Tag: #openssl

An encrypted diary using OpenSSL

Generate a master keypair. Encrypting each diary entry with a one-time shared secret. Encrypt the shared secret with the public key. Decrypt entries using the private key and the shared secret. 2017-12-03

The sorry state of OpenSSL usability

OpenSSL’s inadequate documentation, confusing key formats, and deprecated interfaces make it difficult to use, despite its importance. 2017-12-02

ASN.1 is a data format used to encode structured data like RSA private keys and certificate signing requests. Using openssl asn1parse to reveal its structure. 2017-11-30

How do I create a message digest using openssl?

Create message digests using the openssl dgst command, specifying the hash algorithm (e.g. -sha512) and optionally signing with a shared password using -hmac. 2017-03-13

How do I hash a password with openssl?

The openssl passwd command hashes passwords using the outdated crypt algorithm, with truncation to 8 characters - a poor choice for secure password hashing. 2017-03-12

How do I fetch a server’s SSL certificate using openssl?

Use the openssl s_client command to fetch a server’s SSL certificate chain, including the root certificate. 2017-03-11

How do I generate random bytes with openssl?

Generate random bytes with openssl rand, which uses a PRNG seeded with entropy from ~/.rnd. 2017-03-10

How do I encrypt text with openssl?

Encrypt and decrypt text using the openssl enc command with a password and AES-256 cipher. The encrypted text is base64-encoded. 2017-03-09

All content copyright James Fisher.