CrypTool

CrypTool
E-Learning Program for Cryptology
Developer(s) Bernhard Esslinger,
– University of Darmstadt
– University of Duisburg-Essen
– University of Kassel / Applied Information Security
– University of Siegen
Initial release 1998 (1998)
Stable release
CT 1.4.41 (March 27, 2018)

CT 2.1 (April 06, 2018)

Preview release
JCT 1.0 RC8 (October 2016)
Repository
Edit this at Wikidata
Operating system CT1 and CT2: Microsoft Windows,
JCT: Win, Linux and MacOS
Type Cryptology, Encryption, Privacy, E-Learning
License Apache Licence 2.0
Website www.cryptool.org

CrypTool is an open source project.[1] The main result is the free e-learning software CrypTool illustrating cryptographic and cryptanalytic concepts. According to "Hakin9"[2] CrypTool is worldwide the most widespread e-learning software in the field of cryptology.[3][4]

CrypTool implements more than 400 algorithms.[5] Users can adjust these with own parameters. The graphical interface, online documentation, analytic tools and algorithms of CrypTool introduce users to the field of cryptography. CrypTool contains most classical ciphers, as well as modern symmetric and asymmetric cryptography including RSA, ECC, digital signatures, hybrid encryption, homomorphic encryption, and Diffie–Hellman key exchange. Methods from the area of quantum cryptography (like BB84 key exchange protocol) and the area of post-quantum cryptography (like McEliece, WOTS, Merkle-Signature-Scheme, XMSS, XMSS_MT, and SPHINCS) are implemented. Many methods (for instance Huffman code, AES, Keccak, MSS) are visualized.

In addition it contains: didactical games (like Number Shark, Divider Game, or Zudo-Ku) and interactive tutorials about primes, elementary number theory, and lattice-based cryptography.

Development, history and roadmap

The development of CrypTool started in 1998. Originally developed by German companies and universities, it is an open source project since 2001. More than sixty people worldwide contribute regularly to the project. Contributions as software plugins came from universities or schools in the following towns: Belgrad, Berlin, Bochum, Brisbane, Darmstadt, Dubai, Duisburg-Essen, Eindhoven, Hagenberg, Jena, Kassel, Klagenfurth, Koblenz, London, Madrid, Mannheim, San Jose, Siegen, Utrecht, Warsaw.[6]

Currently 4 versions of CrypTool are maintained and developed. The CrypTool 1 (CT1) software is available in 6 languages (English, German, Polish, Spanish, Serbian, and French). All others, CrypTool 2 (CT2), JCrypTool (JCT) and CrypTool-Online (CTO), are available only in English and German.[7]

The goal of the CrypTool project is to make users aware of how cryptography can help against network security threats and to explain the underlying concepts of cryptology.[8]

CrypTool 1 (CT1) is written in C++ and designed for the Microsoft Windows operating system. A port of CT1 to Linux with Qt4 was started, but there is no progress anymore.[9]

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 stable betas:

  • CrypTool 2[10][11] (built with C#/.NET/WPF) (abbreviated CT2)
uses the concept of visual programming to clarify cryptographic processes. Currently CT2 contains more than 100 crypto functions.
  • JCrypTool 1.0[12][13] (built with Java/Eclipse/RCP/SWT) (abbreviated JCT)
runs on Windows, Mac OS, and Linux, and offers both a document-centric and a function-centric perspective. Currently JCT contains more than 100 crypto functions.

Awards

CrypTool has received several international awards as an educational program, such as the TeleTrusT Special Award 2004, EISA 2004, IT Security Award NRW 2004, and Selected Landmark in the Land of Ideas 2008 award.[14]

Use

CrypTool is used in schools, universities,[15] companies and agencies for education and awareness training.[16][17][18][19][20]


Worldwide, the CrypTool packages are downloaded more than 10,000 times per month from the CrypTool website. Just over 50% of the downloads are for the English version.

CrypTool-Online (abbreviated CTO)

The CrypTool project also includes the website CrypTool-Online[21], launched in 2009. This website allows users to try cryptographic methods directly within a browser on a PC or on a smartphone (using JavaScript), without the need to download and install software. This site aims to present the topic in an easy and attractive way for new users and young people.[22] Advanced tasks still require the offline versions of CrypTool.

