silc-server (silcd) is the server for the SILC protocol. SILC (Secure Internet Live Conferencing) is a protocol which provides secure conferencing services in the Internet over insecure channel. SILC superficially resembles IRC, although they are very different internally. SILC is much more than just about `encrypting the traffic'. That is easy enough to do with IRC and SSL hybrids, but even then the entire network cannot be secured, only part of it. SILC provides security services, such as sending private messages entirely secure; noone can see the message except you and the real receiver of the message. SILC also provides same functionality for channels; noone except those clients joined to the channel may see the messages destined to the channel. Communication between client and server is also secured with session keys and all commands, authentication data (such as passwords etc.) and other traffic is entirely secured. The entire network, and all parts of it, is secured. SILC has secure key exchange protocol that is used to create the session keys for each connection. SILC also provides strong authentication based on either passwords or public key authentication. All authentication data is always encrypted in the SILC network. Each connection has their own session keys, all channels have channel specific keys, and all private messages can be secured with private message specific keys. FLAVORs: operops - Patches in the ability for a SILC operator to give themselves operator status on any channel. Please note that SILC explicitly prohibits this.
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