for suppliers, you can see that among them not only the registration of a company in Russia, but also the availability of documentation drawn up in accordance with GOST for software products and the work of the technical support service. This shows customers that in six months or a year they will not be left alone with the purchased system, that the developer will deal with them.

CNews: What forms of licensing are available to customers, will there be functionality limitations, additional options for separate money?

Vladimir Pivovarov:

We do not use tricky licensing schemes, because we are a Russian company, our market is not used to that. If we make a basic license for basic functions, and for it we sell options for video communication, for other features, all this will resemble a car dealership: you came to choose a car, focusing on the price in the advertisement, but together with the necessary options, the price for which you didn't originally expect.

Therefore, we made a simple licensing, which includes only three tariff plan... First - "Office"- designed for small organizations. Second - "Company"- provides for the installation of the system on a server cluster and is suitable for customers with increased requirements for fault tolerance. And the third one is "Corporation"- this is a proposal for large organizations, which includes the customization of Sibrus and branding of the interface in a corporate style. Payment for user licenses always goes according to the number of established accounts: there is a person in the system - he can use the messenger on any number of devices.

CNews: Is Sibrus more a desktop application or a mobile one? How do you meet the demands of mobile users?

Vladimir Pivovarov:

Initially, focusing on the business segment of the audience, we focused more on the desktop solution. As a rule, a person in an office sits at a computer, and mobile applications especially strongly "shot" only in the last couple of years. Therefore, we made the desktop version the richest in functionality, but the mobile is now catching up with it, and we are making great efforts to this. After all, now it has come to the point that top managers do not even watch the desktop version, but immediately open mobile client and ask what opportunities he will give them in business management.

CNews: What platforms do you make mobile clients for?

Vladimir Pivovarov:

We only invest in two major platforms covering almost the entire market - Android and iOS. Client for Microsoft Windows We are not planning to release it yet, because this OS has a very small mobile market. But someday we will make a decision for her too.

We are much more interested in the Tizen platform from Samsung and the Russian mobile OS under development based on Sailfish. They have a great chance to become the main mobile platforms for the public sector, so we will definitely make software clients for them.

CNews: How do you plan to develop the messenger?

Vladimir Pivovarov:

In addition to the usual work on improving the functionality, which each product developer is engaged in, we will strengthen the capabilities of the messenger related to group work and video. The second area deserves special attention, because it is very large and promising: many customers are primarily interested in video conferencing. Here we will continue to improve the interface and image quality.

There are many manufacturers of video conferencing solutions. We do not plan to occupy the niche of expensive systems, for which employees register in advance in order to use special equipment, huge TVs and video cameras. Our field is daily and convenient communications of employees in the format they are accustomed to in everyday life, using various public messengers and social networks. Sibrus provides video communication even without additional devices and allows you to adjust the image quality.

On further development Sibrus is also influenced by the wishes of large customers who have a great interest in our solution and partly set the vector of our development.

At a closed meeting of deputies of the State Duma of the Russian Federation and the head of the FSB Alexandra Bortnikova the issue of creating a domestic messenger was discussed. Equally, both in parliament and in the FSB, this area of ​​work is considered fundamentally important from the point of view of national security.

“I think that changes in legislation will be required to introduce our messengers in Russia and develop microcircuits. This is very important ", - REN TV quotes the words of the Deputy Chairman of the Duma Committee on Security and Anti-Corruption Dmitry Savelyev.

Russian messenger

Alexander Vlasov, an expert in the field of information security, fully agrees with the Russian legislators.

“Creation of Russian software and messenger is an extremely urgent task. These are one of the few non-commodity products that we can not only successfully develop, but also export abroad. The example of Kaspersky Lab, Speech Technology Center and our other companies shows that Russia can create quite competitive products in this area, "- first of all, the expert noted in an interview with a reporter. Federal News Agency.

The task of creating an effective and secure Russian messenger, Vlasov believes, is best done not by government agencies, but by private capital. The Russian private sector has the potential to create a messenger that will work the same, and perhaps more efficiently, than the very same Viber, WhatsApp or Skype. “Yet the latter, as we know, was also developed by Russian programmers,” the expert emphasizes.

