What exactly is the XMPP used extensively on the dark web?

XMPP is the Extensible Messaging and Presentation Protocol, a set of open technologies for instant messaging delivery, message presentation, multi-party chat, voice and video calls, collaboration, lightweight middleware, content federation, and common routing of XML data.

XMPP was originally developed in the Jabber open source community to provide an open, decentralized alternative to the then-closed instant messaging services. XMPP offers several key advantages over such services.

Open - The XMPP protocol is free, open, public and easy to understand; in addition, multiple implementations exist in the form of clients, servers, server components and code libraries.

Standards - The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) has formalized the core XML Streaming Protocol as an accepted instant messaging and presence technology. In 2011, the core RFCs were revised, resulting in the latest specifications (RFC 6120, RFC 6121, and RFC 7622).

Maturity - The first Jabber/XMPP technologies were developed by Jeremie Miller in 1998 and are now quite stable; hundreds of developers are working on them, and today there are tens of thousands of XMPP servers running on the Internet, with millions of people using Google Talk and other public services and XMPP deployments in organizations around the world use XMPP for instant messaging.

Decentralized - XMPP networks are architected similarly to email; therefore, anyone can run their own XMPP server, giving individuals and organizations control over their communication experience.

Secure - Any XMPP server can be isolated from the public network (for example, on a corporate intranet), and strong security using SASL and TLS has been incorporated into the core XMPP specification. In addition, the XMPP developer community is actively working on end-to-end encryption technologies to further raise the security bar.

Extensible - Leveraging the power of XML, anyone can build custom functionality on top of the core protocol; to maintain interoperability, generic extensions are published in the XEP family, but such publication is not necessarily required and organizations can maintain their own private extensions if desired.

Flexibility - XMPP applications beyond instant messaging include network management, content syndication, collaboration tools, file sharing, gaming, remote system monitoring, web services, lightweight middleware, cloud computing, and more.

Diversity - A wide range of companies and open source projects use XMPP to build and deploy real-time applications and services; you are never "locked in" when you use XMPP technology.

As a result, the XMPP protocol is still popular among users worldwide, especially on the dark web, where people are eager to use XMPP to connect. On some dark web forums, they often use the colloquial name "frog".

The XMPP network device is simple: there are XMPP servers, and there are many around the world, such as xmpp.jp. You choose your server and register with it, just as you would with any other website (unless, of course, the server owner offers the opportunity to register). When you register on a server, you create an account in the form of a login name and password.

Most XMPP server registrations require only a login and password. There are no links to cell phones, email or other personal data. New accounts can be registered in seconds, and one device can use one hundred accounts at a time.

The XMPP server is associated with a domain name, and your XMPP account will look like this: username@domain,such as [email protected]. This is similar to emails, and many users confuse them by trying to send emails to the recipient. In some cases, you can see the reduced JID (Jabber ID) - which is synonymous with an XMPP account.

By registering on one server, you can chat with all XMPP users, regardless of the server they are registered on (if the owner of the XMPP server again has no restrictions).

For communication via XMPP protocol, special client programs are used. There are many of them, and they are available for all popular mobile and desktop platforms. The most famous of them are Pidgin, Adium, Xabber and Psi+.

The Jabber network differs from other messengers by being decentralized, or not having a single center. You can customize and maintain your own servers, store or not store logs, determine data collection strategies and cooperation with law enforcement agencies. For the same reason, Jabber is difficult to monitor by ISPs.

Usage

To use the XMPP/Jabber service, you need to install and use the XMPP client.

XMPP is an open standard protocol, so there are many kinds of clients.

Recommended XMPP clients

Psi

Psi is a cross-platform XMPP client that is compatible with Windows, Linux, and MacOS.

Thunderbird

Thunderbird is a cross-platform email client that can also be used as an XMPP client.

iMessage

iMessages is the text messaging software included with your MacOS. It can also be used as a client.

Mobile Applications

Zom Mobile Messenger
ChatSecure
IM+
Talkonaut
Xabber
Monal
Conversations