Privacy Basics
Can Encrypted Messages Be Intercepted?
Quick Answer
Encrypted messages can be intercepted in transit, but they appear as meaningless scrambled data. Without the decryption key, intercepted ciphertext is useless.
Detailed Explanation
Any data traveling over the internet can theoretically be intercepted — by ISPs, government agencies, or hackers on the network. This is exactly why encryption exists. When you send an encrypted message, what travels over the wire is ciphertext: seemingly random data that's meaningless without the decryption key. With AES-256-GCM (used by zkChat), even if every encrypted message you ever sent was intercepted and stored, it would take billions of years to decrypt a single one without the key. The key point is where the encryption key lives. With zkChat, keys are in the URL fragment and never sent over the network to our servers.
Related Questions
Is End-to-End Encryption Really Secure?
Yes. Properly implemented E2EE using algorithms like AES-256-GCM is mathematically secure — breaking it would take longer than the age of the universe with current technology.
How Does End-to-End Encryption Work?
Your device encrypts the message before sending it. Only the recipient's device can decrypt it. The server in between only sees scrambled data it cannot read.
What Is AES-256 Encryption?
AES-256 is the Advanced Encryption Standard with a 256-bit key — the same encryption used by the US military, banks, and governments worldwide. It's considered unbreakable.
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