GitHub - FiloSottile/age: A simple, modern and secure encryption tool (and Go library) with small explicit keys, no config options, and UNIX-style composability.
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A simple, modern and secure encryption tool (and Go library) with small explicit keys, no config options, and UNIX-style composability. - GitHub - FiloSottile/age: A simple, modern and secure encry...

There is this tool called age written in go and a fully compatible Rust implementation called rage. They promise to be a simple tool for encrypting files and other things.

It only does encryption, using public key cryptography (Curve 25519 or SSH keys) or password based symmetric encryption. (Please excuse me glossing over some details here)

It only encrypts things, no signatures beyond AEAD involved. It aims to be minimalistic and do just one thing reasonably well instead of being a mediocre multi tool. It doesn’t aim to be a full replacement for things like OpenPGP.

AFAICT there hasn’t been a proper security audit yet. There seem to be some issues with the design as pointed out here which don’t look like critical flaws to me, but then again I’m not a cryptography expert.

Some of the questions I want to throw into the discussions are:

  • Is it any good?
  • In which situation would you use it?
  • What are some alternatives that do it differently or maybe even better and why is that?

Bonus question: Is there a similar tool that uses an audited library like libsodium, and if not, would it be worth developing one?

  • X_Cli@lemmy.ml
    0·
    3 years ago

    Can you explain how you intend to use minisign as a replacement for age, please ? 😂

    • CHEF-KOCH@lemmy.ml
      01·
      3 years ago

      If you have nothing useful to add here you should not answer.

      Age has some plugin capabilities, there are plugins for like e.g. Yubikey, so you can also create plugins for file verification.

      • X_Cli@lemmy.ml
        3·
        3 years ago

        Still bossing people around, I see. “You should not answer” “Your post belongs elsewhere”. You never change :) Your intimidation attempts are ineffective on me. You should move on.

        Age plugins are not Age. Minisign is an excellent tool. It is not a replacement for Age.

        • CHEF-KOCH@lemmy.ml
          03·
          3 years ago

          Still trying to undermine peoples opinions by cherry picking things to add nothing useful for the discussion trying to discredit me based on things you do not understand.

          You can code plugins surround age and you can utilize them, apparently you do not understand it. You can check signatures with age too, just saying.

          It is a replacement for those who mainly use age for that purpose.