CrypTool

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CrypTool

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E-learning program for cryptology
Basic data

Maintainer Bernhard Esslinger
developer TU Darmstadt , Uni Duisburg-Essen , BW University Munich, Professorship for Data Protection and Compliance, Uni Siegen
Publishing year 1998
Current  version CT 1.4.41 (March 2018)
CT 2.1 - Release 2020.1 (April 2020)
Current preliminary version JCT 1.0 RC9 (Feb. 2019)
operating system CT1: Windows and Linux (via Wine );
CT2: Windows only ;
JCT: Windows , Linux and MacOS
programming language C ++ , C # , Java
category E-learning , cryptology , encryption software
License Apache License v2.0
German speaking Yes
www.cryptool.org

CrypTool is an open source project. The main result is the free learning software CrypTool, which makes the concepts of cryptography and cryptanalysis tangible. According to "Hakin9", CrypTool is the most widely used learning software in the field of cryptology worldwide .

Functions

Over 400 algorithms are implemented. These can be carried out efficiently with your own data and parameters.

The graphical user interface and the extensive online help make it easy for the user (including “beginners”) to get to know and understand cryptological procedures. It contains most of the classic methods (see history of cryptography ) as well as modern methods such as asymmetric cryptography ( RSA , ECC ), digital signatures, hybrid encryption, homomorphic encryption or the Diffie-Hellman key exchange method . Methods from the field of quantum cryptography ( BB84 key exchange protocol ) and post-quantum cryptography ( McEliece , WOTS, Merkle signatures MSS, eXtended Merkle Signature Scheme XMSS and SPHINCS ) are also included. Many procedures (e.g. Huffman code , AES , Keccak , MSS ) are visualized.

In addition, there are integrated: didactic games (such as the number shark, the divider game or Zudo-Ku) and interactive instructions (for example, introducing prime numbers , elementary number theory and grid-based cryptography ).

use

CrypTool is used in teaching at universities, in teaching at schools as well as in training in companies and authorities or in advanced training courses such as TISP or CISSP .

The CrypTool software is being developed in an open source project. It was originally developed by German companies and universities, but now the around 70 contributors come from all over the world. Donations in the form of software plug-ins came e.g. B. from universities or schools in the following cities: Belgrade, Berlin, Bochum, Brisbane, Darmstadt, Dubai, Duisburg-Essen, Eindhoven, Hagenberg, Jena, Kassel, Klagenfurt, Koblenz, London, Madrid, Mannheim, San Jose, Siegen, Utrecht, Warsaw.

The aim of CrypTool is to increase users' understanding of cryptology, to explain the underlying concepts and to make users aware of IT threats.

Languages ​​and Awards

The CrypTool 1 program is available in German , English , Polish , Spanish , Serbian and French . CrypTool 2 is available in German , English and Russian . All other programs in the CrypTool project (JCrypTool and CrypTool-Online) are only available in German and English.

CrypTool has been recognized internationally as e-learning software: TeleTrusT Special Award 2004, EISA 2004, IT Security Award NRW 2004 and Selected Location 2008 in "Germany - Land of Ideas" 2008.

Worldwide, the package is currently downloaded around 10,000 times per month from the CrypTool site alone (just over 50% download the English version).

Development, history, roadmap

CrypTool has been developed since 1998.

The following programs are available as downloadable and offline executable:

  • CrypTool 1 (developed in C ++ / MFC) (abbreviated CT1)
    is designed as a typical menu-oriented Windows program that also loads external (Java) programs. CT1 contains over 100 crypto functions.
  • CrypTool 2 (developed in C # / .NET) (abbreviated CT2)
    implements the concept of visual programming for cryptographic processes. At the moment there are over 150 crypto functions in CT2. One focus is the cryptanalysis of classic methods with modern means, e.g. with the methods of Lasry.
  • JCrypTool (developed with Java / Eclipse / RCP) (abbreviated to JCT)
    runs under Windows, MacOS and Linux, and has both a document and a function-oriented perspective. At the moment there are over 100 crypto functions included in JCT. One focus is on modern digital signatures (such as Merkle trees and SPHINCS).
Brute force attack on a restricted AES in CrypTool 2

In addition to the productive CrypTool projects mentioned, there was also the CrypTooLinux project for a short time outside the actual CrypTool project: This was intended to port CrypTool 1.x to Linux , but the developers of this sub-project did not have the necessary time and they did not acquire any new developers so that CrypTooLinux has been in the alpha stage since 2008 .

