Keybase
Keybase is a key directory that maps social media identities to encryption keys (including, but not limited to PGP keys) in a publicly auditable manner.[2] Additionally it offers an end-to-end encrypted chat and cloud storage system,[3][4] called Keybase Chat and the Keybase Filesystem respectively. Files placed in the public portion of the filesystem are served from a public endpoint,[4] as well as locally from a filesystem mounted by the Keybase client.[5]
This article is about the public key cryptography service. For the taxonomic key database, see KeyBase.
Type of site
Encrypted social networking service
English
Zoom Video Communications (2020)
Chris Coyne, Max Krohn, others
Required for membership
407,163 (as of 2019-08-22)
February 14, 2014
Keybase supports publicly connecting Twitter, GitHub, Reddit, and Hacker News identities, including websites and domains under one's control, to encryption keys. It also supports Bitcoin, Zcash, Stellar, and QRL wallet addresses.[6][3][7][8][9][10] Keybase has supported Coinbase identities since initial public release, but ceased to do so on March 17, 2017, when Coinbase terminated public payment pages.[11] In general, Keybase allows for any service with public identities to integrate with Keybase.[9][12]
On May 7, 2020, Keybase announced it had been acquired by Zoom,[13] as part of Zoom's "plan to further strengthen the security of [its] video communications platform".[14]
Identity proofs[edit]
Keybase allows users to prove a link between certain online identities (such as a Twitter or Reddit account) and their encryption keys. Instead of using a system such as OAuth, identities are proven by posting a signed statement as the account a user wishes to prove ownership of. This makes identity proofs publicly verifiable – instead of having to trust that the service is being truthful, a user can find and check the relevant proof statements themselves, and the Keybase client does this automatically.
App[edit]
In addition to the web interface, Keybase offers a client application for Windows,[15][16] Mac,[15][16] Android,[17][16] iOS,[16] and most desktop Linux distributions,[16] written in Go with an Electron front end. The app offers additional features to the website, such as the end-to-end encrypted chat, teams feature, and the ability to add files to and access private files in their personal and team Keybase Filesystem storage. Each device running the client app is authorized by a signature made either by another device or the user's PGP key. Each device is also given a per-device NaCl (pronounced "salt") key to perform cryptographic operations.
Chat[edit]
Keybase Chat is an end-to-end encrypted chat built in to Keybase launched in February 2017. A distinguishing feature of Keybase Chat is that it allows Keybase users to send messages to someone using their online aliases (for example a reddit account), even if they haven't signed up to Keybase yet.[3]
If the recipient (the online alias owner) has an account on Keybase, they will seamlessly receive the message. If the recipient doesn't have a Keybase account, and later signs up and proves the link between the online account and their devices, the sender's device will rekey the message for the recipient based on the public proof they posted, allowing them to read the message. Since the Keybase app checks the proof, it avoids trust on first use.[18]
