Issues with encrypting a file using openssl evp api(aes256cbc) - c

Question

I am trying to read a file(.txt) in this case and encrypting/decrypting it with AES256CBC using EVP api of openssl.(read(plain.txt)->create(encrypt.txt)->create(decrypt.txt))
# include <stdio.h>
# include <stdlib.h>
# include <openssl/evp.h>
# include <openssl/aes.h>
# include <sys/types.h>
# include <sys/stat.h>
# include <fcntl.h>
# include <unistd.h>
# include <string.h>
# include <assert.h>
# include <error.h>
# include "debug.h"
# define SIZE 32
char buf[SIZE];
int aes_init(unsigned char* pwd, unsigned int pwd_len, unsigned char * salt, EVP_CIPHER_CTX *e_ctx, EVP_CIPHER_CTX *d_ctx)
{
int i, rounds =5; /* rounds */
unsigned char key[32], iv[32];
i = EVP_BytesToKey(EVP_aes_256_cbc(),EVP_sha1(),salt,pwd,pwd_len,rounds,key,iv);
if(i != 32)
{
printf("\n Error,Incorrect key size generated:%d:\n",i);
return -1;
}
EVP_CIPHER_CTX_init(e_ctx);
EVP_EncryptInit_ex(e_ctx, EVP_aes_256_cbc(), NULL, key, iv);
EVP_CIPHER_CTX_init(d_ctx);
EVP_DecryptInit_ex(d_ctx, EVP_aes_256_cbc(), NULL, key, iv);
return 0;
}
unsigned char* aes_encrypt(EVP_CIPHER_CTX *e,unsigned char * plain_text, unsigned int * len ) /* this function encryptes the file:fd is passed as parameter */
{
int ci_len = (*len) + AES_BLOCK_SIZE;
int flen =0;
unsigned char * cipher_text = malloc(ci_len);
EVP_EncryptInit_ex(e, NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL); /* allows reusing of e for multiple cipher cycles */
EVP_EncryptUpdate(e, cipher_text, &ci_len, plain_text, *len); /* Update cipher text */
EVP_EncryptFinal_ex(e, cipher_text+ci_len, &flen); /* updates the remaining bytes */
*len = ci_len + flen;
return cipher_text;
}
unsigned char* aes_decrypt(EVP_CIPHER_CTX *e, unsigned char * c_text, unsigned int * len)
{
int pi_len = (*len);
int flen = 0;
unsigned char * plain_text = malloc(pi_len);
EVP_DecryptInit_ex(e, NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL);
EVP_DecryptUpdate(e, plain_text, &pi_len, c_text, *len);
EVP_DecryptFinal_ex(e, plain_text+pi_len, &flen);
(*len) = pi_len + flen;
return plain_text;
}
int main(int argc,char **argv)
{
if(argc != 2)
{
perror("\n Error:\nCorrect Usage: Enter Password to be used");
exit(-1);
}
EVP_CIPHER_CTX en,de; /* The EVP structure which keeps track of all crypt operations see evp.h for details */
int in, out, fd, dec,i =0; /* fd for input and output files and random dev*/
unsigned int pwd_len = strlen((const char *)argv[1]); /* Length of the pwd supplied by the user */
unsigned char *pwd =(unsigned char*) argv[1]; /* Pointer to the pwd supplied by the user */
unsigned int rd= 0;
unsigned char salt[8];
unsigned char * encry = NULL, *decry = NULL;
i =0;
if((in = open("plain.txt",O_RDONLY)) == -1) /* Opening a plain text file for encryption */
{
perror("\n Error,Opening file for reading::");
exit(-1);
}
if((fd = open("/dev/random", O_RDONLY)) == -1)
{
perror("\n Error,Opening /dev/random::");
exit(-1);
}
else
{
if(read(fd,salt,8) == -1)
{
perror("\n Error,reading from /dev/random::");
exit(-1);
}
}
if(aes_init(pwd,pwd_len,(unsigned char*) salt,&en,&de)) /* Generating Key and IV and initializing the EVP struct */
{
perror("\n Error, Cant initialize key and IV:");
return -1;
}
if((out = open("encrypt.txt",O_RDWR|O_CREAT,0400 | 0200)) == -1)
{
dbug_p("ENC%d",out);
perror("\n Error,Opening the file to be written::");
exit(-1);
}
rd =0;
while((rd = read(in,buf,SIZE)) >0)
{
dbug_p("\nREAD::%s::%d*\n",buf,rd);
encry = aes_encrypt(&en,(unsigned char*) buf, &rd);
if((write(out,encry,rd)) != rd)
{
perror("\n Error,Required encrypted bytes not written::");
exit(-1);
}
free(encry);
}
rd =0;
if((dec = open("dec22.txt",O_RDWR|O_CREAT,0400 | 0200)) == -1)
{
dbug_p("dec%d",dec);
perror("\n Error,Opening the decrypting o/p file::");
exit(-1);
}
if((lseek(out,0,SEEK_SET)) != 0) perror("\n Error:setting lseek::");
for(i=0;i<SIZE;i++) buf[i] =0;
while((rd = read(out,dbuf,SIZE)) >0)
{
decry = aes_decrypt(&de,(unsigned char*) dbuf, &rd);
if((write(dec,decry,rd)) != rd)
{
perror("\n Error,Required decrypted bytes not written::");
exit(-1);
}
free(decry);
}
close(in);
close(fd);
EVP_CIPHER_CTX_cleanup(&en);
EVP_CIPHER_CTX_cleanup(&de);
return 0;
}
My problem was that my when i decrypt an encrypted file i get a file which is not properly decrypted (e.g. correct stringgarbagecorrect stringgarbage ...)
abhi#ubuntu:~/mpro/EFF$ cat plain.txt
Today is tuesday
tomorrow is wednesday
then thursday and friday and saturday
finally sunday
Decrypted file
cat dec22.txt
Today is tuesdayw)Q������O-%�A�8���R��.�O���and saturday
finally sunday
What can be the reason for this. Is it reading something else also or i am making any foolish error somewhere.
EDIT: If I just encrypt an array (tried with 36char long) it correctly encrypted and decrypted without printing any garbage.
I guess i am missing(not handling) some *nix file structure details ..??
Or is there any better way to do this encryption on a file.?
Many thanks

