AESCrypt 2025AK

Changelog - AESCrypt v2025AK

📅 Release Date: February 2025

🆕 New Features

1. Random Padding for File Size Obfuscation

   • Implemented a random padding generator using secrets.token_bytes(1048576).
   • Ensures that encrypted file sizes do not directly correlate with original file sizes.
   • Padding size is stored and correctly removed upon decryption.

2. Improved Secure File Deletion (Anti-Journaling Protection)

   • Added forced disk writes (os.fsync()) after overwriting file contents.
   • Ensures data is securely erased on journaling file systems.
   • Uses multiple passes (0x00, 0xFF, and random data) before deletion.

3. Enhanced Memory Security

   • Replaced direct password usage with memoryview(password_bytearray) to avoid unnecessary memory exposure.
   • Applied secure memory erasure immediately after key derivation and decryption.

🛠️ Fixes & Improvements

1. Fixed Padding Removal on Decryption

   • Addressed a critical bug where incorrect padding removal caused corruption in decrypted files.
   • Padding size is now correctly stored and removed only after full decryption.

2. Improved HMAC Integrity Verification

   • Fixed an issue where HMAC validation failed due to misaligned data.
   • Ensures encrypted files are not modified or corrupted before decryption.

3. More Efficient Encryption Process

   • Introduced multi-threaded encryption with unique IVs to improve performance.
   • Tracked used IVs in a set to prevent accidental reuse.

🔄 Code Refactoring

• Optimized Secure Delete Function:

  • Added os.fsync() to mitigate file system caching effects.
  • Ensured proper disk write enforcement before file removal.

• Better Readability & Structure:

  • Improved function naming and added in-line comments.
  • Simplified logic for encryption/decryption process.

⚠️ Known Issues

• No reported issues so far. If you encounter any bugs, please report them on GitHub.

🔒 AESCrypt v2025AK now provides stronger security, better performance, and more reliable encryption for your files. 🚀

AESCrypt Argon 7.0AK REV

AESCrypt 7.0AK Changelog

Version 7.0AK
Release Date: January 11, 2025

---

New Features

Per-Block IV and Tag for Enhanced Security

• Date: January 11, 2025
• Description: Each block during encryption now uses a unique Initialization Vector (IV) and tag, improving data security and preventing vulnerabilities in block cipher modes.
• Code Change: Updated the encrypt_file() function to generate unique IVs and tags for every 1MB block of data. These are stored and used during decryption for accurate data reconstruction.

HMAC Input Expansion

• Date: January 11, 2025
• Description: Enhanced integrity checks by including all IVs, tags, and encrypted data in the HMAC input, ensuring robust verification against tampering.
• Code Change: Modified the verify_hmac() function to validate against the expanded HMAC input, including IVs and tags.

Block-wise Decryption

• Date: January 11, 2025
• Description: Decryption now processes data block-by-block using the corresponding IVs and tags, ensuring secure and accurate data recovery.
• Code Change: The decrypt_file() function now retrieves the appropriate IV and tag for each block during decryption, significantly improving the handling of large files.

---

Security Enhancements

Secure File Deletion

• Date: January 11, 2025
• Description: Enhanced secure_delete() to overwrite files three times (with zeros, ones, and random data) before deletion, ensuring unrecoverable data.
• Code Change: Updated the secure_delete() function to perform multiple overwrites with distinct patterns before removing the file.

Secure Memory Erasure with PyNaCl

• Date: January 11, 2025
• Description: Replaced custom random data generation with PyNaCl's secure randomness for memory erasure.
• Code Change: Modified the secure_erase_memory() function to use nacl_random() for overwriting sensitive data in memory.

---

Modifications to Existing Features

Checksum Verification

• Date: January 11, 2025
• Description: Added SHA-256 checksum calculation before and after encryption, allowing users to validate file integrity.
• Code Change: Implemented the calculate_checksum() function, which calculates and displays checksums during the encryption and decryption processes.

Multithreaded Encryption and Decryption

• Date: January 11, 2025
• Description: Improved multithreading for block-wise encryption and decryption, resulting in faster processing of large files.
• Code Change: Updated encrypt_file() and decrypt_file() functions to use multiple threads for parallel processing of data blocks.

---

Other Improvements

Dark Mode UI Enhancements

• Date: January 11, 2025
• Description: Updated the dark theme to improve contrast and user experience across all widgets.
• Code Change: Adjusted the set_dark_theme() function to include better styling for buttons, labels, and text entries.

