secure-string-cipher 1.0.9

A secure AES-GCM encryption utility with user-friendly features

secure-string-cipher

A simple, secure AES-256-GCM encryption tool with an interactive menu interface.

Requirements: Python 3.10+

Features

• Encrypt/Decrypt text and files using AES-256-GCM
• Passphrase Generator with entropy calculation
• Encrypted Vault to store your passphrases
• Streams large files in chunks (low memory usage)
• Text mode outputs Base64 for easy copy/paste
• Optional clipboard integration

Installation

# Recommended: install with pipx
pipx install secure-string-cipher

# Or with pip
pip install secure-string-cipher

# Or from source
git clone https://github.com/TheRedTower/secure-string-cipher.git
cd secure-string-cipher
pip install .

Usage

Just run:

cipher-start

You'll see a menu:

Available Operations:
  1. Encrypt text          - Encrypt a message (returns base64 string)
  2. Decrypt text          - Decrypt a base64 encrypted message
  3. Encrypt file          - Encrypt a file (creates .enc file)
  4. Decrypt file          - Decrypt an encrypted file
  5. Generate passphrase   - Create a secure random passphrase
  6. Exit                  - Quit the program

Pick an option and follow the prompts.

Docker

Use the pre-built image:

# Pull and run
docker pull ghcr.io/theredtower/secure-string-cipher:latest
docker run --rm -it ghcr.io/theredtower/secure-string-cipher:latest

# Or with docker-compose
git clone https://github.com/TheRedTower/secure-string-cipher.git
cd secure-string-cipher
docker-compose run --rm cipher

To encrypt files in your current directory:

docker run --rm -it \
  -v "$PWD:/data" \
  ghcr.io/theredtower/secure-string-cipher:latest

With persistent passphrase vault:

docker run --rm -it \
  -v "$PWD:/data" \
  -v cipher-vault:/home/cipheruser/.secure-cipher \
  ghcr.io/theredtower/secure-string-cipher:latest

Image specs: 78MB, Alpine-based, runs as non-root, 0 critical/high/medium vulnerabilities.

Security

• Algorithm: AES-256-GCM
• Key derivation: PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA256 (390,000 iterations)
• Passphrase vault: AES-256-GCM encrypted with master password
• File permissions: Vault restricted to user-only

Development

Quick Start

# Clone and install
git clone https://github.com/TheRedTower/secure-string-cipher.git
cd secure-string-cipher
pip install -e ".[dev]"

# Auto-format code before committing
make format

# Run all checks (format + lint + test)
make ci

Available Commands

make format      # Auto-format with Ruff
make lint        # Check formatting, types, and code quality
make test        # Run tests
make test-cov    # Run tests with coverage report
make clean       # Remove temporary files
make ci          # Run full CI pipeline locally

Code Quality Tools

• Ruff: Ultra-fast all-in-one tool that replaces Black, isort, flake8, and more
• mypy: Static type checker (catches type errors)
• pytest: Testing framework

Before pushing, run make format to auto-fix all issues, then make ci to verify everything passes.

License

MIT License. See LICENSE for details.