BlackBox 🔒

A secure desktop application with GTK-based GUI for creating encrypted file containers to protect your sensitive data using AES-256 encryption.

Features ✨

• Military-Grade Encryption: AES-256-CBC with PBKDF2 key derivation.
• Secure Storage: Files are encrypted with unique salts and initialization vectors (IVs).
• Intuitive CLI Menu: Easily create, manage, and extract files from containers.
• Cross-Platform: Runs anywhere Java is supported (requires GUI environment for file dialogs).
• Batch Operations: Add or extract multiple files at once.

Installation 🛠️

1. Requirements:

   • Java 17 or later
   • GUI environment (GTK look-and-feel preferred)

2. Command-line setup:

   # Navigate to project root directory
   cd path/to/blackbox-project
   
   # Compile from source
   javac src/main/java/*.java -d out/
   
   # Run the application
   java -cp out/ BlackBox

3. IntelliJ IDEA (Recommended for Development):

   1. Open IntelliJ and select "Open Project"
   2. Navigate to the src/main/java directory
   3. Configure SDK:
      • File > Project Structure > Project SDK: Java 17+
   4. Create run configuration:
      • Main class: BlackBox
      • Working directory: Project root
   5. Build and run using green arrow (▶️) in toolbar

Usage 📖

1. Create a New Container

1. Click "Create New Container" in the main window.
2. Choose a save location via the file dialog.
3. Enter a strong password when prompted.
4. Your encrypted container file (e.g., my_vault.dat) will be created.

2. Add Files to Container

1. Open your container using "Open Existing Container".
2. Click "Add Files" and select files through the multi-file dialog.
3. Files are encrypted and stored immediately upon selection.

3. Extract Files

1. Click "Extract File" in the container management window.
2. Select a file from the displayed list.
3. Choose a save location through the file dialog.

4. Save and Exit

Use "Save and Close" to securely write changes and exit the container session.

Technical Details 🔍

• Encryption: AES-256 in CBC mode with PKCS5 padding.
• Key Derivation: PBKDF2WithHmacSHA256 (65,536 iterations).
• Salting: 16-byte random salt per container.
• IV: 16-byte random initialization vector per session.

Security Notes ⚠️

• 🔑 Password Strength: Your password is the only key to decrypt files. Loss = irreversible data loss!
• 🔒 Container Integrity: Tampering with the container file will corrupt all data.
• 🛡️ Best Practices: Use this for personal files only. Avoid storing highly sensitive data without additional safeguards.

Development Notes 💻

• Project Structure:

  blackbox-project/
  └── src/
      └── main/
          └── java/
              ├── BlackBox.java
              ├── ContainerManager.java
              ├── EncryptionUtil.java
              └── StoredFile.java
  

• Recommended IDE: IntelliJ IDEA with built-in Java support
• Dependencies: No external libraries required (pure Java implementation)
• Testing: Run directly from IDE for debug console access

Limitations ⚠️

• Requires proper source directory setup for command-line compilation
• IntelliJ automatically handles classpath - manual setup needed for CLI execution
• Requires a GUI environment (GTK look and feel preferred for best experience).
• Maximum file size limited by available memory.
• Not designed for concurrent access.
• Fallback to system theme if GTK is unavailable.

License 📜

Distributed under the MIT License. See LICENSE file for details.

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💻 Contribute: Issues and PRs welcome!
🌟 Star this project if it helps you keep data safe!