File Metadata Simplification

• Date: January 11, 2025
• Description: Simplified the metadata structure in encrypted files by encoding the number of blocks, IVs, and tags in a streamlined format.
• Code Change: Refactored the encryption file-writing process to store metadata efficiently.

Improved Error Handling

• Date: January 11, 2025
• Description: Enhanced error messages for encryption and decryption, providing users with detailed feedback on potential issues.
• Code Change: Updated all messagebox.showerror() calls to include more descriptive error details.

UI Layout Refinements

• Date: January 11, 2025
• Description: Adjusted the graphical interface for better usability, including improved button placement and text alignment.
• Code Change: Made updates to the Tkinter layout, resizing elements and repositioning buttons for a cleaner look.

---

Bug Fixes

• Decryption File Corruption: Fixed an issue causing incomplete or corrupt files during decryption of large datasets.
• HMAC Verification Failures: Resolved inconsistencies in HMAC validation for encrypted files.
• File Selection Bugs: Fixed a bug where the "Browse" button occasionally failed to populate the file path field.
• Threading Race Conditions: Addressed threading-related errors during parallel encryption and decryption.

---

This version of AESCrypt 7.0AK brings significant security, performance, and usability improvements, making it the most robust version yet.

AESCrypt Argon 6.5AK

AESCrypt 6.5AK Changelog

Version 6.5AK (December 22, 2024)

New Features:

1. Polymorphic Virtual Keyboard:

   • Date: December 22, 2024
   • Description: Implemented a polymorphic virtual keyboard that randomly changes its layout using secrets.random to ensure higher security against keyloggers.
   • Code Change: Added a virtual keyboard with buttons for letters, numbers, and special characters, which changes the key layout with each interaction. The keyboard includes a "Shift" function to toggle between uppercase and lowercase, as well as "Backspace," "Enter," and "Space" functionalities.

2. Random Password Generator:

   • Date: December 22, 2024
   • Description: Added a feature to generate secure random passwords of 45 characters, combining uppercase, lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters.
   • Code Change: The function generate_password() was created to generate and automatically insert a secure password into the password input field.

3. Password Visibility Toggle:

   • Date: December 22, 2024
   • Description: Implemented a button to toggle the visibility of the password in the password input field, enhancing user convenience.
   • Code Change: The toggle_password() function was implemented to toggle between showing or hiding the password in the input field.

Security Enhancements:

1. Secure Memory Erasure:

   • Date: December 22, 2024
   • Description: Improved the secure_erase_memory() function to ensure secure erasure of sensitive data in memory, replacing its content with random data and securely erasing it.
   • Code Change: Enhanced the secure_erase_memory() function to overwrite memory content with random values and ensure proper deletion of data.

2. Secure File Deletion:

   • Date: December 22, 2024
   • Description: Improved the secure_delete() function to ensure encrypted files are securely deleted after encryption or decryption processes.
   • Code Change: The secure_delete() function now overwrites files before permanently deleting them, using random data to ensure the original data is unrecoverable.

Modifications to Existing Features:

1. File and Folder Encryption with Multithreading:

   • Date: December 22, 2024
   • Description: File and folder encryption and decryption now use multithreading for improved performance, processing data blocks simultaneously.
   • Code Change: The functions encrypt_large_file() and decrypt_file() were modified to support multithreading in the processing of large files. Decryption is now performed in blocks, and the code uses multiple threads for more efficient data processing.

2. Large File Detection:

   • Date: December 22, 2024
   • Description: The is_large_file() function was enhanced to check if a file exceeds 500 MB before deciding whether to use block-based encryption or decryption.
   • Code Change: The is_large_file() function is now automatically used to determine if a file is large enough to be processed with multithreading during encryption or decryption.

3. Error and Success Messages:

   • Date: December 22, 2024
   • Description: Improved error and success messages to provide clear feedback to the user during encryption and decryption processes.
   • Code Change: The messagebox.showinfo() and messagebox.showerror() functions were improved to provide more detailed feedback, including specific information about errors and success during encryption and decryption operations.

Other Modifications and Improvements:

1. Dark Mode UI:

   • Date: December 22, 2024
   • Description: The program was improved to use a dark theme, with colors that are easier on the eyes, aiming for a more pleasant user experience.
   • Code Change: The set_dark_theme() function was implemented to alter the style of widgets in the graphical user interface, applying a dark theme across the program.

2. UI Layout and Functionality Fixes:

   • Date: December 22, 2024
   • Description: Adjustments to the user interface layout, including the repositioning of buttons, text inputs, and labels for better usability.
   • Code Change: The graphical user interface was adjusted, including changes to the window dimensions and element alignment, ensuring a cleaner and more efficient visual experience for the user.

