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Dev tools · December 24, 2012

AI

An idiot-proof crypto library for Python 3 (feedback, please)

I really couldn't find a simple wrapper to pycrypto that would encrypt data correctly in Python 3. So I tried to follow the instructions at http://www.daemonology.net/blog/2009-06-11-cryptographic-right-answers.html (written by HN's cperciva) and wrote https://github.com/andrewcooke/simple-crypt Is that OK? Given the problems Tarsnap had with CTR mode, was it wrong to follow those instructions anyway? Have I got the offset handling right? It seemed like it would be better to write this once, get it revised here, and then publish it (I'll make an egg for pypi once it seems OK) than quietly…

An idiot-proof crypto library for Python 3 (feedback, please) launched on December 24, 2012 with 13 votes, #106 of 501 launches that month and more than 75% of that year's launches. The site was still online in September 2026, 13 years on.

Visit daemonology.net ↗Alternativestop 21% of December 2012

In plain words

Simple-crypt is a Python 3 encryption library that wraps PyCrypto to make secure data encryption straightforward. It uses AES in CTR mode with HMAC authentication to protect against tampering while avoiding common cryptographic pitfalls like padding vulnerabilities and side-channel attacks. The library is designed for developers who need reliable encryption without managing complex cryptographic details themselves.

written from the facts on this page · September 2026

From the sources

Encrypting data: Use AES in CTR (Counter) mode, and append an HMAC . AES is about as standard as you can get, and has done a good job of resisting cryptologic attacks over the past decade. Using CTR mode avoids the weakness of ECB mode, the complex (and bug-prone) process of padding and unpadding of partial blocks (or ciphertext stealing), and vastly reduces the risk of side channel attacks thanks to the fact that the data being input to AES is not sensitive. However, because CTR mode is malleable, you should always add an HMAC to confirm that the encrypted data has not been tampered with. In some situations it may be preferable for performance reasons to use a cipher mode such as GCM which…from daemonology.net

In the maker’s words, at launch

I really couldn't find a simple wrapper to pycrypto that would encrypt data correctly in Python 3. So I tried to follow the instructions at http://www.daemonology.net/blog/2009-06-11-cryptographic-right-answers.html (written by HN's cperciva) and wrote https://github.com/andrewcooke/simple-crypt Is that OK? Given the…

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Source: Show HN post ↗ · launch text quoted in part

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