Information Security Lab-3
Symmetric and Asymmetric Cryptography
Lab Objectives
• Understand the differences between symmetric and asymmetric encryption.
• Implement AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) and RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman)
algorithms.
• Encrypt and decrypt data using OpenSSL.
Prerequisites
• Windows operating system
• OpenSSL installed on the system
• Basic understanding of command prompt usage
Step 1: Installation of OpenSSL
1. Download OpenSSL
To perform cryptographic operations, OpenSSL must be installed on the system. Follow these
steps:
• Visit the official OpenSSL website: https://slproweb.com/products/Win32OpenSSL.html
• Download the latest Win64 OpenSSL version suitable for your system.
• Choose the EXE installer (not the source code) for ease of installation.
2. Install OpenSSL
Once the installer is downloaded, follow these steps:
• Double-click the downloaded .exe file to launch the installation wizard.
• Accept the license agreement.
• Select the installation directory (default is C:\Program Files\OpenSSL-Win64).
• Choose The Windows system directory when prompted for OpenSSL DLL placement.
• Click Install and wait for the process to complete.
• Click Finish after installation is done.
3. Configure Environment Variables
To use OpenSSL from the command prompt, the installation path must be added to the system’s
environment variables:
1. Open Control Panel > System > Advanced system settings.
2. Click Environment Variables.
3. Under System Variables, find and select Path, then click Edit.
4. Click New and add the OpenSSL binary path:
C:\Program Files\OpenSSL-Win64\bin
5. Click OK to save changes.
6. Restart your computer to apply the changes.
4. Verify Installation
To ensure OpenSSL is installed correctly, open Command Prompt and run:
openssl version
Explanation: This command checks the installed version of OpenSSL and confirms that it is
properly configured. If the installation is successful, you should see an output similar to:
OpenSSL 3.0.0 (Library: OpenSSL 3.0.0)
If you receive an error, check that OpenSSL is installed in the correct directory and that the
system environment variables are correctly set.
Step 2: Understanding Symmetric vs. Asymmetric Encryption
Symmetric Encryption (AES)
• Uses a single key for both encryption and decryption.
• Faster than asymmetric encryption.
Asymmetric Encryption (RSA)
• Uses a pair of keys (public and private).
• The public key encrypts data, and the private key decrypts it.
Step 3: Implementing AES Encryption (Symmetric)
1. Create a sample text file:
echo This is a secret message. > message.txt
Explanation: This command creates a text file named message.txt and writes "This is a secret
message." into it.
2. Generate a random key and IV (Initialization Vector) for AES:
openssl enc -aes-256-cbc -k secretpassword -P
Explanation: This command generates a random key and IV using AES-256-CBC encryption,
based on the given password.
Example Output:
kek = 5F8C76AB87...
iv = ADFE456789...
3. Encrypt the file:
openssl enc -aes-256-cbc -pbkdf2 -in plaintext.txt -out encrypted.txt -k secretpassword
Explanation: Encrypts message.txt using AES-256-CBC encryption and saves the encrypted data
in encrypted.txt.
4. Decrypt the file:
openssl enc -aes-256-cbc -d -in encrypted.txt -out decrypted.txt -k secretpassword
Explanation: Decrypts encrypted.txt using the same password and outputs the decrypted
content into decrypted.txt.
5. View the decrypted file:
type decrypted.txt
Explanation: Displays the content of decrypted.txt to verify successful decryption.
Step 4: Implementing RSA Encryption (Asymmetric)
1. Generate an RSA key pair (private and public keys):
openssl genpkey -algorithm RSA -out private_key.pem
Explanation: Generates a private RSA key and saves it in private_key.pem.
openssl rsa -in private_key.pem -pubout -out public_key.pem
Explanation: Extracts the public key from the private key and saves it in public_key.pem.
2. Encrypt the message using the public key:
openssl pkeyutl -encrypt -pubin -inkey public_key.pem -in message.txt -out encrypted_rsa.txt
Explanation: Encrypts message.txt using the public key and saves the encrypted content in
encrypted_rsa.txt.
3. Decrypt the message using the private key:
openssl pkeyutl -decrypt -inkey private_key.pem -in encrypted_rsa.txt -out decrypted_rsa.txt
Explanation: Decrypts encrypted_rsa.txt using the private key and stores the decrypted
message in decrypted_rsa.txt.
4. View the decrypted file:
type decrypted_rsa.txt
Explanation: Displays the content of decrypted_rsa.txt to verify successful decryption.
Expected Output
• After AES decryption, decrypted.txt should contain:
This is a secret message.
• After RSA decryption, decrypted_rsa.txt should contain:
This is a secret message.
Conclusion
• AES encryption is faster but requires a shared key.
• RSA provides better security for key exchange but is slower.
• OpenSSL provides a simple way to implement both encryption methods.
Additional Exercises
• Try encrypting a larger file.
• Use a different encryption mode such as AES-GCM.
• Generate stronger RSA keys (e.g., 4096 bits).
