Github: https://github.com/WardPearce/Purplix.io
View our canary: https://purplix.io/c/purplix.io/3ZjhTlZRWv8iqa6sn9yJ3TRiIkVbwITOOlwLjJD36jQ
What is Purplix Canary?
Purplix Canary is a free & open source warrant canary tool what helps you to build trust with your users.
It allows you to inform users cryptographically if your site has been compromised, seized or raided by anyone.
How does it work?
Site verification
Purplix uses DNS records to verify the domain the canary is for, giving your users confidence they are trusting the right people.
Canary signatures
Each domain is associated with a unique key pair. The private key is generated locally and securely stored within the owner's keychain. When a user visits a canary from a specific domain for the first time, their private key is used to sign the public key. This signed version of the public key is then automatically employed for subsequent visits, effectively mitigating man-in-the-middle attacks and ensuring the trustworthiness of canary statements from the respective domain.
Files
Canaries can include signed documents to help users further understand a situation.
Notifications
Users are automatically notified on the event of a new statement being published.
I think that's the purpose of the "next update" part. As long as the ability to refresh that timestamp is gated behind a passphrase (for 5A protection) then it functions as a deadman switch for the canary.
Passphrases only work in locales with 5a or similar protection, and either have to be managed by a single person or have the potential to be leaked.
Great for small businesses, but unworkable at the enterprise level.
But having a canary mechanism for smaller businesses is crucial, because they can’t afford to put a wall of lawyers between them and potential government overreach.