3. Minor Bug Fixes:

   • Date: December 22, 2024
   • Description: General minor bug fixes that improve the stability and performance of the program.
   • Code Change: Various small bug fixes, including improvements in error handling and the behavior of encryption functions.

AESCrypt Argon 6.2AK

Changelog for AESCrypt Argon 6.2AK

Features

• Encryption and Decryption:

  • Users can now encrypt and decrypt files with AES encryption using Argon2 for key derivation.
  • Added secure memory erasure after key usage to ensure sensitive data is not left in memory.
  • HMAC (Hash-based Message Authentication Code) is used for verifying data integrity during encryption and decryption.

• Secure File Deletion:

  • Files are securely deleted after encryption by overwriting with random data multiple times before deletion.

• Password Management:

  • A password field has been added with an option to show/hide the password.
  • Option to generate a 45-character random password with special characters, letters, and digits.
  • Virtual keyboard for password entry to prevent keylogging.

• Enhanced User Interface:

  • Introduced a dark theme for better user experience.
  • File selection dialog allows the user to browse for files to encrypt/decrypt.

Bug Fixes

• Input validation: Added checks for empty fields to ensure that all required inputs are provided.
• Error Handling: Improved error messages for better clarity during failures in encryption, decryption, or file selection processes.
• Memory Management: Fixed memory handling to prevent accidental data leakage after cryptographic operations.

Updates

• Graphical Interface:
  • Added labels and instructions to guide users through the process of selecting files and entering passwords.
  • Improved button labels and styles for better navigation and action clarity.
• Codebase Maintenance:
  • Cleaned up the code for readability and efficiency.
  • Simplified path sanitization and password handling.

Known Issues

• Ensure that file paths are properly sanitized for non-ASCII or special characters that could potentially cause issues during file operations.

Future Plans

• Adding multi-file encryption and support for directories in upcoming releases.
• Explore further optimizations in memory management for increased security.

AESCrypt Argon 6.0AK

Changelog

AESCrypt Argon 6.0AK (12/07/2024)

New Features:

• AK (Anti-Keylogger) Protection:
  • Introduced a new Anti-Keylogger (AK) feature that prevents keyloggers from capturing sensitive keystrokes during password input. This feature adds an extra layer of protection when entering passwords for encryption and decryption tasks, ensuring that your encryption process remains secure even in potentially compromised environments.

Enhancements:

• Improved Security with Argon2:

  • Increased the time cost for the Argon2 hashing algorithm to further strengthen password hashing security.
  • Enhanced the salt size in Argon2 to prevent rainbow table attacks and make password hashes more resistant to cracking.

• File Integrity and HMAC:

  • Implemented more robust HMAC (Hash-based Message Authentication Code) checks to ensure that the integrity of files is verified during both encryption and decryption processes. This prevents tampering and ensures that the data remains intact throughout.

• Memory Zeroing:

  • Introduced memory zeroing techniques that overwrite memory used for sensitive data after encryption and decryption operations to prevent data leakage.

• Cross-Platform Compatibility Improvements:

  • Enhanced compatibility with macOS and Linux environments, ensuring a seamless experience when running AESCrypt Argon 6.0AK across different platforms.

User Interface Improvements:

• No Console Window:

  • The graphical user interface (GUI) has been further streamlined. The application now runs without a console window, providing a cleaner and more professional look.

• UI Layout and Experience:

  • Refined the layout to improve usability, especially on systems with different screen resolutions.
  • Added tooltips for better user guidance and explanations of key features within the interface.
  • Enhanced error messages to be more user-friendly, making troubleshooting easier.

Performance Improvements:

• Faster File Encryption:

  • Optimized the file reading and writing process to reduce the time required for file encryption and decryption, particularly for larger files.

• Reduced Resource Usage:

  • Optimized memory usage, especially when handling large datasets or encrypted folders, improving the overall performance on lower-end machines.

Bug Fixes:

• File Handling for Large Files:

  • Fixed an issue where the application would fail to encrypt or decrypt files larger than 4GB. AESCrypt Argon 6.0AK now properly handles large files without errors.

• Windows Password Generation Bug:

  • Resolved a bug where the password generation feature would occasionally fail to create strong passwords with special characters on Windows systems. This bug has been fixed to ensure that all generated passwords are random and secure.

• Temporary File Deletion:

  • Corrected a bug related to the secure deletion of temporary files generated during encryption and decryption. Temporary files are now properly erased after each operation to prevent unauthorized access.