Answer 1

I think your analysis is wrong. This loop is problematic:
while((rd = read(in,buf,SIZE)) >0)
{
dbug_p("\nREAD::%s::\n",buf);
encry = aes_encrypt(&en,(unsigned char*) buf, &rd);
dbug_p("\n EN::%s::\n",encry);
decry = aes_decrypt(&de,(unsigned char*) encry,&rd);
dbug_p("\n DE::%s::\n",decry);
free(encry);
free(decry);
}
Firstly because you print using %s which expects a zero terminator. However, the encrypted/decrypted data is not zero terminated. Instead, you should print rd characters using a loop like for (i = 0; i < rd; i++) printf("%02x "); - this is why your analysis of the problem is likely flawed.
Secondly, I assume that in your real problem, you are reading SIZE bytes at a time and sending them to aes_decrypt() separately. This will fail because EVP_DecryptFinal_ex() is getting called too early (before all the encrypted blocks were read). You have two options. Either you send the read bytes through EVP_DecryptUpdate() in each loop iteration, and call EVP_DecryptFinal() after completing the loop (and init accordingly before the loop), or you read the whole file into a buffer first, and then send it through aes_decrypt() in one go.
Or in other words, you need to send the whole data block resulting from aes_encrypt() later to aes_decrypt(). You cannot send them in different chunks, unless you split the functions up and use the EVP "update" functions on the separate chunks.

