A tool that visualizes encryption in images.
EYECRYPT is a tool I created to visualize encryption on images! This program is inspired by the following image (also known as the ECB penguin), which demonstrates how ECB encryption fails to properly obfuscate data, in contrast to other encryption methods.
The program allows you to reproduce this effect on any image of your choosing.
- The program supports several image types (including the most commonly used such as PNG and JPG) and a variety of encryption algorithms.
- It also has a feature that allows one to randomize a key (a value used for encrypting and decrypting an image), allowing one to quickly experiment with how changing the key changes the result.
- With the inclusion of other encryption algorithms, you can also experiment with how changing the encryption algorithm changes the result as well.
- Try experimenting with different key and algorithm combinations!
I think the effect that these encryption methods perform on images is very beautiful, and I want to share this beauty with others. I hope you can find it as fascinating and wonderful as I do.
While this ECB encryption method may be "flawed" and "insecure", perhaps it is true that flaws are what make us beautiful.
Simply run EYECRYPT.exe! No external installations required.
Two versions of EYECRYPT are provided, a GUI version, and a CLI version.
The GUI (graphical user interface) version can be considered the "main" and reccomended version of EYECRYPT.
It is intended to be user friendly and not require the user to fiddle with the command line.
To use it, simply run the provided EYECRYPT.exe file, and a window should appear. Select a file to encrypt and a file to save the result to. Optionally, select a key and algorithm to use. Press GO!, and EYECRYPT will encrypt the image and save the result to the file you specified.
The key can be a hexadecimal of any length. You can use the random button to generate a random key!
Using the same key and algorithm on the same image and the same output file type should always produce the same result.
For more advanced options, the Show non-ECB checkbox will allow you to select from non-ECB encryption algorithms.
Note
The effect is most prominent in images with large areas of uniform color.
The CLI (command line interface) version is a version designed for the command line.
This is an option provided for users that for any reason would require/prefer the ability to use EYECRYPT in the command line.
Unlike the GUI version, the CLI version allows you to specify the iv and nonce values, in addition to the key.
The CLI version of EYECRYPT can simply be ran by calling the path to the eyecrypt.exe file from the command line.
If you wish to be able to call EYECRYPT from anywhere, you can add the folder that contains the eyecrypt.exe file to your PATH. If done successfuly, you should be able to run the program from anywhere using eyecrypt.
You may require a system restart after adding the program to the PATH before using it.
eyecrypt -in "input.png" -out "output.png"eyecrypt -in "png-image.png" -out "jpg-image.jpg"eyecrypt -in "input.png" -out "output.jpg" -algo camellia-128-ecbspecify an algorithmeyecrypt -in "input.png" -out "output.jpg" -algo cast5-ecb -key FFD1DCspecify a keyeyecrypt -in "input.png" -out "output.jpg" -algo aes-128-cbc -key ffa -iv 111specify an iv for algorithms that use iteyecrypt -in "input.png" -out "output.jpg" -algo sm4-ctr -key 99a -nonce a1specify a nonce for algorithms that use iteyecrypt -listprint out a list of all supported algorithms
By default, EYECRYPT uses aes-128-ecb, with key 0x00000000000000000000000000000000, and iv/nonce of 0x00000000000000000000000000000000 (if applicable).
Keys, ivs, and nonce values can be any valid hexadecimal.
ECB = aes-128-ecb, aes-192-ecb, aes-256-ecb, camellia-128-ecb, camellia-192-ecb, camellia-256-ecb, seed-ecb, sm4-ecb, cast5-ecb, bf-ecb, idea-ecb, des3-64-ecb, des3-128-ecb, des3-192-ecb
CBC = aes-128-cbc, aes-192-cbc, aes-256-cbc, camellia-128-cbc, camellia-192-cbc, camellia-256-cbc, seed-cbc, sm4-cbc, cast5-cbc, bf-cbc, idea-cbc, des-64-cbc, des3-128-cbc, des3-192-cbc
CTR = aes-128-ctr, aes-192-ctr, aes-256-ctr, camellia-128-ctr, camellia-192-ctr, camellia-256-ctr, sm4-ctr
OFB = aes-128-ofb, aes-192-ofb, aes-256-ofb, camellia-128-ofb, camellia-192-ofb, camellia-256-ofb, seed-ofb, sm4-ofb, cast5-ofb, bf-ofb, idea-ofb, des3-64-ofb, des3-128-ofb, des3-192-ofb
CFB = aes-128-cfb, aes-192-cfb, aes-256-cfb, camellia-128-cfb, camellia-192-cfb, camellia-256-cfb, seed-cfb, sm4-cfb, cast5-cfb, bf-cfb, idea-cfb, des3-64-cfb, des3-128-cfb, des3-192-cfb
OTHER = rc-40, rc4-56, rc4-64, rc4-80, rc4-128, rc4-192, rc4-256
- PNG
.png - JPG
.jpg - JPEG
.jpeg - BMP
.bmp - WEBP
.webp - APNG
.apng
Do note that even if the image is output to APNG, it is unlikely to preserve its animation if it had any.
| Original Image | Result | Parameters |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
Algorithm: aes-128-ecb Key: 7b36c46f46f7d4b996f6a153449b0ff1 |
|
 |
Algorithm: idea-ecb Key: 89ce9df4007f31d9b595801a0a23f57c) |
 |
 |
Algorithm: aes-128-ecb Key: 9d836673949da1c27c07c80d26026614 |
 |
 |
Algorithm: cast5-ecb Key: 231e217c1fdc03c85fede5c0e12ea010 |
 |
 |
Algorithm: bf-ecb Key: 231e217c1fdc03c85fede5c0e12ea010 |
 |
 |
Algorithm: sm4-ecb Key: 28db7fec544231dc31520b7978feaacb |
This program has only been tested on Windows. I cannot guarantee that it works on other operating systems.
Windows may sometimes prevent the app from running. If this occurs, you can run the program by clicking on More info, then clicking Run anyway.
EYECRYPT stores the resulting algorithm, key, and iv/nonce (if applicable) in the EXIF of the output image.
There are a variety of tools online that allow you to view the EXIF data.
If you have ImageMagick installed, you can call the following to view the EXIF data.
magick identify -format '%[EXIF:*]' "your-image.png"
Please note that there is no guarantee that this EXIF data is preserved if the image is modified in anyway. If you wish to store the parameters you used to encrypt an image, it is reccomended that you store it elsewhere yourself and do not rely on the EXIF data.
You are welcome to freely use any of the images that you create using this program. No restrictions and no permission or attribution required, as long as you had rights to the original image.