What StealthTalk and “The Royal Game” of Chess Have in Common?

“These young guys are playing checkers. I’m out there playing chess.” – Kobe Bryant

A lot could be said about the beautiful game of chess. 

Some call it the royal game, some think it is insulting to call chess just a game. One thing is for certain though – there’s no way to know everything about chess even if your name is Magnus Carlsen. 

Why? Well, let us highlight a few lines about chess from the brilliant Mr. Robot TV series.

In Chess, Help Isn't Allowed, There Is No Lifeline

“There are over 9 million different possible positions after three chess moves each. 

There are over 288 billion different possible positions after four moves. 

The number of 40-move games is greater than the number of electrons in the observable universe.”

Choices of the past dictate the next moves, and the game gets more challenging with every decision. 

Then again, you can lose a game in less than a minute too! In chess, help isn't allowed, there is no lifeline, there is no external force at play. It is a pure battle of two opponents, and that’s what makes the game beautiful. 

The game is infinite, and you don't need to know all the outcomes...

You Just Need to Be Able to See Ahead of Your Opponent

That’s what makes you better at security as well. 

The odds are stacked in your favor with StealthTalk, as you stay ahead of the adversary who’s trying to compromise your session by means of encryption key tampering – a theft of the instrument that makes your conversations private.

The best way to go about this situation? Let the numbers be on your side.

Instead of just one encryption key you actually have a bundle. Only some of those keys, used on the right “locks” in the correct sequence can “open the door”. An intruder has more chances to win in a lottery than get in the thick of things. 

If we want to talk numbers, the adversary has 1 attempt for a correct guess, and his chances are less than 1 in 10,000,000. That’s only the first obstacle on the way for the attacker… Even if you are attacked by the luckiest men alive, they’re not getting anything, because that was only the first obstacle on their way.

Security Alerts and Blocked Devices on Display 

StealthTalk app will know if someone will try to compromise your session.

That means if anyone will try to snoop on your conversation through a side-channel attack, your session in StealthTalk will be cut short. When the attacker will understand he was playing chess and not checkers, it would already be too late. 

You will be able to identify the attacker’s device too, getting alerts in the “Blocked Devices” section.

Just like chess, StealthTalk only appeals to quite a small minority. It does not have the cachet of mainstream messengers – a blessing in disguise for sure, given how some of the most secure messengers gain mainstream status in 2020. 

Even though we do not approach security through obscurity, StealthTalk is not going to be on the radar of the law enforcement anytime soon.

To get more information about key management in StealthTalk in a handy Q&A format, please check out the article called “Catch Key If You Can: A Bit About StealthTalk’s Encryption In One Q&A”.

If you have any questions, or something to tell us, please be free to contact us on our Twitter page.