4 open-source tools to collaborate online securely
With all of our work communications happening online now, using end-to-end encryption to protect them is a great idea. E2EE means encrypting data on one end and decrypting it on the other, preventing anyone in the middle (hackers, cloud service providers, or government agencies) from reading it.
Here’s the list of open-source communication tools with this security option implemented.
Signal to encrypt your instant messaging
Replacement for: WeChat, WhatsApp, Viber
Services with similar approach: Matrix
Signal offers end-to-end encryption for voice and video calls, text messages, and photo exchange. Apart fromE2EE, Signal provides extra security measures: it allows users to make messages disappear on both ends of the conversation after a set amount of time, delete videos or photos sent from the conversation once viewed, enable the Screen Lock feature, etc. The application is available for Android and iOS devices.
Signal requires your phone number for identification.
The source code of Signal is listed on GitHub under the GNU Public License 3.0.
ProtonMail to encrypt your email communication
Replacement for: Gmail, Hotmail
Services with similar approach: Tutanota
ProtonMail encrypts emails before sending them and stores your messages using zero-access encryption. When you communicate with other ProtonMail users, your messages are encrypted end-to-end. If you send a message to non-users, you can also apply password protection.
Like many other webmail services, ProtonMail uses HTTPS and SSL to encrypt data in transit and allows users to enable two-factor authentication. It also lets users set a message expiration date measured in days and hours.
ProtonMail offers a desktop client as well as mobile applications for Android and iOS devices. It does not require any special skills to start as it works as any other webmail services.
The ProtonMail source code is available on GitHub.
ownCloud to encrypt your folder sharing
Replacement for: Dropbox, Box, Google Drive
Services with similar approach: -
ownCloud offers three layers of encryption: encryption in transit assured by using HTTPS and the newest TLS protocols, encryption at rest with the master key located on the storage or in the hardware security module, and end-to-end encryption with the help of the E2EE file sharing plugin.
When this plugin is enabled, users can create folders and share them with other users and guests of the platform. All the files are encrypted before being uploaded to the server and then decrypted inside the browser using a JavaScript Plugin or a hardware smart key. Files remain encrypted, so no one, not even administrators, is able to decrypt files to see or modify them.
The ownCloud source code is available on GitHub under AGPL v.3 license. The E2EE plugin is distributed under a commercial licence.
ONLYOFFICE to encrypt your real-time document co-editing
Replacement for: Google Docs, Zoho Docs, MS Office Online
Services with similar approach: -
In addition to basic security features, like HTTPS and JWT for data protection or 2FA and SSO for user authentication, ONLYOFFICE Workspace comes with Private Rooms for end-to-end encrypted real-time document co-editing.
All the documents users deal with in Private Rooms are encrypted once created or uploaded. And all inputs made by co-authors including objects, images, etc. are encrypted locally on one end, transferred to the server in encrypted form and then decrypted on the other.
Private Rooms don’t require any technical skills. Users just enter their private room from the desktop client and start editing or co-editing documents as usual. They don’t need to invent, send or enter any passwords that are generated automatically on-device and transferred in encrypted form when sharing the document.
The ONLYOFFICE Workspace as well as desktop client source code is available on GitHub under AGPL v.3.
