(Objective-C) AES GCM Encrypt and Decrypt a File

See more Encryption Examples

Demonstrates how to AES GCM encrypt and decrypt a file.

Chilkat Objective-C Library Downloads MAC OS X (Cocoa) Libs iOS Libs

#import <CkoCrypt2.h>
#import <NSString.h>

// This example assumes the Chilkat API to have been previously unlocked.
// See Global Unlock Sample for sample code.

CkoCrypt2 *crypt = [[CkoCrypt2 alloc] init];

// Set the encryption algorithm to "AES"	
crypt.CryptAlgorithm = @"aes";

// Indicate that the Galois/Counter Mode (GCM) should be used:
crypt.CipherMode = @"gcm";

// KeyLength may be 128, 192, 256
crypt.KeyLength = [NSNumber numberWithInt:256];

// This is the 256-bit AES secret key (in hex format)
NSString *K = @"000102030405060708090A0B0C0D0E0F000102030405060708090A0B0C0D0E0F";

// This is the 16-byte initialization vector (in hex format)
NSString *IV = @"000102030405060708090A0B0C0D0E0F";

// This is the OPTIONAL additional data (in hex format) to be used as input to the GCM AEAD algorithm,
// but is not included in the output.  It plays a role in the computation of the
// resulting authenticated tag.
NSString *AAD = @"feedfacedeadbeeffeedfacedeadbeefabaddad2";

// Set the secret key and IV
[crypt SetEncodedIV: IV encoding: @"hex"];
[crypt SetEncodedKey: K encoding: @"hex"];

// Set the additional authenticated data (AAD)
BOOL success = [crypt SetEncodedAad: AAD encoding: @"hex"];

// Encrypt a file.
NSString *inFile = @"qa_data/hamlet.xml";
NSString *outFile = @"c:/temp/qa_output/hamlet_aes_gcm.enc";
success = [crypt CkEncryptFile: inFile destFile: outFile];
if (success == NO) {
    NSLog(@"%@",crypt.LastErrorText);
    return;
}

// Get the authentication tag in hex format
NSString *authTag = [crypt GetEncodedAuthTag: @"hex"];
NSLog(@"%@%@",@"authentication tag = ",authTag);

// Decrypt..

// Before decrypting, you must provide the expected authentication tag.
// The decrypt will fail if the resulting authentication tag computed while decrypting is not equal to the
// expected authentication tag.
[crypt SetEncodedAuthTag: authTag encoding: @"hex"];

inFile = outFile;
outFile = @"c:/temp/qa_output/hamlet_restored.xml";
success = [crypt CkDecryptFile: inFile destFile: outFile];
if (success == NO) {
    NSLog(@"%@",crypt.LastErrorText);
    return;
}

NSLog(@"%@",@"Success.");

// --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// About AES-GCM:

// AES-GCM (Advanced Encryption Standard - Galois/Counter Mode) is a widely-used
// encryption mode that provides both confidentiality (encryption) and
// integrity/authentication (data integrity verification) in one operation. It is
// commonly used in secure communications due to its efficiency and strong security
// properties.
// 
// Key Concepts:
// 
//     AES (Advanced Encryption Standard):
// 
//         AES is a symmetric encryption algorithm, meaning the same key is used
//         for both encryption and decryption.
// 
//         It operates on fixed-size blocks of data (128 bits) using key sizes of
//         128, 192, or 256 bits.
// 
//         In AES-GCM, AES is used to perform the actual data encryption.
// 
//     GCM (Galois/Counter Mode):
// 
//         Counter Mode (CTR): GCM uses counter mode for encryption. In this mode,
//         a nonce (or initialization vector, IV) and a counter are combined and encrypted
//         with AES. The result is XORed with the plaintext to produce the ciphertext. 
// 
//         Galois Mode (GMAC): GCM also includes an authentication mechanism based
//         on a Galois field. It generates an authentication tag, which ensures the
//         integrity of both the ciphertext and any additional data (called AAD -
//         Additional Authenticated Data). This tag is verified during decryption to ensure
//         that the data hasn't been tampered with.
// 
// Key Features:
// 
//     Confidentiality (Encryption):
// 
//         The plaintext is encrypted using AES in counter mode. Each block of
//         plaintext is XORed with the output of AES applied to a combination of the IV and
//         an incremented counter.
// 
//     Integrity (Authentication):
// 
//         In addition to encryption, GCM provides authentication for both the
//         encrypted data (ciphertext) and any Additional Authenticated Data (AAD), such as
//         headers or metadata that need to be protected but not encrypted.
// 
//         The authentication tag is generated using a Galois field multiplication
//         of the ciphertext and AAD. This ensures that any changes to the encrypted
//         message or the AAD will be detected during decryption.
// 
// Key Components:
// 
//     - Plaintext: The data you want to encrypt.
//     - Ciphertext: The encrypted data.
//     - Key: A symmetric key used for both encryption and decryption.
//     - Nonce/IV: A unique value used for each encryption to ensure security. It is not secret but should never be reused with the same key.
//     - AAD (Additional Authenticated Data): Optional data that is not encrypted but needs to be authenticated (e.g., headers).
//     - Authentication Tag: A tag generated to verify the integrity and authenticity of the ciphertext and AAD