• Metadata Encryption:

  • Fixed a bug that caused metadata encryption to fail under certain conditions, ensuring that sensitive metadata is encrypted properly every time.

Other Changes:

• Improved Decryption Process:

  • Adjusted the decryption process to prevent false positives in file integrity checks, ensuring that files are decrypted accurately.

• Updated Documentation:

  • Updated the README and help documentation to reflect all new features, enhancements, and bug fixes in version 6.0AK.

• Code Cleanup and Optimization:

  • Refactored portions of the codebase to remove redundant or outdated code, improving maintainability and performance.

AESCrypt Argon 5.0B

Changelog - AESCrypt Argon 5.0
[5.0] - 17-11-2024

Additions and Improvements:

Graphical User Interface (GUI) Refactoring:

• The interface has been enhanced with a cleaner and more functional design.
• The window size has been adjusted to 675x350, and the window is now non-resizable.
• Colored buttons have been added for encryption (green) and decryption (red) actions.
• Tooltips have been included for better user experience.
• A dark theme has been applied to the interface, with colors and design adjusted for better readability and aesthetics.

Encryption and Decryption:

• The encryption and decryption process remains secure and efficient, utilizing AES-256 in GCM mode and Argon2 as the key derivation function.
• HMAC-SHA256 has been implemented to ensure data integrity during the encryption process.
• Random padding has been added to the encrypted data to mask the original file size.

Password Generation Function:

• A new feature allows users to generate a random 32-character password, including uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.
• The generated password is automatically inserted into the password field in the interface (shown as asterisks: *********).

Secure File Deletion:

• The secure file deletion function has been enhanced to ensure that sensitive data is overwritten before removal.
• The file is overwritten with random data before deletion, following recommended security practices.

Exception Handling:

• The software now correctly handles incorrect password exceptions during decryption without exposing internal failure details (HMAC error).
• Error messages have been improved to be more informative and clearer to the user.
• Protection against unexpected failures and proper notifications to the user when something goes wrong.

Improvement in Encryption and Decryption Flow with Threads:

• The encryption and decryption process has been moved to separate threads, allowing the graphical interface to remain responsive during heavy operations.
• The progress bar has been adjusted to correctly reflect the status of each operation (100% upon completion).

Success and Error Messages:

• Added success messages to notify the user when a file has been successfully encrypted or decrypted.
• More detailed error messages with specific handling for incorrect passwords during decryption.

Input Validation:

• Input validation has been improved to ensure that both the file path and password are correctly provided before starting the encryption or decryption process.
• The validation of absolute file paths has been removed, as it caused issues in some scenarios.

Bug Fixes:

File Path Issue Fix:

• The software now handles the file path correctly during encryption and decryption.
• Removed the validation of absolute file paths to avoid failures when reading the file path.

Progress Bar Issue Fix:

• The progress bar now correctly reflects the status of the encryption/decryption process.
• Fixed erratic behavior of the progress bar, which would restart in some cases.

Incorrect Password Issue Fix:

• The incorrect password error is now handled appropriately without exposing internal HMAC failure details.
• The software no longer displays technical error details (such as the HMAC error) to the end user.

Other Improvements:

Code and Architecture Enhancement:

• Refactored the code to improve readability and maintainability.
• Improved the flow of encryption and decryption functions, making the process more robust and easier to follow.

User Interface Adjustments:

• All text in the interface has been translated to English.
• The design has been adjusted to provide a more intuitive user experience.

Other Minor Improvements:

• Enhanced error handling and user feedback.
• Style and layout adjustments to make the interface more aesthetically pleasing and organized.

AESCrypt Argon 4.6A

AESCrypt Argon 4.6A Changelog

New Features:

• Enhanced Key Derivation: Switched to Argon2id for key derivation to increase security. The salt is now generated as a 32-byte random value.
• Batch Encryption for Folders: Added functionality to encrypt all files within a folder at once. Supports both individual file and folder encryption.
• Password Generation: Integrated a password generator that produces secure, random 32-character passwords, including letters, numbers, and special characters.
• Secure Memory Clearing: Implemented a function to securely delete sensitive information from memory after use, improving data security.

Improvements:

• Threading for Encryption and Decryption: Introduced multithreading to improve performance and responsiveness, allowing encryption and decryption operations to run in separate threads.
• Dark Theme Support: Added a dark theme for the GUI, providing a more modern and user-friendly interface.
• HMAC Authentication: Added HMAC verification to ensure the integrity and authenticity of encrypted data, preventing tampering.

