The Crypto Safety Validator is an online cryptography analysis tool designed to identify weak, deprecated, or misconfigured encryption and hashing algorithms. This tool is designed for developers, security learners, and anyone validating modern encryption best practices.
Validate cryptographic algorithms, configurations, and common misuse patterns
The Crypto Safety Validator is a cryptographic algorithm validation tool that analyzes commonly used encryption and hashing techniques to detect weak, deprecated, or misconfigured cryptography. It acts as an encryption security checker aligned with modern security standards.
Supported symmetric encryption algorithms include AES, 3DES, DES, Blowfish, and Twofish. The validator evaluates encryption modes such as ECB, CBC, CTR, and GCM, clearly identifying insecure configurations like AES ECB mode, which is known to leak data patterns.
For stream ciphers, the Crypto Safety Validator analyzes ChaCha20 and RC4. Deprecated algorithms like RC4 are flagged due to known statistical weaknesses, while secure constructions such as ChaCha20-Poly1305 are recommended for authenticated encryption.
The validator also inspects asymmetric cryptography including RSA, DSA, and ElGamal. Weak key sizes and unsafe configurations are detected using guidance from NIST SP 800-131A. You can experiment with RSA encryption online to understand secure key usage.
Popular hash functions such as MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, and SHA-512 are validated for cryptographic safety. Weak hashes like MD5 and SHA-1 are flagged due to collision attacks, while secure hashes follow NIST FIPS 180-4.
All validations performed by the Crypto Safety Validator are based on trusted industry references such as OWASP Cryptographic Storage Cheat Sheet, NIST, and relevant IETF RFCs.
Modern applications rely on encryption to protect passwords, tokens, files, APIs, and personal data. The Crypto Safety Validator helps evaluate whether these encryption techniques are implemented securely or expose applications to cryptographic risks.
Symmetric encryption is widely used for data-at-rest and bulk data protection. Algorithms like AES encryption and Triple DES depend heavily on secure modes, proper IVs, and strong keys.
Asymmetric encryption techniques such as RSA are commonly used for key exchange and digital signatures. Improper key sizes or unsafe padding schemes can significantly weaken security.
Stream ciphers like ChaCha20 and authenticated variants such as ChaCha20-Poly1305 are recommended in modern cryptographic protocols.
Secure systems also rely on hashing and key derivation. Tools such as the SHA-256 hash checker and PBKDF2 / Argon2 password hashing demonstrate secure approaches for integrity and password storage.
Many cryptographic failures occur not because encryption is missing, but because it is used incorrectly. The Crypto Safety Validator detects common encryption mistakes that lead to real-world security breaches.
A critical issue is the use of ECB mode. According to NIST SP 800-38A, ECB provides no semantic security and should never be used for sensitive data.
Another common mistake is relying on deprecated cryptography such as DES, 3DES, RC4, MD5, or SHA-1. These algorithms are no longer secure against modern attacks.
The validator also identifies improper key sizes, such as RSA keys smaller than 2048 bits, which violate NIST recommendations.
Weak cryptography undermines authentication systems, encrypted files, APIs, and secure communication channels. For example, insecure cryptographic choices in JSON Web Tokens can lead to account takeover.
Tools like the JWT Decoder & Validator help inspect token structures, while the Crypto Safety Validator ensures the underlying cryptographic algorithms are secure.
By detecting weak encryption, deprecated algorithms, insecure modes, and low-entropy inputs, the Crypto Safety Validator promotes modern cryptographic best practices recommended by OWASP and NIST.
| Algorithm | Type | Min Secure Key Size | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| AES | Symmetric | 128 bits | Secure |
| ChaCha20-Poly1305 | Stream/AEAD | 256 bits | Secure |
| RSA | Asymmetric | 2048 bits | Secure |
| SHA-256/384/512 | Hash | N/A | Secure |
| 3DES | Symmetric | 168 bits | Deprecated |
| Blowfish | Symmetric | 128 bits | Legacy |
| DES | Symmetric | 56 bits | Broken |
| RC4 | Stream | N/A | Broken |
| MD5 | Hash | N/A | Broken |
| SHA-1 | Hash | N/A | Broken |
Yes, DES (Data Encryption Standard) is considered broken. With a 56-bit key size, it can be brute-forced in hours using modern hardware. DES was officially deprecated by NIST in 2005. Use AES instead.
ECB (Electronic Codebook) mode encrypts identical plaintext blocks to identical ciphertext blocks. This leaks patterns in the data, making it unsuitable for encrypting anything but single blocks of random data. Use CBC, CTR, or preferably GCM mode instead.
NIST recommends a minimum of 2048 bits for RSA keys. For long-term security (beyond 2030), 3072 bits or higher is recommended. Keys smaller than 2048 bits are considered weak and may be compromised.
While MD5 is broken for cryptographic purposes (signatures, password hashing), it can still be used for non-security checksums like verifying file integrity in trusted environments. For security-sensitive applications, use SHA-256 or SHA-3.
Authenticated Encryption with Associated Data (AEAD) provides both confidentiality and integrity in a single operation. AES-GCM and ChaCha20-Poly1305 are popular AEAD algorithms. They prevent tampering and are recommended over unauthenticated modes like CBC.
3DES is deprecated but not completely broken. NIST disallowed 3DES for new applications after 2023 due to its 64-bit block size vulnerability (Sweet32 attack). Migrate to AES for new implementations.