Cryptix 3

Cryptix 3 is a cleanroom implementation of Sun's Java Cryptography Extensions (JCE) version 1.1. In addition to that it contains the Cryptix Provider which delivers a wide range of algorithms and support for PGP 2.x. Cryptix 3 runs on both JDK 1.1 and JDK 1.2 (Java 2).

Cryptix 3 currently is on a maintenance track, with new effort going into the next generation based on the Sun JCE 1.2 specification.

• What's new
• What's not here
• Documentation
• Installation
• Known Issues
• Download
• Previous Release

What's new

This release - 3.1.0 - is mostly a bug fix release after an extended period of time. It may very well be the last release in the Cryptix 3 line, as the next generation will substantially change distribution patterns.

Changes include:

• Java 2 (JDK 1.2) compatibility. No JCE 1.2 support as yet, that will be released under a different stream.
• The infamous RC4 bug is fixed.
• SHA-1 incompatibility fixed (hopefully). MD5, SHA-1, SHA-0 update() bugs should be fixed.
• Cryptix 2.2 compatibility with RSA is now added. It should not be used except by legacy code, like PGP 2.6 below.
• PGP 2.6 (not OpenPGP!) has been added. There is only a nominal test that suits distribution.
• Our testing was improved which unfortunately will break any software that relies on using the tests. (Test programs now return 10 on success, anything else indicates failure.)

What's not here

• Compatibility with JCE 1.2. This is being worked on in a separate project.
• ElGamal encryption. ElGamal signing is working but the code was not audited. We suggest using DSA for signatures as it's both faster and more well tested.
• Win95/98/NT batch scripts in auto/testjar.bat. This is reported to work, but is not reliable and not tested.
• Native libraries. Native code support was dropped.
• OpenPGP. We do support PGP 2.x, but neither 5.x/6.x nor OpenPGP
• Support for compilers/JVMs/JDKs other than Sun. It may or may not work.
• Javadoc images.

Documentation

The documentation can be found inside the download. We maintain a list of Frequently Asked Questions. (The layout is slightly outdated, some links are broken but the contents are current.)

Installation

1. Add the JARs to your classpath.
2. Install the Cryptix provider by running this:

       java cryptix.provider.Install

For more complete instructions, check out the documentation in the distribution.

Known Issues

• If your program dynamically loads the Cryptix provider trough the addProvider method in java.security.Security you should keep a reference at any time to the java.security.Security class. Otherwise it is possible for the JVM to unload it, which causes the Cryptix provider to be unloaded too. The easiest thing to do is to add something like this to your main class:

      private static final Class hack = java.security.Security.class;

  More information about this bug can be found in the Cryptix 3 FAQ. The workaround mentioned there however does not work correctly.
• The documentation in the download may be slightly outdated.
• The README.html in the distribution contains a bug. It mentions the non-existent Cryptix.jar. This should have been SPT_0-1-0.jar.

Download

The following downloads are covered by the Cryptix General License as usual.

Previous Release

Below you can find the previous release of Cryptix 3 (3.0.3). We strongly recommend upgrading to Cryptix 3.1.0 though. The following downloads are covered by the Cryptix General License as usual.

Do not download this version unless you need really need it for compatibility reasons. Download the latest version instead.