Fixes:

• Decryption Error Handling: Improved error handling during decryption to provide more informative error messages, ensuring users are notified if decryption fails.
• File Path Validation: Added validation to ensure only absolute file paths are used, preventing potential issues during encryption or decryption.

Miscellaneous:

• Code Refactoring: Refactored and cleaned up the code for improved readability and maintainability.
• UI Enhancements: Updated the GUI layout with better spacing and alignment, providing a cleaner user experience.

Full Changelog: ArgonB...ArgonD

AESCrypt Argon 4.5.1

Changelog for AESCrypt Argon 4.5.1

[4.5.1] - 24/10/2024

Additions

• Security Improvement: Implemented HMAC verification to ensure the integrity of encrypted data.
• GCM Encryption: File encryption now uses the GCM mode, providing confidentiality and integrity.
• Password Generator: Added feature to generate strong passwords directly from the interface.
• Folder Support: Implemented the encrypt_folder function to encrypt all files in a folder at once.

Changes

• Interface Update: Improved the graphical interface with a dark theme, using the ttk library for a more modern and user-friendly appearance.
• Key Derivation Algorithm Enhancement: The key derivation function has been enhanced to use Argon2id with increased time and memory cost settings.
• Bugs fixed.

Fixes

• Path Errors Correction: File path input now requires absolute paths.
• Secure Deletion Issues Fixed: The secure_delete method now ensures that files are properly overwritten before deletion.
• Theme Error Resolution: Removed code related to unavailable external themes, ensuring the application works with a default dark theme.

Removals

• Removal of Unnecessary Dependencies: Unused dependencies have been removed to improve efficiency.

AESCrypt 4.5 Argon

Version: 4.5
Date: 13/10/2024

Overview:
AESCrypt 4.5 Argon is an enhanced version of the popular encryption software designed to secure files and folders using the AES-256-GCM algorithm. This release introduces significant improvements in security and usability, making it a robust choice for data protection.

New Features and Enhancements:

1. Argon2id Key Derivation:

   • Increased time cost for the Argon2id algorithm to enhance security against brute-force attacks. This adjustment increases the computational effort required for key derivation, providing a stronger defense.

2. Multi-Pass Secure Deletion:

   • Implemented multiple overwrite passes in the secure_delete function. This ensures that deleted files are overwritten several times, making data recovery significantly more difficult.

3. Salting with Argon2:

   • Enhanced security through the use of unique salts during the key derivation process. This approach prevents attackers from using precomputed hash tables (rainbow tables) to crack passwords.

4. Zeroing Memory:

   • Introduced memory zeroing for sensitive data, such as passwords and cryptographic keys, to minimize the risk of exposure in memory. This ensures that once the sensitive data is no longer needed, it is securely wiped from memory.

5. User-Friendly Interface:

   • Continued improvements to the Tkinter-based user interface for better usability and user experience. The application is designed to make file and folder encryption and decryption straightforward for users of all skill levels.

Getting Started:
To encrypt or decrypt files and folders, users simply select the desired file or folder, enter a password (or generate one), and click the appropriate action button. The application also provides batch encryption capabilities for folders.

Conclusion:
AESCrypt 4.5 Argon aims to deliver a more secure and user-friendly encryption solution, providing peace of mind in an increasingly data-driven world. Users are encouraged to upgrade to this version to benefit from the latest security enhancements.

AESCrypt 4.0 Argon

AESCrypt v4.0 Argon - Release Notes

New Features:

• Random Byte Padding for File Size Concealment: Added a mechanism to insert at least 1MB of random bytes into the encrypted file to disguise the actual size of the original file, enhancing security by preventing size-based attacks.
• Enhanced Security with AES-256-GCM: Encryption is performed using AES-256 in GCM mode, ensuring both confidentiality and integrity with robust protection.
• Improved Password Derivation: Passwords are now securely derived using the Argon2id algorithm, with customizable salt and parameters for stronger resistance against attacks.
• Batch Folder Encryption: Users can now encrypt entire folders, applying encryption recursively to all files inside the folder.
• Password Generator: A built-in password generator is included, allowing users to generate strong, random passwords for encryption.
• Secure File Deletion: Added the functionality to securely overwrite and delete the original file after encryption, ensuring no trace is left behind.

Bug Fixes:

• Decryption Integrity Checks: Fixed an issue where the HMAC verification during decryption failed for certain file types, ensuring reliable integrity checking for all encrypted files.
• File Path Handling: Resolved an issue where non-absolute file paths were causing errors during encryption and decryption.
• Memory Cleanup: Improved secure memory handling, ensuring sensitive data is correctly cleared from memory after use.