Crypto | Simple symmetric GPG file encryption and decryption

What is crypto?

crypto is an open source Unix (including Mac OSX) / Linux utility that provides a simple interface to symmetric Gnu Privacy Guard file encryption and decryption with a significant encryption performance improvement ( benchmarks).

It allows you to encrypt files, or entire directories of files, with a simple command:

Encrypt Multiple Files with the Same Passphrase

$ crypto somefile.txt anotherfile.png

Encrypt All Top Level Files in Multiple Directories with the Same Passphrase

$ crypto directory1 directory2

Your passphrase is used to encrypt every file with a single prompt by default. The --tar option is available (as of v1.4.0) to automatically create tar archives from entire directories of files prior to encryption.

Decryption of each encrypted file that was generated above is just as simple:

Decrypt Multiple Files with the Same Passphrase

$ decrypto *.crypt

Decrypt All Top Level Files in Multiple Directories with the Same Passphrase

$ decrypto directory1 directory2

Encryption is performed with the AES256 cipher algorithm. Decryption is supported for IDEA, 3DES, CAST5, BLOWFISH, AES, AES192, AES256, TWOFISH, CAMELLIA128, CAMELLIA192, and CAMELLIA256 encrypted files.

Multiple command line options are available, including the ability to create tar archives from entire directories of files prior to encryption, generate a portable ASCII encoded encryption format, and generate SHA256 hash digests for your encrypted files. Details are available in the usage section of the documentation.

Is crypto for you?

crypto was designed to conceal the meaning in your files and is optimally used for personal data confidentiality. Local encryption of a file prior to remote storage is an example of appropriate use.

It is not intended for data verification, authentication, and non-repudiation purposes. If you intend to share the information in your files with others, please educate yourself on the differences between asymmetric and symmetric key encryption. For most data sharing use cases, asymmetric encryption will be the better option.