🔐 GhostVault

Military-grade file encryption system with AI-powered organization and secure credential management

🌟 Features

🔒 File Encryption & Security

• AES-256-GCM Encryption - Military-grade file protection
• Drag & Drop Interface - Encrypt files instantly
• Batch Operations - Handle multiple files at once
• Enhanced File Preview - View encrypted files with robust media support
• External Player Integration - Open videos with VLC, Windows Media Player, etc.
• Zero-Knowledge Architecture - Your data, your keys only
• Memory Protection - Secure cleanup of sensitive data

📝 Secure Notes Manager

• Encrypted Note Storage - AES-256 protected notes
• Real-time Search - Find notes instantly as you type
• Category Organization - Organize by Personal, Work, Ideas, etc.
• Auto-tagging - Smart content-based tagging
• Rich Text Support - Format your notes beautifully
• Export Options - Secure backup and sharing

🔑 Password Manager

• Encrypted Credential Storage - Secure login management
• Password Generator - Create strong, unique passwords
• Security Audit - Analyze password strength and duplicates
• Breach Detection - Monitor for compromised passwords
• Auto-fill Ready - Easy password retrieval
• Category Management - Organize by Banking, Social, Work, etc.

🤖 AI-Powered Features

• Smart File Organization - Automatic categorization
• Natural Language Search - "find my work documents"
• Content Analysis - Intelligent file understanding
• Auto-suggestions - Smart recommendations
• Pattern Recognition - Learn from your usage

🛡️ Advanced Security

• Security Dashboard - Real-time threat monitoring
• Password Attempt Limiting - 3-attempt lockout with 30-second timer
• Session Management - Secure login sessions with timeout protection
• Configuration Validation - Robust config detection and recovery
• Decoy Mode - Hide your real vault with fake data
• Panic Mode - Emergency data wipe capability
• System Tray Integration - Background protection
• Comprehensive Logging - Detailed security audit trails

🎯 User Experience

• Professional Dark Theme - Easy on the eyes
• Intuitive Interface - Clean, modern design
• Keyboard Shortcuts - Power user friendly
• Multi-platform - Windows, macOS, Linux
• Offline Operation - No internet required
• Portable - Single JAR file distribution

✨ Key Features (Current Version)

🔐 Core Security

• Triple-Password Authentication - Master, Decoy, and Panic password modes
• AES-256-GCM Encryption - Authenticated encryption with 128-bit authentication tags
• Argon2id Key Derivation - Memory-hard KDF resistant to GPU attacks
• KEK-Wrapped VMK Architecture - Cryptographic erasure-capable design
• Secure File Storage - All files encrypted at rest with unique IVs
• Memory Protection - Sensitive data cleared from memory with secure zeroization

🎬 Media Preview System

• Video Preview - MP4, MOV, and other formats with JavaFX MediaPlayer
• External Player Support - "Open with External Player" for VLC, Windows Media Player
• Image Preview - JPG, PNG, GIF, and other image formats
• Text File Preview - Code files, documents, and plain text
• Smart Error Handling - Graceful fallbacks when preview fails

🔒 Authentication Security

• Brute Force Protection - 3-attempt limit with 30-second lockout
• Real-time Feedback - Live countdown timer and attempt counter
• Session Management - Secure login sessions with timeout
• Configuration Validation - Automatic config integrity checking

🆕 Recent Improvements (v2.0)

🔒 Enhanced Security Features

• Password Attempt Limiting - Prevents brute force attacks with 3-attempt lockout
• Real-time Security Feedback - Live countdown timer and attempt counter on login
• Configuration Validation - Robust detection and recovery of corrupted configs
• Comprehensive Security Logging - Detailed audit trails with automatic log rotation

🎬 Improved Media Preview

• Enhanced Video Support - Better handling of MP4, MOV, and other video formats
• External Player Integration - "Open with External Player" option for unsupported formats
• Graceful Error Handling - User-friendly messages instead of technical errors
• Smart Fallback System - Automatic detection and recovery from preview failures

🛠️ System Stability

• Robust Error Recovery - Comprehensive error handling throughout the application
• Memory Management - Improved cleanup and resource management
• Configuration Backup - Automatic backup and integrity checking
• Cross-session Security - Persistent security state across application restarts

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Java 17+ (Download from Adoptium)

Installation & Usage

Option 1: Download & Run

# Download the latest release
# Extract and run
java -jar GhostVault.jar

Option 2: Build from Source

git clone https://github.com/PathanWasim/GhostVault.git
cd GhostVault
mvn javafx:run

First Time Setup

1. Launch GhostVault - Run the application
2. Create Master Password - This encrypts everything (remember it!)
3. Start Encrypting - Drag & drop files to encrypt them
4. Explore Features - Try Notes, Passwords, and AI search

📱 Screenshots & Demo

Main Interface

• File Encryption: Drag & drop files for instant AES-256 encryption
• Smart Search: Use natural language like "find my tax documents"
• Security Dashboard: Real-time monitoring of vault security

Notes Manager

• Create & Edit: Rich text notes with categories
• Search & Filter: Find notes instantly with real-time search
• Auto-tagging: Smart tags based on content analysis

