How to encrypt file transfers with Apple Messages Service

Question

Level 1

24 points

How to encrypt file transfers with Apple Messages Service

Greetings,

I have a fully operational OS X Server running Yosemite and Server App 4.1.5.

I have all legit certificates, installed and working properly.

I can only assume that the Messages service does not have the ability to encrypt file transfers as I receive this message whenever I attempt to transfer files between Yosemite Clients (Or any other version of Messages)

"File will be sent unencrypted

Your account is encrypted but files cannot be sent encrypted. Do you want to send this file unencrypted?

Is this just not supported or am I missing something

LJS

Posted on Feb 23, 2016 11:25 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Mar 28, 2016 7:01 AM in response to nynj

Reply

Answer 2

AlecZ64

Level 1

24 points

May 16, 2016 5:17 PM in response to nynj

It's a really unfortunate limitation of Messages. The XMPP standard supports encrypted file transfer. I also don't know whether OS X server does. We should leave Apple feedback because there's no reason why file encryption support shouldn't exist.

Reply

Answer 3

AlecZ64

Level 1

24 points

May 16, 2016 5:34 PM in response to AlecZ64

Sorry, ignore what I said above. I misunderstood SOCKS5 and thought it provided encryption. It does not! XMPP does not support encrypted file transfer. So neither does Messages over XMPP. The only way they could do that is through some proprietary client-side protocol, which they could do (as they have done with audio/video chat)... but they haven't. 😟

Best you can do is encrypt your files manually before you send them.

Reply