If such a messenger is safe and will solve both the problems of users and the problems of national security, then its distribution and implementation will not even have to be facilitated from the outside. Changes in Russian legislation will play only a minor role here.

Russian "iron"

It is known that along with computer systems and software, hardware was also discussed at a closed session of the Russian parliament. Bortnikov and the State Duma deputies noted the importance of creating and introducing in government agencies computer devices based on Russian developments. According to Vlasov, from the point of view of information security, this task is, perhaps, even more important than the development of a messenger.

Russia is now far behind in this regard. The overwhelming majority of accessories for computer equipment comes to the country from abroad. Therefore, potential ill-wishers of the Russian Federation - for example, Western special services - are able to penetrate Russian closed systems, using not only software but also the actual devices on which it is installed.

“In the 90s, when development was just beginning cellular networks, there were still Russian switches, routers and other telecommunications equipment on the market. Of course, it was assembled from Chinese, Taiwanese, Korean and Japanese components. Nevertheless, all this was subjected to thorough special checks and assembled into a finished product based on Russian algorithms. Unfortunately, in the 2000s, all this potential was lost, ”explains Alexander Vlasov.

Of course, you won't be able to return what you have lost with one jerk. Now Russian manufacturers will simply not be able to compete with such foreign companies as IBM, Huawei and Cisco.

“Nevertheless, we can take Western hardware and subject it to special checks in order to exclude all undeclared possibilities of interference in its activities. We can do this. Moreover, this must be done in order to close all the back doors, vents and air ducts that compromise our national security, ”sums up Alexander Vlasov.

Communication between people has changed significantly with the advent of mobile phone, and the ways of communication are developing rapidly. It all started with emails and messages in social networks, and now 60% of smartphone owners use various messengers. Increasingly, there are disgruntled exclamations about unwanted calls with an appeal to transfer communication to the messenger. This is not just a trend, but a new established way of communication.

At the end of May, Russian developers presented a new mobile messenger TamTam - in it, like in other similar applications, you can chat with friends and subscribe to small thematic blogs and channels. We decided to review TamTam and understand what is interesting in it.

Who to communicate with

An important point - after installing the application, you can find your friends and immediately write to them. Which is generally rare for new messengers or social networks. The thing is that TamTam was created on the basis of the OK Messages application - the audience of this messenger inherited the new application.

You can also find users of the Odnoklassniki social network in TamTam. If you have an OK account and you logged into TamTam with it, then in the "Contacts" section you can find any person with a profile on this social network and write to him. Thus, by installing TamTam, you will stay in touch with your friends.

If there is no account and you just logged in by phone number, then contacts from your phone book will be loaded - there can be a lot of such here too. For example, the author of this article had relatives, close people, and even old acquaintances living in the regions in the messenger. A good reason to write to friends or those with whom you have not communicated for a long time.

Of course, you shouldn't expect that all your friends are already here - the application is only a month old. How quickly they get here is in your hands. If you like to chat in TamTam - invite your friends using a special button in the "Contacts" section.

How to communicate

Here you can find everything that you are used to in instant messengers: you can send not only text messages, but also photos, record video or audio, use emoji, gifs, stickers. You can even download a live stream directly inside the application - for example, from the OK Live service. Insert the link in the chat on your live stream - and the interlocutor (or several interlocutors - if it is a group chat) will be able to open it right inside the messenger.

TamTam also has interesting animated stickers - the creators of the application call them "live". These are stills from films, and funny gifs with animals or children, and in general - everything that can illustrate a thought better than any words. To make it easier to find a sticker, there is a search: open the sticker showcase, enter any word: even “thank you” or “see you later” - the application will select the most suitable emotions for you.

TamTam is a new application that is being actively developed and refined, therefore, in fairness, it does not yet have all the opportunities for communication. However, soon the developers promise to add even the ability to call directly from the application - in audio or video format. They say there will be new features that will help diversify communication.

One of the main features of the new application is thematic blogs, or channels. These are message feeds on a specific topic, to which you can subscribe and receive regular updates from them. Channels in TamTam appear in the same message list as the main chats.

