ssb-box2

A module for encrypting and decrypting messages with box2 in SSB DB2. Messages created using this module are compatible with ssb-tribes.

You can use this module as an ssb-db2 plugin, or you can use it as a standalone tool to encrypt and decrypt messages.

Installation

• Requires Node.js 12 or higher

npm install ssb-box2

Usage in ssb-db2

• Requires secret-stack>=6.2.0
• Requires ssb-db2>=5.0.0
• Requires ssb-meta-feeds>=0.38.0

The example below shows how to encrypt a message to yourself using box2.

const SecretStack = require('secret-stack')
const caps = require('ssb-caps')
const ssbKeys = require('ssb-keys')

const keys = ssbKeys.loadOrCreateSync(path.join(dir, 'secret'))

const sbot = SecretStack({ caps })
  .use(require('ssb-db2'))
  .use(require('ssb-box2')) // <-- ADD THIS AS A PLUGIN
  .call(null, { path: './', keys })

const testkey = Buffer.from(
  '30720d8f9cbf37f6d7062826f6decac93e308060a8aaaa77e6a4747f40ee1a76',
  'hex'
)

sbot.box2.setOwnDMKey(testkey)

sbot.db.create(
  {
    content: { type: 'post', text: 'super secret', recps: [keys.id] }
    encryptionFormat: 'box2'
  },
  (err, privateMsg) => {
    // privateMsg is now encrypted using box2
  }
)

Methods

Adding this module as a secret-stack plugin means that you can use these methods on the sbot.box2 namespace:

• setOwnDMKey(key): Sets a key (a buffer) as the key that will be used to encrypt messages to yourself. By specifying the direct message (DM) for yourself, you are free to supply that from any source. The key you provide will be persisted locally. For direct messaging other feeds, a key is automatically derived.

• getOwnDMKey(cb): Gets the key that would be used for DM'ing yourself. On the format { key, scheme }.

• addGroupInfo(groupId, addInfo, cb): groupId must be a cloaked message Id or a uri encoded group and addInfo must be an object. Can be called multiple times to add multiple read keys. The first key that is added will automatically also be set as the write key. To change the write key, use pickGroupWriteKey. If you add a key to an excluded group, the group will be un-excluded. Returns a promise if cb isn't provided. addInfo can have these keys:

  • key must be a buffer. The key can then be used for decrypting messages from the group, and if picked with pickGroupWriteKey, as a "recp" to encrypt messages to the group. Note that the keys are not persisted in this module.
  • scheme String - scheme of that encryption key (optional, there is only one option at the moment which we default to)
  • root MessageId the id of the group/init message

• excludeGroupInfo(groupId, cb): Removes the writeKey from a groupId and marks the group as excluded. Useful for instance if you or someone else has excluded you from the group. Getting info about the group will return the old group info minus the writeKey and plus an excluded field set to true. Returns a promise if cb isn't provided.

• listGroupIds({ live, excluded }) => PullStream<groupIds>: Returns a pull stream of all groupIds whose messages you're able to decrypt. If live is true then it returns a pull stream with all previous but also all future group ids. If excluded is true then it returns only excluded groups (groups you've been excluded from) instead of only non-excluded groups.

• pickGroupWriteKey(groupId, pickedKey, cb): Picks one of the group's current read keys to be the group's write key. The picked key needs to exactly match one of the read keys. Returns a promise if cb isn't provided.

  • groupId: cloaked message id or uri encoded group id.
  • pickedKey: {key: Buffer, scheme: string } format

• getGroupInfo(groupId, cb) => { writeKey, readKeys, root }: Gets the currently stored information for a group. Returns a promise if cb isn't provided.

  • writeKey: a groupKey
  • readKeys: an array of groupKeys
  • root: the id of the group/init message

  where groupKey is an object containing a key buffer and a scheme string.

• getGroupInfoUpdates(groupId) => PullStream<groupInfo>: Like getGroupInfo but instead returns a live pull stream that outputs the group info and then any time the group info is updated.

• canDM(myLeafFeedId, theirRootFeedId, cb): Checks if you can create an encrypted message ("DM") for a given theirRootFeedId (which must be a bendybutt-v1 root metafeed ID) using your myLeafFeedId as the author. Delivers a boolean on the callback.

• addPoBox(poBoxId, info, cb): Stores the key to a poBox. Returns a promise if cb isn't provided.

  where

  • poBoxId String is an SSB-URI for a P.O. Box
  • info Object
    • info.key Buffer - the private part of a diffie-hellman key
    • info.scheme String the scheme associated with that key (currently optional (undefined by default))

• hasPoBox(poBoxId, cb) => Boolean: If a poBox with the given id is currently stored. Returns a promise if cb isn't provided.

• getPoBox(poBoxId, cb) => keyInfo: Gets a poBox's key info if stored. An object with a key buffer and a scheme if a scheme was stored. Returns a promise if cb isn't provided.

• listPoBoxIds(poBoxId) => PullStream<poBoxId>: A pull stream of all the currently stored poBox ids.

DM Encryption

When one of the recps is your foreign feed, then the encrypted message is a "DM" for that foreign feed, and it'll create a Diffie-Hellman exchange.

ssb-box2 expects that the foreign feed is a root metafeed ID, and internally it will find the leaf feed ID that corresponds to your leaf feed ID to derive the shared secret. This means that you need to have ssb-meta-feeds installed. NOTE: the foreign feed (the one in the recps array) MUST be a root metafeed ID, not a leaf feed ID.

You can choose to disable metafeeds support by setting the legacy configuration option in your ssb-config object:

{
  box2: {
    legacyMode: true
  }
}

In legacy mode, any feed ID in recps will be used directly in a Diffie-Hellman exchange to create a shared secret for DMs.

Usage as a standalone

This module conforms with ssb-encryption-format so with ssb-box2 you can use all the methods specified by ssb-encryption-format.

const ssbKeys = require('ssb-keys')
const Box2Format = require('ssb-box2/format')

const keys = ssbKeys.generate('ed25519', 'alice')
const box2Format = Box2Format()

box2Format.setup({ keys }, () => {
  box2Format.setOwnDMKey(Buffer.alloc(32, 'abc'))
  const opts = { recps: [keys.id], keys, previous: null, author: keys.id }

  const plaintext = Buffer.from('hello')
  console.log(plaintext)
  // <Buffer 68 65 6c 6c 6f>

  const ciphertext = box2Format.encrypt(plaintext, opts)

  const decrypted = box2Format.decrypt(ciphertext, opts)
  console.log(decrypted)
  // <Buffer 68 65 6c 6c 6f>
})

Config

The keys and data will by default be stored at SSB_DIR/keyring. You can change the SSB_DIR like normal by setting config.path and you can change the "keyring" part by setting config.box2.path.