Cryptool
Encyclopedia
CrypTool is an open source
e-learning
tool illustrating cryptographic concepts.
s of CrypTool introduce users to the field of cryptography
. Classical cipher
s are available alongside asymmetric cryptography
such as RSA, elliptic curve cryptography
, digital signature
s and Diffie-Hellman key exchange
, many of which are visualized by animations. It also contains an animated tutorial about primes and elementary number theory
.
project. More than 50 people worldwide contribute regularly to the project. Its role is to make users aware of how cryptography can help against network security threats and to explain the underlying concepts of cryptology. The software is available in English, German, Polish, Spanish, and Serbian. A project for a Greek version just started.
The current release version, CrypTool 1.4.30 was published in August 2010. It is written in C++ and designed for the Microsoft Windows
operating system. A port of CrypTool 1.x to Linux with Qt4 has started.
In 2007, development began on two additional projects, both based on a pure-plugin architecture, to serve as successors to the original CrypTool program. Both successors regularly publish new betas:
), without the need to download and install software. These sites try to present the topic in an easy and attractive way for new users and young people. Advanced tasks still require the offline version of CrypTool.
This contest currently offers around 70 challenges concerning old and modern ciphers designed by authors from different countries. At the MTC3 website a moderated forum (with more than 600 posts), user statistics and a hall-of-fame are available. All challenges are presented in PDF templates in English and German. The challenges are clustered in four levels which range from simple riddles solvable with paper-and-pencil to mathematical challenges from modern cryptanalysis for researchers and experts. More than 2000 registered users are engaged solving these challenges.
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
e-learning
E-learning
E-learning comprises all forms of electronically supported learning and teaching. The information and communication systems, whether networked learning or not, serve as specific media to implement the learning process...
tool illustrating cryptographic concepts.
Features
The graphical interface, online documentation, analytic tools and algorithmAlgorithm
In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm is an effective method expressed as a finite list of well-defined instructions for calculating a function. Algorithms are used for calculation, data processing, and automated reasoning...
s of CrypTool introduce users to the field of cryptography
Cryptography
Cryptography is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of third parties...
. Classical cipher
Classical cipher
A cipher is a means of concealing a message, where letters of the message are substituted or transposed for other letters, letter pairs, and sometimes for many letters. In cryptography, a classical cipher is a type of cipher that was used historically but now has fallen, for the most part, into...
s are available alongside asymmetric cryptography
Public-key cryptography
Public-key cryptography refers to a cryptographic system requiring two separate keys, one to lock or encrypt the plaintext, and one to unlock or decrypt the cyphertext. Neither key will do both functions. One of these keys is published or public and the other is kept private...
such as RSA, elliptic curve cryptography
Elliptic curve cryptography
Elliptic curve cryptography is an approach to public-key cryptography based on the algebraic structure of elliptic curves over finite fields. The use of elliptic curves in cryptography was suggested independently by Neal Koblitz and Victor S...
, digital signature
Digital signature
A digital signature or digital signature scheme is a mathematical scheme for demonstrating the authenticity of a digital message or document. A valid digital signature gives a recipient reason to believe that the message was created by a known sender, and that it was not altered in transit...
s and Diffie-Hellman key exchange
Diffie-Hellman key exchange
Diffie–Hellman key exchange Synonyms of Diffie–Hellman key exchange include:*Diffie–Hellman key agreement*Diffie–Hellman key establishment*Diffie–Hellman key negotiation...
, many of which are visualized by animations. It also contains an animated tutorial about primes and elementary number theory
Number theory
Number theory is a branch of pure mathematics devoted primarily to the study of the integers. Number theorists study prime numbers as well...
.
Development, history and roadmap
The development of CrypTool started in 1998. Originally developed by German companies and universities, it is now an open sourceOpen source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
project. More than 50 people worldwide contribute regularly to the project. Its role is to make users aware of how cryptography can help against network security threats and to explain the underlying concepts of cryptology. The software is available in English, German, Polish, Spanish, and Serbian. A project for a Greek version just started.
The current release version, CrypTool 1.4.30 was published in August 2010. It is written in C++ and designed for the Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
operating system. A port of CrypTool 1.x to Linux with Qt4 has started.
In 2007, development began on two additional projects, both based on a pure-plugin architecture, to serve as successors to the original CrypTool program. Both successors regularly publish new betas:
- CrypTool 2.0 (built with C#/.NET/WPF) uses the concept of visual programming to clarify cryptographic processes.
- JCrypTool 1.0 (built with Java/Eclipse/RCP/SWT) is platform independent and offers both a document-centric and a function-centric perspective.
Awards
CrypTool has received several international awards as an educational program, such as TeleTrusT Special Award 2004, EISA 2004, IT Security Award NRW 2004 and Selected Landmark in the Land of Ideas 2008.Use
CrypTool is used in schools, universities, companies and agencies for education and awareness training. Worldwide, the CrypTool 1.x package is downladed more than 6,000 times per month from the CrypTool website. Just over 50% of the downloads are for the English version.CrypTool Online
The CrypTool project also includes the websites CrypTool Online and CrypTool Mobile. These websites allow users to try cryptographic methods directly within a browser or smartphone (using JavaScriptJavaScript
JavaScript is a prototype-based scripting language that is dynamic, weakly typed and has first-class functions. It is a multi-paradigm language, supporting object-oriented, imperative, and functional programming styles....
), without the need to download and install software. These sites try to present the topic in an easy and attractive way for new users and young people. Advanced tasks still require the offline version of CrypTool.
MysteryTwister C3 (MTC3)
In 2010 an international cipher contest started which is also part of the CrypTool project.This contest currently offers around 70 challenges concerning old and modern ciphers designed by authors from different countries. At the MTC3 website a moderated forum (with more than 600 posts), user statistics and a hall-of-fame are available. All challenges are presented in PDF templates in English and German. The challenges are clustered in four levels which range from simple riddles solvable with paper-and-pencil to mathematical challenges from modern cryptanalysis for researchers and experts. More than 2000 registered users are engaged solving these challenges.
See also
- Asymmetric key algorithm
- Topics in cryptography
- CryptosystemCryptosystemThere are two different meanings of the word cryptosystem. One is used by the cryptographic community, while the other is the meaning understood by the public.- General meaning :...
External links
- The official site
- CrypTool presentation with more than 100 slides and many screenshots, which presents an overview of the CrypTool project and its features, PDF 6.9 MB.