The channels in the messenger are already run by a variety of people: ordinary users who share interesting thoughts, videos and photos; celebrities - for example, a popular journalist and TV presenter; major media outlets, including. There are channels with news and legal advice, channels about gadgets and history, channels for bloggers and journalists. In general, in TamTam you can not only communicate, but also have something to read - and even watch: many authors post photos and interesting videos.

Channels are not yet such a popular function of instant messengers as correspondence or group chats. Still, we all choose this or that messenger primarily for the opportunities for communication. But the channels are interesting at least because, thanks to them, the messenger is not just an application where you can write to a friend or send a photo to your mom. With channels, here you can, for example, read the morning news or just learn something new - without interrupting your correspondence.

In the next article, we will tell you how channels are developing in modern Russian and foreign messengers and why they will soon become an integral part of our mobile communication with you.

The Internet Development Institute (IRI) has selected 13 domestic messengers, the best of which can be used by officials for official correspondence and business communication. It was Iran that initiated the introduction of the "state messenger". This initiative was later supported by the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications and Rostelecom in order to strengthen the digital sovereignty of Russia and prevent leaks of important state information. Life not only found out all the applicants for the status of "state messenger", but also figured out why officials should not use the usual WhatsApp and Telegram.

Experts from the Internet Development Institute (IRI) have completed testing messengers that claim to be state-owned. As Life found out, thirteen products were selected out of 34 applicants. Among them are the following messengers: "Sibrus" (developer of "Cybernika" LLC), Staply ("Primavera" LLC + "CRT-innovations" LLC, PJSC "VimpelCom"; three versions), "Answer" ("UKT" LLC), Actor (LLC Actor), eMotion (PJSC Megafon), Kubik (LLC Platforma Kubik), Flodium (LLC Ommji Technology), Titanium (LLC Raketa), ICQ2016 (LLC Mail.Ru "), Dialog (Dialogue LLC), Bellchat (Federal State Unitary Enterprise" GlavNIVTs "of the Office of the President of the Russian Federation), B2G Messenger (PJSC" Rostelecom ") and RTIMS (LLC" RT-Inform "). Presumably, testing will last for three months and will end in January 2017.

Arseniy Shcheltsin, Director for Project Activities of the Institute for Internet Development (IRI), said that "projects were submitted for the competition, which even exceed the basic requirements of the IRI in terms of information security."

For example, the development of SafePhone from the Scientific Research Institute "SOKB", ViPNet Connect (OJSC "InfoTeKS"), Secret Phone (LLC "Security Code"). The experts recommended that they be taken out for separate testing and application outside the current project. It is also worth noting products tailored for certain types of communications: Enkrypt (for lawyers), KliChat (for sellers), Knockchat (for neighbors), IQ300 (for tasks) and others. Their experience can be useful in other projects, he says. - IRI will continue to cooperate with all participants in the selection. The next step is to determine in which regions which products will be tested.

After pilot tests, the necessary management functionality, security requirements, rules for the formation and storage of a database of contacts of officials, a single protocol for the interaction of various state messengers will be identified, the cost of launching and maintaining products will be named, '' he added.

I don’t remember that any domestic product, especially of this level and scale, was developed, on the one hand, with the involvement of a large number of developers, and on the other, with such a deep participation of the user audience - officials. We will make the product tailored to the needs of civil servants, - says adviser to the president Herman Klimenko.

By the way, not only the servants of the people themselves, but also ordinary users will be able to use such applications for officials. This was agreed at the Iranian working group. True, a special encrypted data transfer protocol will be developed for the communication of officials. For ordinary users, they will make a public version that runs on a different protocol.

Life figured out how promising domestic messengers were selected, which were specially created to convey the secrets of officials.

Test mode for the finalists of the "state messenger" project

In the next few months, the finalist messengers will be introduced in test mode in the structures of the Federal Bailiff Service, the Russian Post, the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs, in the constituent entities of Russia: Moscow, Ulyanovsk, Vladimir, Nizhny Novgorod regions, the Republic of Tatarstan, the Udmurt Republic, the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous the district. The curators of the project say that as a result, civil servants will have more than one messenger, but a special data transfer protocol will "dock" different applications.

