Google Messages to feature MLS support for improved security

Google is set to adopt Message Layer Security protocol for its Messages app for Android in a bid to advance end-to-end encryption across different platforms, The Hacker News reports. "Most modern consumer messaging platforms (including Google Messages) support end-to-end encryption, but users today are limited to communicating with contacts who use the same platform. This is why Google is strongly supportive of regulatory efforts that require interoperability for large end-to-end messaging platforms," said Google Privacy Engineering Director Giles Hogben. Prior to Google, support for the MLS protocol, which had its core specification recently issued by the Internet Engineering Task Force, has already been expressed by Amazon Web Services, Cisco, Mozilla, and other organizations. "MLS builds on the best lessons of the current generation of security protocols. Like the widely used Double Ratchet protocol, MLS allows for asynchronous operation and provides advanced security features such as post-compromise security. And, like TLS 1.3, MLS provides robust authentication," said the IETF.