Alternatives - Skype? ZOOM? Discord? TeamSpeak?

stockhausen

stockhausen

stockhausen

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I have been asked to give people advice on using Skype. Ppersonally I haven't used it for years and assumed that it wasn't around any longer so out of curiosity I had a look on Wikipedia . . . I was somewhat stunned to read:
Wikipedia said:
On 10 November 2014, Skype scored 1 out of 7 points on the Electronic Frontier Foundation's secure messaging scorecard. Skype received a point for encryption during transit but lost points because communications are not encrypted with a key the provider doesn't have access to (i.e. the communications are not end-to-end encrypted), users can't verify contacts' identities, past messages are not secure if the encryption keys are stolen (i.e. the service does not provide forward secrecy), the code is not open to independent review (i.e. the code is not open-source), the security design is not properly documented, and there has not been a recent independent security audit.
. . .
As of August 2018, Skype now supports end-to-end encryption across all platforms.
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No wonder it now has a significantly lower profile than it once had.

Now, as it happens I don't think that snooping by GCHQ, the NSA or Mossad is likely to be an issue for the elderly people who want to keep in touch and who have asked me about it but I do wonder what alternatives are available under Windows on a PC?


edited: Just to clarify, I am ONLY interested in software that will run on Windows devices (typically a laptop with built-in microphone, speakers and camera); I am not interested in anything that will ONLY run on a SmartPhone, least of all, that will ONLY run on Apple products ;)
a l s o . . .
After various helpful posts here, I have tested out Skype and ZOOM and am happy to recommend and install ZOOM :)
 
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You took a snippet (from Wiki no less) dated 2014, prior to the Microsoft purchase of Skype, and you're using that as a guideline for now, 6 years later?

No.

Skype is fine. It's still Skype, but it's fine.
 
Django x2 said:
. . . Microsoft purchase of Skype
. . .
Skype is fine. It's still Skype, but it's fine.
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I have been advised by a Corporate Communications Manager to use ZOOM. I have never heard of it before and get the impression that it may not be ideal for "personal" use but I will have a look at it.

As to Skype and Microsoft, the very involvement of Microsoft seems to be one good reason to avoid it - I remember back in the day when Microsoft acquired Hotmail. But thanks for the endorsement anyhow :)
 
stockhausen said:
I have been advised by a Corporate Communications Manager to use ZOOM. I have never heard of it before and get the impression that it may not be ideal for "personal" use but I will have a look at it.

As to Skype and Microsoft, the very involvement of Microsoft seems to be one good reason to avoid it - I remember back in the day when Microsoft acquired Hotmail. But thanks for the endorsement anyhow :)
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Very true, although zoom?? You're not 9...

As you highlighted, Skype before MS, couldn't care less, Skype after MS, end to end encryption
 
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stockhausen said:
I have been advised by a Corporate Communications Manager to use ZOOM. I have never heard of it before and get the impression that it may not be ideal for "personal" use but I will have a look at it.

As to Skype and Microsoft, the very involvement of Microsoft seems to be one good reason to avoid it - I remember back in the day when Microsoft acquired Hotmail. But thanks for the endorsement anyhow :)
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Again - how far back do you want to go? All companies have made mistakes but Outlook.com is a very good free email service. GMail, which a lot of people use, have come under criticism for scanning peoples email and ad-targetting them for example.

Microsoft acquired Skype so that it would fit in, it's then, Lync messenger app which has now been replaced with Skype for Business and is really being pressed by Microsoft Teams.

Skype is free, allows you to purchase some credits and dial phone numbers, and is, relatively easy to use. It's also available on nigh on every platform and free from Skype to Skype. If you want team chats then there is Discord. All are available on the web and free. Zoom, and this is going back a little bit, was aimed more at the corporate side and was relatively pricey. They're not really comparable products.

If the aim is to provide advice on using Skype download it and draw up a guide. It shouldn't take longer than 10-15 minutes and there are a ton of guides already out there.

As it stands it's fine to use Skype.



M.
 
Django x2 said:
Very true, although zoom?? You're not 9...

As you highlighted, Skype before MS, couldn't care less, Skype after MS, end to end encryption
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Zoom is being used by companies up and down the country, as well as some big name global corporations. I've seen zoom video conferences with 50+ participants and no major problems which weren't down to an individuals own connection problems. It's pretty astounding - which may explain why their share price has jumped spectacularly in the past 2 weeks.
 
m4cc45 said:
. . .
Skype is free, allows you to purchase some credits and dial phone numbers, and is, relatively easy to use. It's also available on nigh on every platform and free from Skype to Skype. If you want team chats then there is Discord. All are available on the web and free. Zoom, and this is going back a little bit, was aimed more at the corporate side and was relatively pricey. They're not really comparable products.
. . .
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Thanks for that, good input to work on.