According to the idea of ​​the Internet Development Institute (IRI), a state messenger is an important part of ensuring national digital sovereignty and, at the same time, a window of opportunity for Russian programmers who, on a competitive basis, receive a guaranteed large-scale market within the country. It should become a means of operational communication for Russian officials when working with official information. It is planned that the future state messenger will provide its owner with a high degree of data protection, a "directory" of contacts of all Russian civil servants, and a hierarchical communication system.

Deputy Minister of Communications and Mass Media Alexei Sokolov is confident that the market's response in the form of applications received has confirmed the presence of strong communication software solutions in Russia.

I am sure that some services from among the leaders of the preliminary rating are no less competitive than well-known world communicators, - he says.

The tests were carried out in one stage and consisted in the assessment by the experts of the working group and the Institute of such characteristics of applications as usability, data protection, readiness to "complete" specific functionality, in particular, the hierarchical organization of communication.

- Rostelecom is part of working group and at the same time presents its product - "B2G messenger". We provide the state messenger project with expertise and technical support... We have a lot of competence in creating a certified secure channel for data exchange. Perhaps Rostelecom will act as an operator of the contact base for the state messenger, ”says Alexander Maslov, vice president of Rostelecom.

What did not pleaseWhatsApp, ViberandTelegram?

Russian officials, like ordinary users, love to communicate in popular applications - WhatsApp, Viber and Telegram.

Experts agree: the usual WhatsApp, which sends tens of billions of messages a day through itself, can hardly be called safe. Every now and then there are news about program vulnerabilities. In the course of one of the studies, it was found that the file with the history of correspondence located in the device's memory, being encrypted, can be hacked in a few moments using a simple script. And even more so, since recently the service belongs to the Facebook company, known for its connections with the American special services.

Other's free services for communication, from Viber to iMessage, things are no better.

There were also questions to Telegram, which Pavel Durov created. It was reported that hackers managed to gain access to accounts. Secret chats are an exception. Thus, when hacked, the attacker can not only carry out correspondence on behalf of the victim, but also read all the correspondence that the Telegram client uploads to the phone.

In principle, distrust in Telegram is caused by a combination of factors, - an interlocutor in the government explains to Life. - Telegram is not ready to cooperate with Russian law enforcement agencies, and the special services, accordingly, do not understand security issues. There are also questions about the ownership structure.

Many popular services still do not comply with the requirements of the law on personal data and store all information about Russian users abroad. In particular, this is the case with Facebook-owned WhatsApp messenger and Telegram founded by Pavel Durov. Only Viber agreed to transfer data to Russia.

The issue of creating a state messenger is overripe. Technologies have gone far ahead, they use this not only because these are Western technologies that have some kind of security. It is more convenient and faster than any postal services. They allow you to instantly exchange messages, call each other over the Internet, - says the head of the Duma Committee on Information Policy Leonid Levin. - If there is such a domestic service where government officials can exchange information and understand that this does not carry any risks, and this will be approved by our bodies, then it will be good.

Interestingly, in August 2015, the Secretary of the Russian Security Council Nikolai Patrushev already demanded that the governors take action against officials who use foreign Google services, Yahoo and WhatsApp. Because the use of resources located abroad by officials to resolve official issues is dangerous.

In March 2016, Moscow police were banned from texting about work. The ban affected the transfer of official information through instant messengers and social networks. Information appeared in the media that this could be due to the fact that one of the police units exchanged official information through foreign applications.

And in February 2016, Radio Liberty published material containing correspondence allegedly conducted by Moscow investigators in WhatsApp and Viber applications.

By the way, the officials themselves are eagerly awaiting the appearance of a domestic application. The Governor of the Kaluga Region Anatoly Artamonov said that he used to enjoy using WhatsApp and was pleased with its functionality.

It is a very convenient means of communication, but, unfortunately, I am not using it now, because there was a recommendation. A Russian messenger, if it is similar in terms of content and efficiency, will be useful. Perhaps it will be made even better, - he says, noting that now he does not use foreign services even for personal correspondence.