Answer 2

while((rd = read(in,buf,SIZE)) >0)
{
dbug_p("\nREAD::%s::%d*\n",buf,rd);
encry = aes_encrypt(&en,(unsigned char*) buf, &rd);
and,
unsigned char* aes_encrypt(EVP_CIPHER_CTX *e,unsigned char * plain_text, unsigned int * len ) /* this function encryptes the file:fd is passed as parameter */
{
int ci_len = (*len) + AES_BLOCK_SIZE;
int flen =0;
unsigned char * cipher_text = malloc(ci_len);
EVP_EncryptInit_ex(e, NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL); /* allows reusing of e for multiple cipher cycles */
EVP_EncryptUpdate(e, cipher_text, &ci_len, plain_text, *len); /* Update cipher text */
EVP_EncryptFinal_ex(e, cipher_text+ci_len, &flen); /* updates the remaining bytes */
You are calling EVP_EncryptFinal_ex multiple times. It is supposed to be called only once at the end.
Same is true for how you are doing decryption.
Here is a simple example from the man page on how to do encrypt.
Have a similar function for decryption and it should work.
int do_crypt(char *outfile)
{
unsigned char outbuf[1024];
int outlen, tmplen;
/* Bogus key and IV: we'd normally set these from
* another source.
*/
unsigned char key[] = {0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15};
unsigned char iv[] = {1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8};
char intext[] = "Some Crypto Text";
EVP_CIPHER_CTX ctx;
FILE *out;
EVP_CIPHER_CTX_init(&ctx);
EVP_EncryptInit_ex(&ctx, EVP_bf_cbc(), NULL, key, iv);
if(!EVP_EncryptUpdate(&ctx, outbuf, &outlen, intext, strlen(intext)))
{
/* Error */
return 0;
}
/* Buffer passed to EVP_EncryptFinal() must be after data just
* encrypted to avoid overwriting it.
*/
if(!EVP_EncryptFinal_ex(&ctx, outbuf + outlen, &tmplen))
{
/* Error */
return 0;
}
outlen += tmplen;
EVP_CIPHER_CTX_cleanup(&ctx);
/* Need binary mode for fopen because encrypted data is
* binary data. Also cannot use strlen() on it because
* it wont be null terminated and may contain embedded
* nulls.
*/
out = fopen(outfile, "wb");
fwrite(outbuf, 1, outlen, out);
fclose(out);
return 1;
}
the following example is reading a file as your case. See how Update (called multiple times) and Final (once at the end) routines are used.
int do_crypt(FILE *in, FILE *out, int do_encrypt)
{
/* Allow enough space in output buffer for additional block */
inbuf[1024], outbuf[1024 + EVP_MAX_BLOCK_LENGTH];
int inlen, outlen;
/* Bogus key and IV: we'd normally set these from
* another source.
*/
unsigned char key[] = "0123456789";
unsigned char iv[] = "12345678";
/* Don't set key or IV because we will modify the parameters */
EVP_CIPHER_CTX_init(&ctx);
EVP_CipherInit_ex(&ctx, EVP_rc2(), NULL, NULL, NULL, do_encrypt);
EVP_CIPHER_CTX_set_key_length(&ctx, 10);
/* We finished modifying parameters so now we can set key and IV */
EVP_CipherInit_ex(&ctx, NULL, NULL, key, iv, do_encrypt);
for(;;)
{
inlen = fread(inbuf, 1, 1024, in);
if(inlen <= 0) break;
if(!EVP_CipherUpdate(&ctx, outbuf, &outlen, inbuf, inlen))
{
/* Error */
EVP_CIPHER_CTX_cleanup(&ctx);
return 0;
}
fwrite(outbuf, 1, outlen, out);
}
if(!EVP_CipherFinal_ex(&ctx, outbuf, &outlen))
{
/* Error */
EVP_CIPHER_CTX_cleanup(&ctx);
return 0;
}
fwrite(outbuf, 1, outlen, out);
EVP_CIPHER_CTX_cleanup(&ctx);
return 1;
}