Rust Crypt (File Encryptor)

A simple yet powerful file encryption tool built with Rust. Securely encrypt and decrypt files using AES-256-GCM encryption with password-based key derivation.

Table of Contents

• Features
• Installation
  • From Source
  • Using Cargo
• Usage
• Technical Details
  • Encryption Process
  • Security Considerations
• Dependencies
• Contributing
• License
• Acknowledgements

Features

• Strong Encryption: Uses AES-256-GCM, a highly secure authenticated encryption algorithm
• Password-Based: Simple password-based protection for your sensitive files
• Secure Key Derivation: Implements Argon2 for secure key derivation from passwords
• User-Friendly CLI: Simple command-line interface for ease of use
• Cross-Platform: Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux

Installation

From Source

1. Ensure you have Rust installed
2. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/karthik558/Rust-Crypt.git
   cd Rust-Crypt

3. Build the project

   cargo build --release

4. The binary will be available at target/release/rust-crypt

Using Cargo

cargo install --git https://github.com/karthik558/Rust-Crypt.git

Usage

Encrypting a file:

  rust-crypt encrypt --input <INPUT_FILE> --output <OUTPUT_FILE> --password <YOUR_PASSWORD>

Example:

  rust-crypt encrypt --input secret.txt --output secret.enc --password mysecretpassword@7%%%!

Decrypting a file:

  rust-crypt decrypt --input <ENCRYPTED_FILE> --output <OUTPUT_FILE> --password <YOUR_PASSWORD>

Example:

  rust-crypt decrypt --input secret.enc --output secret.txt --password mysecretpassword@7%%%!

Technical Details

Encryption Process

1. A unique salt is generated for each file encryption
2. An AES-256 key is derived from the user's password using Argon2
3. A random nonce is generated for the AES-GCM encryption
4. The file is encrypted using AES-256-GCM with the derived key and nonce
5. The encrypted file format is: [salt_length (4 bytes)][salt][nonce (12 bytes)][encrypted data]

Security Considerations

1. Password Strength: The security of your encrypted files depends significantly on the strength of your password
2. File Format: The encrypted file contains the salt and nonce used for encryption, but these do not compromise security
3. Memory Safety: Built with Rust, providing memory safety guarantees

Dependencies

1. aes-gcm:: Provides the AES-GCM encryption algorithm
2. argon2:: Secure password hashing and key derivation
3. clap:: Command-line argument parsing
4. anyhow:: Flexible error handling

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Feel free to open an issue or submit a pull request for new features, improvements, or bug fixes.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/security-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some security feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/security-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgements

1. Inspired by the need for simple, secure file encryption tools
2. Thanks to the Rust cryptography community for maintaining excellent libraries