As I said, ZOOM was recommended by the Communications Manager from a large multinational and may be OTT.
 
fezster said:
Zoom is being used by companies up and down the country, as well as some big name global corporations. I've seen zoom video conferences with 50+ participants and no major problems which weren't down to an individuals own connection problems. It's pretty astounding - which may explain why their share price has jumped spectacularly in the past 2 weeks.
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Right, let me help here. Zoom, which like that U2 album for iTunes, was forced onto desktops across the globe because of its vulnerability exploit triggers, (which are listed worse than some of the worst trojans). It operates from a directory which opens up further vulnerabilities for viruses to run and is also susceptible to "prying eye". Unless you really have no other option like Skype for Business or Teams, then avoid, or ensure your AV measures and AppLocker policies are beyond reproach.
 
Django x2 said:
Right, let me help here. Zoom, which like that U2 album for iTunes, was forced onto desktops across the globe because of its vulnerability exploit triggers, (which are listed worse than some of the worst trojans). It operates from a directory which opens up further vulnerabilities for viruses to run and is also susceptible to "prying eye". Unless you really have no other option like Skype for Business or Teams, then avoid, or ensure your AV measures and AppLocker policies are beyond reproach.
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I'm not sure that you have actually helped there Reinhardt ;)
However, based on your comment I checked ZOOM security on Wikipedia:
Wikipedia said:
In November 2018, a security vulnerability (CVE-2018-15715) was discovered that allowed a remote unauthenticated attacker to spoof UDP messages from a meeting attendee or Zoom server in order to invoke functionality in the target client. This would allow the attacker to remove attendees from meetings, spoof messages from users, or hijack shared screens.

In July 2019, security researcher Jonathan Leitschuh disclosed a zero-day vulnerability allowing any website to forcibly join a macOS user to a Zoom call, with their video camera activated, without the user's permission. In addition, attempts to uninstall the Zoom client on macOS would prompt the software to re-install automatically in the background, using a hidden web server that was set up on the machine during the first installation and remained active even after attempting to remove the client. After receiving public criticism, Zoom updated their software to remove the vulnerability and the hidden webserver, allowing complete uninstallation.
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Maybe you could "correct" the Wikipedia entry?
 
stockhausen said:
I'm not sure that you have actually helped there Reinhardt ;)
However, based on your comment I checked ZOOM security on Wikipedia:Maybe you could "correct" the Wikipedia entry?
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Good to see they've updated the "hidden web server". To be fair, those kind of actions are enough for me to want to stay well clear. I know further vulnerabilities exist, perhaps no worse than other software, but to protect against them is on the device operator rather than the vendor.
 
Zoom, the video-conferencing app that has seen a huge rise in downloads since quarantines were imposed around the world, is now being used by millions for work and social gatherings.

This week Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted a picture of himself chairing a Cabinet meeting via the app. This led to questions about how secure it was for government meetings. Zoom has angrily defended its security record, saying it would answer any questions the government had.

First came a tweet from the prime minister. It was closely followed by reports that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) was suspending use of the app, something it strenuously denied. The MoD told the BBC that Zoom had never been used for high-security meetings, but continued to be a tool for cross-government chats. Later, a Cabinet Office spokesperson moved to clarify the government's position: "In the current unprecedented circumstances the need for effective channels of communication is vital. National Cyber Security Centre guidance shows there is no security reason for Zoom not to be used for conversations below a certain classification."

But Zoom was clearly angered by suggestions that it was not entirely secure. "Zoom takes user security extremely seriously" it told the BBC. (LINK)
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Still, it is probably secure enough for discussing the health of the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Health :D
 
For personal use just use WhatsApp voice calls. It's free, simple, end-to-end encrypted for the paranoid and you can do group voice/video chat too.

All you need is a mobile.
 
Pho said:
For personal use just use WhatsApp voice calls. It's free, simple, end-to-end encrypted for the paranoid and you can do group voice/video chat too.

All you need is a mobile.
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As you say, WhatsApp is OK "for personal use"; I don't know that it can be used for a "group" chat, can it?

I believe that it is also available to run on a PC but have never tried it in that way.

Incidentally, one minor correction - I believe that WhatsApp requires more than just a basic mobile 'phone; you would be amazed at how many OAPs use a laptop and prefer a small, light mobile 'phone rather than a (relatively) massive Smartphone which needs recharging every night.


On further research, both Skype and ZOOM seem fine - I can't say that I now have a preference . . . probably prefer ZOOM :)
 
Terminal_Boy said:
FaceTime allows up to 32 different iThings to take part in a group video call.
. . .
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Yup, Apple products only.

Perhaps, I should have made my original post clearer, I was ONLY interested in software that would run on Windows devices (typically a laptop with built-in microphone, speakers and camera) ;)
 
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I use Skype frequently and even pay a subscription for a UK number and unlimited calls. The interface is a little clunky and occasionally I get call drops. But that seems to be the case for many such services during these very busy times.

I have used it for over a year now because it gives me what I need.

* Unlimited UK calls
* A UK based geographical phone number (mine is an 0203 London number)
* Very cheap international calls (option to pay for unlimited calls in a specific country if I needed to)
* Ability to make calls from, and receive call to, any device in my house: Desktop, phone, tablet, laptop
* It works across every OS: Linux, Windows MacOS, Android and iOS. Linux support was very important for me.

When someone calls me every one of my devices rings and I can answer it on the nearest one. I can also sit at my desktop and make calls to real numbers using a high quality headset for long conference calls. It has an occasional hiccup but I am happy with it.
 
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