Encrypt and decrypt a String in java

Question

I am new to cryptography. I wish to learn how to encrypt and decrypt the text in a file... when I refer the related articles in net. I had a doubt that whether the encrypted text will be same for single text when encryption is done multiple times on the same text? Can anyone please clear my doubt?

Answer 1

    public String encrypt(String str) {
        try {
            // Encode the string into bytes using utf-8
            byte[] utf8 = str.getBytes("UTF8");

            // Encrypt
            byte[] enc = ecipher.doFinal(utf8);

            // Encode bytes to base64 to get a string
            return new sun.misc.BASE64Encoder().encode(enc);
        } catch (javax.crypto.BadPaddingException e) {
        } catch (IllegalBlockSizeException e) {
        } catch (UnsupportedEncodingException e) {
        } catch (java.io.IOException e) {
        }
        return null;
    }

    public String decrypt(String str) {
        try {
            // Decode base64 to get bytes
            byte[] dec = new sun.misc.BASE64Decoder().decodeBuffer(str);

            // Decrypt
            byte[] utf8 = dcipher.doFinal(dec);

            // Decode using utf-8
            return new String(utf8, "UTF8");
        } catch (javax.crypto.BadPaddingException e) {
        } catch (IllegalBlockSizeException e) {
        } catch (UnsupportedEncodingException e) {
        } catch (java.io.IOException e) {
        }
        return null;
    }
}

Here's an example that uses the class:

try {
    // Generate a temporary key. In practice, you would save this key.
    // See also Encrypting with DES Using a Pass Phrase.
    SecretKey key = KeyGenerator.getInstance("DES").generateKey();

    // Create encrypter/decrypter class
    DesEncrypter encrypter = new DesEncrypter(key);

    // Encrypt
    String encrypted = encrypter.encrypt("Don't tell anybody!");

    // Decrypt
    String decrypted = encrypter.decrypt(encrypted);
} catch (Exception e) {
}

Answer 2

I had a doubt that whether the encrypted text will be same for single text when encryption done by multiple times on a same text??

This depends strongly on the crypto algorithm you use:

• One goal of some/most (mature) algorithms is that the encrypted text is different when encryption done twice. One reason to do this is, that an attacker how known the plain and the encrypted text is not able to calculate the key.
• Other algorithm (mainly one way crypto hashes) like MD5 or SHA based on the fact, that the hashed text is the same for each encryption/hash.

Answer 3

Whether encrypted be the same when plain text is encrypted with the same key depends of algorithm and protocol. In cryptography there is initialization vector IV: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Initialization_vector that used with various ciphers makes that the same plain text encrypted with the same key gives various cipher texts.

I advice you to read more about cryptography on Wikipedia, Bruce Schneier http://www.schneier.com/books.html and "Beginning Cryptography with Java" by David Hook. The last book is full of examples of usage of http://www.bouncycastle.org library.

If you are interested in cryptography the there is CrypTool: http://www.cryptool.org/ CrypTool is a free, open-source e-learning application, used worldwide in the implementation and analysis of cryptographic algorithms.