Cryptek

Secure file encryption for the command line

Version 0.15.0 • Checksums

$ cryptek encrypt --folder tax-records --compress -s
Enter password:
Confirm password:
Creating tar archive from folder: tax-records
Archive created: 48213 bytes (compressed)
Encrypting archive...
✓ Encrypted folder to: tax-records.tar.gz.ctk [argon2id]
Original folder deleted
$

Security Features

AES-256-GCM

Industry-standard authenticated encryption providing both confidentiality and integrity.

Argon2id

Memory-hard key derivation that resists GPU and ASIC attacks. 64MB memory, 2 iterations.

Encrypted Headers

All metadata hidden inside encrypted blocks. Files appear as pure random data.

Anti-Fingerprinting

Variable header sizes (64-512 bytes) prevent file type identification.

Filename Hiding

Original filename stored in encrypted header. Optional random output names.

Secure Deletion

Overwrite files before removal. HDD: 3-pass, SSD: re-encrypt then delete.

RAM Decryption

Decrypt to RAM filesystem — data never touches disk storage. Linux and macOS.

Folder Encryption

Encrypt entire directories as tar archives with optional gzip compression.

Installation

One-Line Install

Automatically detects your OS and architecture.

curl -sSL https://hperez.dev/cryptek/install.sh | bash

Review the script before running.

Manual Install

Download the archive above, then extract and move the binary.

tar -xzf cryptek_*.tar.gz
sudo mv cryptek /usr/local/bin/

Quick Start

Encrypt a file
$ cryptek encrypt secret.pdf -s
Enter password:
Confirm password:
 Encrypted secret.pdf to secret.ctk [argon2id]
Decrypt a file
$ cryptek decrypt secret.ctk -s
Enter password:
 Decrypted secret.ctk to secret.pdf
Encrypt with a keyfile
$ cryptek keygen mykey.key
 Generated 32-byte keyfile: mykey.key
Keep this file secure - it is required to decrypt your files.

$ cryptek encrypt document.docx -K mykey.key
 Encrypted document.docx to document.ctk [argon2id]

Run cryptek --help for all commands and options.