buffer-aead

Buffer encryption, using aead (authenticated encryption with associated data), powered by strong crypto algorithms, written in typescrypt

install

npm i buffer-aead

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Supported aead algorithms/suites

• AES-256-CTR with HMAC-SHA256 (not recommended)
• AES-GCM
• AES-CCM (plaintext limited to be less than 64 KiB)
• ChaCha20-Poly1305
• XChaCha20-Poly1305

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Quick example (AES-256-GCM):

import { aes256Gcm } from 'buffer-aead'
const { key, nonce, ciphertext, authTag } = aes256Gcm.encrypt({ data });
const decrypted = aes256Gcm.decrypt({ key, nonce, ciphertext, authTag });

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Usage

Detailed How-To with examples.

Available AEADs

Currently the following aead algorithms are supported

• AES in Galois Counter Mode
  • with 128 bit key size: import { aes128gcm } from 'buffer-aead'
  • with 192 bit key size: import { aes192gcm } from 'buffer-aead'
  • with 256 bit key size: import { aes256gcm } from 'buffer-aead'
• AES in CCM (Counter Mode with CBC-Mac) Important: For this AEAD the plaintext is limtted to be less than 64 KiB (65536 bytes)
  • with 128 bit key size: import { aes128ccm } from 'buffer-aead'
  • with 192 bit key size: import { aes192ccm } from 'buffer-aead'
  • with 256 bit key size: import { aes256ccm } from 'buffer-aead'
• AES-256 in CTR (Counter Mode) with HMAC (SHA-256): import { aesctrhmac } from 'buffer-aead' (not recommended)
• chacha20 with poly1305: import { chacha20poly1305 } from 'buffer-aead'
• xchacha20 with poly1305: import { xchacha20poly1305 } from 'buffer-aead'

key/nonce generation

To simplify key/nonce generation, force correct length and prevent miss-use, there are two helper functions:

• keyGen: Returns a key, appropriate to the particular AEAD
• nonceGen: Returns a nonce (number only used once, aka IV (Initial Vector)), appropriate to the particular AEAD

Example, using chacha20-poly1305

import { chacha20poly1305 } from 'buffer-aead';
const key = chacha20poly1305.keyGen();
const nonce = chacha20poly1305.nonceGen();

encrypt and decrypt

each aead object (aes256gcm, for example) provides 2 main functions:

• encrypt
  • takes an EncryptionInput object
  • returns an EncryptionOutput object
• decrypt
  • takes a DecryptionInput object
  • returns a Buffer

See Inputs/Outputs for details.

Examples, using AES-256-GCM

provide data to encrypt (key and noce will be generated inside encrypt function)

import { aes256gcm } from 'buffer-aead';
const data = Buffer.from('example buffer to encrypt', 'utf8');
const { key, nonce, ciphertext, authTag } = aes256gcm.encrypt({ data });
const decrypted = aes256gcm.decrypt({ key, nonce, ciphertext, authTag });

provide data and key (nonce will be generated inside encrypt function)

import { aes256gcm } from 'buffer-aead';
const data = Buffer.from('example buffer to encrypt', 'utf8');
const key = aes256gcm.keyGen();
const { nonce, ciphertext, authTag } = aes256gcm.encrypt({ data, key });
const decrypted = aes256gcm.decrypt({ key, nonce, ciphertext, authTag });

provide data and nonce (key will be generated inside encrypt function)

import { aes256gcm } from 'buffer-aead';
const data = Buffer.from('example buffer to encrypt', 'utf8');
const nonce = aes256gcm.nonceGen();
const { key, ciphertext, authTag } = aes256gcm.encrypt({ data, nonce });
const decrypted = aes256gcm.decrypt({ key, nonce, ciphertext, authTag });

provide data, key and nonce

import { aes256gcm } from 'buffer-aead';
const data = Buffer.from('example buffer to encrypt', 'utf8');
const key = aes256gcm.keyGen();
const nonce = aes256gcm.nonceGen();
const { ciphertext, authTag } = aes256gcm.encrypt({ data, key, nonce });
const decrypted = aes256gcm.decrypt({ key, nonce, ciphertext, authTag });

provide all including additional data (associated data)

import { aes256gcm } from 'buffer-aead';
const data = Buffer.from('example buffer to encrypt', 'utf8');
const key = aes256gcm.keyGen();
const nonce = aes256gcm.nonceGen();
const additionData = Buffer.from('Additional data that is taken into account when generating the MAC.', 'utf8');
const { ciphertext, authTag } = aes256gcm.encrypt({ data, key, nonce, additionalData });

// also fails, if additionalData is not like it was given to encrypt function
const decrypted = aes256gcm.decrypt({ key, nonce, ciphertext, authTag, additionalData });

Inputs/Outputs

Buffer

nodejs Buffer with various lengths

EncryptionInput (typescript notation, ? means optional)

• data: Buffer
• key?: Buffer
• nonce?: Buffer
• additionalData?: Buffer

EncryptionOutput (typescript notation)

• key: Buffer
• nonce: Buffer
• ciphertext: Buffer
• authTag: Buffer

DecryptionInput (typescript notation, ? means optional)

• key: Buffer
• nonce: Buffer
• ciphertext: Buffer
• authTag: Buffer
• additionalData?: Buffer

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Used crypto libraries

This package uses the following libraries for it's cryptography:

node-crypto

nodejs provides a native crypto lib. Fast, secure, with great reputation.

@stablelib/xchacha20

@stablelib/xchacha20 provides ready to use xchacha20, but we only use hchacha from it, which is required to build xchacha20-poly1305 upon node-crypto's chacha20-poly1305.
@stablelib/xchacha20's hchacha implementation works and it is hard (if not imposiible) to implement hchacha working but insecure and therefore it seems viable to use.

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Further readings

• nodejs crypto api: https://nodejs.org/api/crypto.html
• AEAD: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authenticated_encryption
• AES: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Encryption_Standard
• GCM: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galois/Counter_Mode
• CCM: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CCM_mode
• CTR: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Block_cipher_mode_of_operation#Counter_(CTR)
• HMAC: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMAC
• SHA256: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SHA-2
• chacha20-poly1305: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ChaCha20-Poly1305
• xchacha20: https://libsodium.gitbook.io/doc/advanced/stream_ciphers/xchacha20

Development

install dependencies

npm install

QA

npm run qa

License Check

(reports scss-parser to be incompatible, which is a scss-parser bug, due to invalid License declaration)

npm run licenseCheck

Only Tests

npm run test

Build

npm run build

Release Package on npm

[this should be done by github actions]

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License

This project is MIT License
See LICENSE.txt