RustVault
Project Overview
RustVault was inspired by my desire to deepen my understanding of Rust after completing "The Rust Programming Language" book. Having used password managers like LastPass and Bitwarden, I wanted a solution that didn't require email registration, internet access, and provided a greater sense of security through transparent handling of credentials. Rust proved to be an ideal choice for addressing these needs, allowing me to learn about cryptography and design a tool I use daily.
Requirements
These were my personal requirements for the project:
- Store username/passwords
- Ask for master password per session
- Create/read/modify/delete passwords
- Encrypt with similar techniques to LastPass
- Store all passwords in an encrypted file. File is never decrypted; passwords are only accessible via the application.
Design and Architecture
Architecture Overview
- Data Storage: Passwords and other sensitive data are encrypted and stored locally.
- Encryption: Uses AES-256-GCM for encrypting and decrypting the stored data.
- User Input: Validates and sanitizes user input to prevent security vulnerabilities.
Technology Stack
- Language: Rust
- Encryption: AES-256-GCM
- Storage: Local file system
Security
Data Encryption
RustVault uses AES-256-GCM for encrypting passwords and other sensitive data before storing them in a local file. This ensures that even if the storage file is accessed by unauthorized users, the data remains protected.
User Input Validation
Ensures that user input only contains valid characters to prevent injection attacks and other security vulnerabilities.
Features
Password Management
- Encryption: Securely encrypts passwords with a master password before storing them.
- Decryption: Decrypts passwords when needed, ensuring they are only accessible to authorized users.
- Data Validation: Validates user input to ensure it conforms to expected formats.
- Functions: List, Add, Get, Delete and Modify credentials. Ability to change the master password.
Learning Outcomes
Challenges
- Encryption and Decryption: Implementing secure encryption and decryption mechanisms.
- User Input Validation: Ensuring that user input is sanitized and validated to prevent security vulnerabilities.
- Rust: Being new to rust learning about different data types available, their functions and the borrow checker were all fun challenges to work with.
Skills Acquired
- Rust Programming: Gained experience in writing secure and efficient Rust code.
- Cryptography: Understanding and implementing encryption and decryption using AES-256-GCM.
- Security Best Practices: Ensuring that sensitive data is securely managed and protected.
Conclusion
RustVault is a secure and reliable command line password manager built with Rust. It ensures that sensitive data is encrypted and stored securely, providing users with a safe way to manage their passwords.
Future Improvements
- Cloud Storage: Add support for cloud-based storage options to sync passwords across devices.
- Saved Username/Emails: Ability to select common emails or usernames to avoid typing them when adding new credentials
- Multiple Operations: Enable users to perform multiple operations in a single command line execution, instead of just one.
- Password Generation: Add features like password generation, password strength analysis.
- Tags/Categories: Allow users to organize and search credentials using tags or categories.