Password Manager

A simple, secure command-line password manager written in C++ using OpenSSL AES-256-CBC encryption. Passwords are stored encrypted in ~/.ssh/password.enc.

Features

• AES-256-CBC encryption via OpenSSL — all data encrypted at rest
• Two authentication modes: SSH private key (automatic) or master password
• Simple JSON storage — no external dependencies beyond OpenSSL
• Cross-platform: Linux native & Windows via MinGW cross-compilation
• Single binary — no runtime dependencies

Dependencies

• OpenSSL (libssl-dev / libcrypto)
• g++ with C++17 support
• For Windows cross-compile: mingw-w64 + OpenSSL compiled for MinGW

Build

Linux

# Install dependencies
sudo apt-get install -y libssl-dev g++

# Compile
g++ -std=c++17 -O2 password.cpp -o password -lssl -lcrypto -static-libgcc -static-libstdc++

Windows (cross-compile from Linux)

# Install mingw-w64
sudo apt-get install -y mingw-w64

# Build OpenSSL for MinGW (one-time)
export OPENSSL_DIR=/usr/local/openssl-mingw64
./Configure mingw64 --prefix=${OPENSSL_DIR} --cross-compile-prefix=x86_64-w64-mingw32- no-shared
make -j$(nproc) && sudo make install

# Compile
x86_64-w64-mingw32-g++ -std=c++17 -O2 password.cpp -o password.exe \
  -I${OPENSSL_DIR}/include -L${OPENSSL_DIR}/lib64 \
  -lssl -lcrypto -static -static-libgcc -static-libstdc++ \
  -lws2_32 -lcrypt32

Download Prebuilt Binaries

Go to the Releases page to download prebuilt binaries for:

• password-linux-x86_64 — Linux x86_64
• password-windows-x86_64.exe — Windows x86_64

Usage

# Add a password
./password add <keyword> <account> <password>

# Query password
./password get <keyword>
./password <keyword>           # shortcut

# Update password
./password update <keyword> <account> <new_password>

# Delete a specific account
./password delete <keyword> <account>

# Delete an entire keyword
./password delete <keyword>

# List all keywords
./password list

Examples

# Add GitHub credentials
./password add github myemail@example.com MyP@ssw0rd

# Add with special characters (use single quotes)
./password add server root 'p@ss/!special'

# Retrieve GitHub credentials
./password github
# or
./password get github

Authentication

This tool supports two authentication methods:

1. SSH Key Authentication (Recommended)

If ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 or ~/.ssh/id_rsa exists, the tool automatically uses it as the encryption key. No password prompt needed.

# Generate an SSH key if you don't have one
ssh-keygen -t ed25519

2. Manual Master Password

If no SSH key is found, you'll be prompted to enter a master password each time.

How It Works

1. Key Derivation: The master key is derived from your SSH key (or entered password) using SHA-256.
2. Encryption: Data is encrypted with AES-256-CBC. A random 16-byte IV is generated for each save.
3. Storage: IV + ciphertext is written to ~/.ssh/password.enc.

Security Notes

• The password file is stored alongside your SSH keys in ~/.ssh/ (permissions 0700 recommended).
• Never share your SSH private key — anyone with it can decrypt the password vault.
• Consider backing up ~/.ssh/password.enc if you store important credentials.
• The tool does NOT have a password generator — use a strong, unique password for each account.

License

MIT