The two projects CT2 and JCT have been the successors to CT1 since 2007 and regularly provide new stable versions as pure plug-in applications.

In addition to the offline executable programs, the two web portals listed below are also maintained in the CrypTool project.

CrypTool-Online (abbreviated CTO)

Since 2009, the CrypTool project has also included the CrypTool-Online website, which offers those interested the opportunity to try out encryption methods in the browser on their PC or smartphone (using JavaScript ) without having to download and install software. The aim here is to make the topic appealing and easy for beginners and young people. A large group of users on CTO are geocachers .

MysteryTwister C3 (abbreviated MTC3)

Also part of the CrypTool project is the international crypto competition MTC3, which started in 2010 and currently offers over 200 tasks related to (old and new) encryption methods. The MTC3 website also contains a moderated forum, user statistics and a hall of fame. The tasks range from simple puzzles for beginners to mathematical challenges from modern cryptanalysis for researchers and experts. More than 9,000 registered users are now committed to solving the tasks. In the process, previously unsolved puzzles such as the encrypted diary of the Italian partisan Antonio Marzi or Otto Leiberich's double dice challenge were cracked.

Awareness and use at CryptoParties and in student crypto events

CrypTool is also used to motivate students for STEM subjects (student crypto) as well as in awareness events for everyone (anti-prism party).

See also

literature

  • Prof. Bernhard Esslinger and the CrypTool team: Learn and use cryptography with CrypTool and SageMath . 12th edition. CrypTool project, 2018 ( cryptool.org [PDF]).
  • Nils Kopal, Bernhard Esslinger: CrypTool 2 - An open source project on cryptology . DACH Security 2018.
  • Nils Kopal, Olga Kieselmann, Arno Wacker, Bernhard Esslinger: CrypTool 2.0 . 38 (10) edition. Data protection and data security-DuD, 2014, p. 701-708 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The presentation at the GI-Kryptotag at SAP 2016 gives an overview in English.
  2. ↑ Hackin9, IT Security Magazin, January 2011, pages 30-37 "The CrypTool Project - The Best Way to Learn and Use Cryptography"
  3. ↑ Algorithms: Functions in Different CrypTool Versions All implemented procedures are listed in a table. The list can be restricted based on categories, search terms and the CT versions.
  4. ↑ Presentation in English at a workshop in Norway lists the contributors on page 7.
  5. ↑ CrypTool page on Awareness .
  6. ↑ CrypTool Awards
  7. ↑ CrypTool 1: website for the CT1 project
  8. ↑ CrypTool 2: Developer website of the CrypTool 2 project In addition to the release and beta versions, so-called "Nightly Builds" are available for download every day.
  9. ↑ CrypTool 2: Facebook page of the CT2 project
  10. ↑ George Lasry: A Methodology for the Cryptanalysis of Classical Ciphers with Search Metaheuristics PhD thesis 2017
  11. ↑ George Lasry et al .: Ciphertext-only cryptanalysis of short Hagelin M-209 ciphertexts Cryptologia 2018
  12. ↑ JCrypTool 1.0: GitHub project for JCrypTool 1.0 The beta version is updated every weekend and made available for download via weekly builds.
  13. ↑ JCrypTool 1.0: Website of the JCT project
  14. ↑ CryptooLinux on Gna.org ( Memento from October 17, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
  15. ↑ The source code of CrypTooLinux was available in February 2018 from: Freshmeat .
  16. ↑ Online version for browsers: CrypTool-Online .
  17. ↑ MysteryTwister C3 (MTC3): International crypto competition "MysteryTwister C3" (MTC3)
  18. ↑ Solving the challenge "Notes of an Italian Soldier" from MysteryTwister C3 (MTC3)
  19. ^ Solution to Otto Leiberich's double dice challenge
  20. ↑ Student crypto: Student crypto events in cooperation with universities and schools
  21. ^ Anti-Prism-Party Karlsruhe: Very practical support against surveillance and for self-data protection