MysteryTwister C3 (MTC3)

In 2010, the international cipher contest MTC3 started as part of the CrypTool project.[23] The contest currently offers more than 200 challenges derived from old and modern ciphers and designed by more than 30 different authors from different countries. All challenges are presented in PDF templates in English and German. The challenges are clustered in four levels of difficulty, which range from simple riddles solvable with paper-and-pencil to mathematical challenges from modern cryptanalysis for researchers and experts. Additionally, a moderated forum, user statistics, and a hall-of-fame are available. Currently, more than 8000 registered users are engaged in solving these challenges.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Esslinger, Bernhard (22 Sep 2016). "CrypTool: An Open-Source E-Learning Project for Cryptography and Cryptanalysis" (PDF). Gesellschaft fur Informatik. University of Siegen. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  2. ↑ Litwinczuk, Arkadius (January 2011). "Das Cryptool-Projekt - Der Beste Weg, Kryptographie zu lernen und anzuwenden" (PDF). IT Security Magazine. January 2011: 30–37.
  3. ↑ McDermott, John (20 Apr 2016). "An Introduction: Using CrypTool to Show How Ciphers Work". Learning Tree International. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  4. ↑ Balasubramanian, Kannan (2018). Algorithmic Strategies for Solving Complex Problems in Cryptography. Mepco Schlenk Engineering College. pp. 186–194. ISBN 978-1522529156. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  5. ↑ Algorithms: Functions in different CrypTool versions Within a table all functions implemented are listed. This list can be adjusted using categories, search phrases and by specifying the CT versions.
  6. ↑ Esslinger, Bernhard (23 Apr 2013). "CrypTool: Modern opn-source e-learning programs for cryptography and cryptanalysis" (PDF). Forum for Research and Innovation in Security and Communications. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  7. ↑ "Cryptool 1: Downloads". Cryptool 1. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  8. ↑ "CrypTool for Awareness". Cryptool Portal. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  9. ↑ CrypTooLinux project Archived 2016-10-17 at the Wayback Machine. Porting CT1 to Linux.
  10. ↑ CrypTool 2: Developer site of the CT2 project Besides release and beta versions, each day a so called "Nightly Build" is produced for download.
  11. ↑ CrypTool 2: Facebook Site of the CT2 project
  12. ↑ JCrypTool 1.0: GitHub project of JCT Beta versions are updated each weekend as so called "Weekly Builds" for download.
  13. ↑ JCrypTool 1.0: Site of the JCT project
  14. ↑ "Cryptool Awards". Cryptool Portal. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  15. ↑ Adamovic, Sasa; Sarac, Marko; Veinovic, Mladen; Milosavljevic, Milan; Jevremovic, Aleksandar (2014). "An Interactive and Collaborative Approach to Teaching Cryptology". Educational Technology & Society. 17 (1): 197–205. Retrieved 2014-06-10.
  16. ↑ "Winter School in Information Security, Finse 1222, April 21-26, 2013". Forum for Research and Innovation in Security and Communications. 6 Feb 2013. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  17. ↑ Eckert, Claudia; Clausius, Thorsten; Esslinger, Bernd; Schneider, Jorg; Koy, Henrik. "CrypTool" (PDF). Technische Universitat Darmstadt. Technische Universitat Darmstadt. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  18. ↑ Loussios, Major Konstantinos (2014). "Cryptool 2 in Teaching Cryptography". Journal of Computations & Modelling. Scienpress Ltd. 4 (1).
  19. ↑ Hick, Sibylle; Esslinger, Bernhard. "Reducing the complexity of understanding cryptology using CrypTool" (PDF). International Institute of Informatics and Systemics. International Institute of Informatics and Systemics. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  20. ↑ Kopal, Nils. "Solving Classical Ciphers with CrypTool 2" (PDF). Linköping University Electronic Press. Linköping University Electronic Press. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  21. ↑ "About CrypTool-Online (CTO)". Cryptool-Online. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  22. ↑ "The CrypTool project – The best way, to learn and apply cryptography" – Article in Hackin9 by Arkadius Litwinczuk, March 2011, page 10-14 (PDF 6.1 MB)
  23. ↑ "Welcome to the MTC3 - The Cipher Contest". Mystery Twister C3. Retrieved 26 September 2018.


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