encryption

A wrapper around crypto.subtle with a simple API and the following features:

• derive a key from a password with PBKDF2
• or generate a single use random key
• encrypt text with AES in Galois/Counter Mode.

Deriving a key requires a salt, which must be saved in order to be able to regenerate the same key from the same password.

AES-GCM uses an initialization vector (iv) to randomise the encryption. Each encrypted message can and must be stored along with its associated iv.

How to install

npm install https://github.com/geoffreyTools/encryption.git

How to use

import encryption, { generateSalt } from 'encryption';

const password = '2@4ZNyxSijhUXYrQ';
const salt = generateSalt();

const { encrypt, decrypt } = encryption(password, salt);

const log = x => (console.log(x), x);

encrypt('message')
    .then(log) // { cipher: 'Nu/mxRj0GArC7NVCNHqcR7CnBS6iDBc=', iv: 'Nw/4KTuLGCiCHbnU' }
    .then(decrypt);
    .then(log) // 'message'

generateSalt

Syntax

const salt = generateSalt();

Return value

• salt: a bas64 String.

encryption

Syntax

const { encrypt, decrypt } = encryption();
const { encrypt, decrypt } = encryption(password, salt [, iterations]);

Parameters

• password (optional): a plain text password
• salt (optional): a base64 String as generated by generateSalt.
• iterations (optional): the number of times the hash function will be executed.
  The default is 1000000. The higher the better.

The salt is required for persistance if you supply a password.

Return value

a plain { encrypt, decrypt } object.

• encrypt: a function seeded with the encryption key which accepts a String to encrypt and returns a Promise of a { cipher, iv } pair (which are base64 encoded Strings).

  const { cipher, iv } = encrypt(message);
  

• decrypt: a function seeded with the encryption key which returns a Promise of a String.

  const decrypted = decrypt({ cipher, iv });
  

pbkdf2Hash

The function responsible for deriving a key.

Syntax

const derived_key = await pbkdf2Hash(password, salt, iterations);

Parameters

They are the same as encryption:

• password: a plain text password
• salt: a base64 String as generated by generateSalt.
• iterations: the number of times the hash function will be executed.

Return value

A promise of a base64 encoded string.

Example

Can be used alone to save passwords:

const savePassword = (db, password) => {
    const salt = generateSalt();
    const iterations = 10**5;
    const derived_key = await pbkdf2Hash(password, salt, iterations);
    return db.put({ id: 'password', iterations, derived_key, salt });
}

And authenticate users:

const authenticate = (db, password) => 
    db.get('password').then(({ derived_key, salt, iterations }) =>
        pbkdf2Hash(password, salt, iterations).then(hash =>
            hash === derived_key
            ? Promise.resolve()
            : Promise.reject('Authentication failed')
        )
    )

The examples above are just that: examples. Do not take security advice from me.