Password Manager

• Secure Storage: Military-grade encryption for credentials
• Password Generator: Create strong, unique passwords
• Security Audit: Analyze and improve password security

🏗️ Technical Details

Architecture

• Clean, Modular Design - Well-structured Java codebase with 100+ classes
• JavaFX 17 UI - Modern, responsive interface with system tray integration
• Maven Build System - Professional build with dependency management
• Layered Security Architecture:
  • Cryptographic Layer: AES-256-GCM + Argon2id
  • Business Logic Layer: File management, threat detection, backup
  • UI Layer: JavaFX controllers with integrated media players
  • Storage Layer: Master vault, decoy vault, encrypted backups
• Enhanced Preview System - Robust media handling with external player fallbacks
• Component Integration: 30+ UI components, comprehensive security modules

Security Implementation

• Encryption: AES-256-GCM (Authenticated Encryption with Associated Data)
  • 12-byte (96-bit) IV for optimal GCM performance
  • 128-bit authentication tag for integrity verification
  • No padding oracle vulnerabilities (NoPadding mode)
• Key Derivation: Argon2id with adaptive parameters
  • Memory-hard function (64MB default)
  • Resistant to GPU/ASIC attacks
  • Benchmarked parameters for optimal security/performance balance
• Password Architecture: KEK-wrapped VMK design
  • Master/Decoy: KEK-wrapped Vault Master Keys (allows vault access)
  • Panic: Verifier-only (no key recovery - enables cryptographic erasure)
  • Constant-time password detection with timing parity
• Salt Generation: 32-byte cryptographically secure random salts per vault
• Memory Safety: Secure zeroization of sensitive data (char[] for passwords, never String)
• File Protection: Encrypted metadata and content with SHA-256 integrity hashing
• Session Security: Secure authentication with attempt limiting and lockout
• Brute Force Protection: 3-attempt limit with 30-second lockout + jitter
• Configuration Security: Integrity checking, automatic backup, and recovery

Performance

• Fast Encryption: Optimized for large files
• Smart Caching: Efficient memory usage
• Background Processing: Non-blocking operations
• Minimal Footprint: ~50MB distribution size

🛠️ Building

Quick Build

# Build and run
mvn clean compile
mvn javafx:run

# Package for distribution
mvn clean package -Dmaven.test.skip=true

Development

# Run from source
mvn javafx:run

# Compile only
mvn compile

Run mvn javafx:run to start the application in development mode.

📦 Distribution

Build the application with Maven:

mvn clean package

This creates a JAR file in the target/ directory. Run with:

java -jar target/ghostvault-1.0.0.jar

Requirements: Java 17+ must be installed on the target system.

🔧 Configuration

Vault Location

• Default: ~/.ghostvault/
• Files: Encrypted file storage in vault/ directory
• Notes: secure_notes.enc (AES-256-GCM encrypted)
• Passwords: stored_passwords.enc (AES-256-GCM encrypted)
• Config: config.enc (KEK-wrapped VMK + verifiers)
• Metadata: metadata.json (encrypted file metadata)
• Backups: backups/ directory with versioned encrypted backups
• Logs: logs/ directory with security audit trails

Security Settings

• Encryption:
  • Algorithm: AES-256-GCM (Authenticated Encryption)
  • IV: 12 bytes (96 bits) per encryption
  • Authentication Tag: 16 bytes (128 bits)
  • No padding (stream cipher mode)
• Key Derivation:
  • Algorithm: Argon2id (memory-hard KDF)
  • Memory: 64MB (65536 KB)
  • Iterations: 3 (time cost)
  • Parallelism: 1 thread
  • Output: 32 bytes (256 bits)
• Salt:
  • Length: 32 bytes (256 bits)
  • Generation: Cryptographically secure random per vault
  • Reused for all passwords in same vault
• Password Architecture:
  • Master/Decoy: KEK-wrapped VMK (allows vault access)
  • Panic: Verifier-only (no key recovery)
  • Timing: 900ms + 0-300ms jitter per attempt
• Session Management:
  • Timeout: Configurable (default 15 minutes)
  • Failed Attempts: 3 attempts before 30-second lockout
  • Lockout: Exponential backoff on repeated failures

🆘 System Requirements

• Operating System: Windows 10+, macOS 10.14+, Linux
• Java Runtime: 17 or higher
• Memory: 512MB minimum, 1GB recommended
• Storage: 100MB + space for encrypted files
• Network: None required (fully offline)

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Test your changes thoroughly
4. Submit a pull request

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see LICENSE for details.

🆘 Support

• 🐛 Bug Reports: GitHub Issues
• 💬 Discussions: GitHub Discussions
• 📖 Documentation: This README contains all usage information

⭐ Why Choose GhostVault?

• 🔒 Military-Grade Security - AES-256 encryption used by governments
• 🤖 AI-Powered - Smart organization and search capabilities
• 🎯 Zero-Knowledge - We never see your data or passwords
• 📱 User-Friendly - Professional interface, easy to use
• 🌍 Cross-Platform - Works on Windows, Mac, and Linux
• 📦 Portable - Single file executable, no installation required
• 🔓 Open Source - Transparent, auditable code

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⚠️ Security Notice: Your master password cannot be recovered if lost. Keep it safe!

🔐 Your Privacy, Your Security, Your Control.