Cifer
Cifer is a private messaging platform in development at Atomos Technologies, designed so that message content is unreadable to the operator as well as to any interceptor.
What made this hard.
Most "secure" messengers encrypt in transit but hold readable content on the server, so a subpoena or a breach exposes everything.
End-to-end encryption is straightforward to describe and difficult to implement correctly, particularly around key exchange, device management and message history.
Usability normally loses to security: the more rigorous the model, the harder the product is for an ordinary person to use.
How we built it.
Content encrypted on the device, with keys that never reach our infrastructure. The server routes ciphertext it cannot read.
Forward secrecy so a future key compromise does not retroactively expose past conversations.
Multi-device support designed around key management rather than around a shared server-side inbox.
Metadata minimisation — a service that cannot read messages still leaks a great deal if it logs who talked to whom and when.
Outcome.
In active development. Cryptographic design and threat model are complete, with independent review planned before any public release.
We will publish the threat model rather than asking anyone to trust a marketing claim. A secure messenger that will not describe its own model does not deserve trust.
We publish no performance or commercial metric we cannot substantiate. Where a figure is absent here, it is because we do not have one we can stand behind.
Services and stack.
- Rust
- TypeScript
- React Native
- libsodium
- PostgreSQL
Cifer — common questions.
Is Cifer available yet?
Cifer is in active development and not publicly released. Cryptographic design and threat modelling are complete; independent review is planned before any release. We would rather ship late than ship a security product that has not been reviewed.
What makes Cifer different from other secure messengers?
The design goal is that Atomos cannot read message content either. Encryption happens on the device, keys never reach our infrastructure, and metadata is minimised — because a service that cannot read messages still leaks a lot if it logs who talked to whom.
Tell us what you are building.
Send the brief, the half-formed idea, or the problem you have not solved yet. We reply within 24 hours.