webext-signed-pages VS ios-mail

There is "Signed Pages" by the debeloper of EteSync. It is a browser extension, that checks webapps based on signatures in the html file. The addon then warns the user if the signature is not correct or - if I remember correctly - the source changed. This allows you to be sure what webapp code was delivered. But it seems like it did not really get used outside of his own projects. https://github.com/tasn/webext-signed-pages

EteSync has implemented something called Signed Pages, this might be worth looking closer at. This uses PGP keys which is preloaded into the browser; but I suspect that will be a barrier too high for most non-tech users.

There are also projects like signed web pages which can also help increasing the trust level to some degree. But that requires that you can download the source code and regenerate the verification hash locally - or have other trusted methods to verify the hash value hasn't been modified as well. The current concept is reasonably sane, but it requires too much from users currently to make it widely used.

> The server can at any time start serving malicious payloads

True, and I call this threat model "Beware Each and Every Fetch" (BEEF) in contrast to the more common TOFU model (although if you trust a desktop app to auto-update itself then these two models might not be all that different).

In any case, I think you're being a little quick to dismiss the idea of server-hosted applications. It's true that browsers don't natively have a nice way of pinning specific versions of a web app, but there is the clever hack of SecureBookmarks[0] (if you're prepared to sacrifice the UX), or, more realistically, you can pin the web app version using some sort of browser extension.

Examples of the latter include the Signed Pages extension[1], and Code Verify[2], which is the result of a collaboration between Meta and Cloudflare (for securing the WhatsApp Web code, currently, but should eventually support other sites like Proton's too). Of course, it would be much better if this capability was natively included in browsers themselves, but hopefully adoption of this technology will pressure browsers and standards bodies to take ownership of this.

[0] https://coins.github.io/secure-bookmark/

[1] https://github.com/tasn/webext-signed-pages

[2] https://github.com/facebookincubator/meta-code-verify

Something like a browser extension for this does already exist, fortunately:

https://github.com/tasn/webext-signed-pages

In regards to untrusted webapp, yes, that is a reasonable attack vector. That said, I've heard from ProtonMail they have been considering to implement Signed Pages to help mitigate (at least some of the) issues with this attack vector.

Which is why it is important to get proper E2E encryption on e-mail, where the source is open source and can be audited. And then that there are verify mechanisms to verify that the source code has not been manipulated. For web services there are signed-pages which is quite interesting.

I see that Proton (https://proton.me/) offers a fuller suite of tools these days beyond just mail: calendar/password manager/cloud storage/vpn

The pricing looks pretty good too at $9.99/month for everything

Has anyone migrated everything to them? How is it if so?

I currently pay for a Google Workspace on my own domain and iCloud for storage, which already amounts to more than Proton are charging (and Proton allows 3 custom domains for email vs Googles 1)

I've been running my own email server for the last 10 years or so using iRedMail / CentOS on a cheap VM. It requires very little maintenance and I never have problems with delivery (just make sure you have DMARC, DKIM, SPF, all setup).

Occasionally I consider moving to service provider but I don't really trust any of them with something so important. Especially Google, as there are so many cases of people getting locked out of their account with virtually no support available to them.

If I were going to switch to a provider, it would likely be Proton. They are based out of Switzerland and as far as I know have an outstanding reputation.

https://proton.me

If you have Proton VPN installed on an iOS, MacOS, or Android device, could you please try switching to the Stealth protocol (https://protonvpn.com/blog/stealth-vpn-protocol/) to see if you will be able to successfully connect afterwards. If you do manage to connect to a VPN server with the Stealth protocol, please try accessing proton.me afterwards and let us know how it goes.

Just for science, you should try a different VPN. You can get Proton for free if you sign up for Proton email at Proton.me. It’s at least another data point.

Meanwhile, you could try accessing proton.me from another web browser, disable any browser extensions on your current web browser, and make sure you can access any other websites on the same setup.

So two days ago I signed up with a fresh account with Brave, a VPN, and a fresh proton.me email. Went thru fine-- no problems, and used the site since. I used the site on my phone with the Brave browser, and fine again.

Proton AG is a privately-owned company and does not publish financial information, which makes assessing their future success or failure, or product strategy, difficult to predict. Any voluntarily released information is available through their website under Who We Are and Resources & Support, much of which is summarized on Wikipedia). I doubt that an officer or employee of Proton will provide insider information on Reddit that isn't already on the Proton website. Someone else here, who might be closer to the company, might be able to share better insights, but I see no reports of financial distress. I judge the financial and organizational stability of Proton to be at least equal to any of its competitors, and better than most. But these are my opinions and I have little concrete evidence to support them.

Proton is a decent alternative for email and calendar among others if you value privacy