Decrypt Aes-256-ctr Payloads In Python When Encrypted From Nodejs

I wrote an application in Nodejs that encrypts user passwords using AES-256-CTR : const crypto = require('crypto') const masterkey = 'azertyuiopazertyuiopazertyuiopaz' const cipher

Solution 1:

Update based on new information in the question: The best bet is that Nodejs is using a default counter value.

The same counter value must be used for both encryption and decryption. But no counter value is provided on encryption and a random value is used on decryption so it can never work.

Use: crypto.createCipheriv(algorithm, key, iv) where iv is the random counter initial value.

It is necessary to create a random counter value on encryption and save it so that the same initial counter value can be used on decryption. One option is to prefix the encrypted data with the counter value, it does not need to be secret. Then on decryption it can be split from the encrypted data and used.

Also when using CTR mode the same initial counter value must never be use again with the same key.

See CTR mode

PyCrypto documentation CTR mode:

MODE_CBC Cipher-Block Chaining (CBC). Each of the ciphertext blocks depends on the current and all previous plaintext blocks. An Initialization Vector (IV) is required.

The IV is a data block to be transmitted to the receiver. The IV can be made public, but it must be authenticated by the receiver and it should be picked randomly.)

The IV is the initial counter value.

[Nodejs dociumewnrtation: Class: Cipher:

crypto.createCipheriv(algorithm, key, iv)
    algorithm <string>  
    key <string> | <Buffer> | <TypedArray> | <DataView>
    iv <string> | <Buffer> | <TypedArray> | <DataView>

Creates and returns a Cipher object, with the given algorithm, key and initialization vector (iv).