Cryptography Assignment On Cyber Security Tools: AES Crypt & Cryptomator
Question
Task:
Write a report on cryptography assignment on various open source cryptography tools.
Answer
Abstract
As per the research on cryptography assignment it is stated that there are different forms of information security and privacy attacks developed. To control and mitigate these issues, Cryptography has proved to be an effective measure. To execute cryptographic functions, several tools have been developed on all modern operating systems as well as some that exists entirely on the web. Two such tools are evaluated in the report.
Introduction
Cryptography is a technique that involves the creation of the unreadable message format so that the information can be protected from the security risks and attacks. There are different protocols and algorithms applied to convert the plain text and information in its encrypted format (Buchanan 2017). The secure keys are used to decrypt the message at the receiver’s end. There are different tools and techniques that are developed to implement cryptography. The overview and evaluation of two such tools is covered in the report (Qi & Chen 2018).
Cryptography tools evaluation
There are various tools that are developed for carrying out the encryption and decryption of the information and files. Two such tools, AES Crypt and Cryptomator are described and evaluated below (Trostle 2018).
AES Crypt
Overview
One of the popular cryptography tools is AES Crypt. The algorithm used by the tool is Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) and the encryption of the files is carried out using the algorithm. The tool runs on various platforms and operating systems, such as Windows, Mac, and Linux. It is also available in various versions, such as C, C++, and Java(Jones 2013). The files encrypted using the AES Crypt tool on any of the platform is compatible with the other platforms and these can also be decrypted on other platforms. There is high degree of usability that comes with the tool due to its visually appealing and effective user interface(Rubinstein-Salzedo 2018). The GUI on Windows and Mac operating systems makes the tool easy to use on both the platforms.
Evaluation
The evaluation of the AES Crypt tool is performed and the images are included to make sure that the outcomes of the evaluation are effectively depicted.
The first step is the set up and installation of the tool on the system.
The required files need to be downloaded for the purpose of installation.
Once the files are downloaded, The tool can be installed through the set up wizard as per the steps that come one after the other.
For installation, it is important to select the installation folder.
The installation shall be confirmed so that the tool and its functions can be used.
When the tool is installed, all the files in the system come with an option to encrypt the file after clicking right on the name of the file.
The context menu against the file shows the option to encrypt the file using the tool. It is necessary to enter the password at this stage.
After entering the password, the file is encrypted and it can be confirmed in the extension of the encrypted file that changes to aes.
For any of the file encrypted using AES Crypt, there is an option to decrypt the file that shows up upon right click on the file.
It is essential to enter the password that was entered at the time of encryption in order to decrypt the file.
If a wrong password is entered, the following message shows up.
When the correct password is entered to decrypt the file, the file is decrypted and the same is accessible to the users.
Cryptomator
Overview
Cryptomator is one of the popular cryptography tools used primarily for digital self-defense. The tool can be used to lock cloud as well as local data in a secure vault.
It is often witnessed that the cloud vendors encrypt the information at the time of transmission and do not share the key for decryption. There are issues of key mismanagement that occur frequently. With Cryptomator tool, it becomes possible to access the files from any of the devices. The tool is usable and it provides the ability to integrate the local data and the data available on the cloud(Cryptomator 2020).
The tool is designed as per the latest cryptography algorithms and it can encrypt using the AES algorithm along with the 256 bit key length. There is a password that is assigned to the folder which is referred as vault in the terminology of the tool. To access this vault, the password is required and it will provide access to the virtual encrypted drive. The drive will enable easy movement of the information. The data stored in the drive will be automatically encrypted using the tool. The combination of AES and 256-bit key length enable the enhanced encryption and information security(Kaur & Khanna 2015).
Evaluation
To evaluate the tool, the first step followed is to install the tool.
The set up wizard asks for the folder to select to install the tool.
There are different components that the tool comes up. The required components shall be selected for installation.
The installation status can be easily seen on the screen.
The tool also requires the dependency installation of Dokan.
Dokan can be easily installed as per the steps that come up in the setup wizard.
Once Dokan library is installed, the installation of Cryptomator is also complete.
It is also important to provide the access to the tool as some of the features may be blocked by the Windows Defender.
After installation, the first step is to create a vault.
The vault is hidden; however, it requires a destination for the files.
All the vaults that are created can be spotted in the tool.
The vaults can be unlocked using the tool.
The tool has the option to include any of the files or drive.
When the vault is locked, the files in the vault cannot be accessed by the user.
Conclusion
Cryptography is one of the techniques that can be effectively used to protect the information properties against any security or privacy attack. The two tools, AES Crypt and Cryptomator can automate the encryption and decryption process. The files can be protected using the application of these tools. Also, the tools are easy to use and come with enhanced platform-independence.
References
Buchanan, W 2017, Cryptography, River Publishers, Gistrup, Denmark.
Cryptomator 2020, Cryptomator - Free Cloud Encryption for Dropbox & Co, Cryptomator, viewed 2 January 2021,
Jones, P 2013, AES Crypt User Guide, viewed 2 January 2021,
Kaur, H & Khanna, P 2015, ‘Biometric template protection using cancelable biometrics and visual cryptography techniques’, cryptography assignment Multimedia Tools and Applications, vol. 75, no. 23, pp. 16333–16361.
Qi, M & Chen, J 2018, ‘New robust biometrics-based mutual authentication scheme with key agreement using elliptic curve cryptography’, Multimedia Tools and Applications, vol. 77, no. 18, pp. 23335–23351.
Rubinstein-Salzedo, S 2018, Cryptography, Springer, Cham, Switzerland.
Trostle, J 2018, ‘CMCC: Misuse Resistant Authenticated Encryption with Minimal Ciphertext Expansion’, Cryptography, vol. 2, no. 4, p. 42.
