Password Manager

A secure, cross-platform password management tool written in C++17 with unified executable supporting both GUI and CLI modes, advanced encryption, and automatic update capabilities.

Features

• Unified Application: Single executable that can run in both GUI and CLI modes
• Secure Local Storage: All credentials are stored locally in encrypted JSON format with automatic backups
• Advanced Encryption System:
  • Multiple encryption backends (AES-256, LFSR, RSA)
  • Pluggable encryption architecture with factory pattern
  • Salt-based encryption for enhanced security
  • Seamless encryption algorithm migration
• Robust Storage System:
  • Automatic file backups with timestamps
  • RAII-based resource management
  • Transaction-safe operations with rollback capability
  • DRY principles with common utility modules
• Multiple User Interfaces:
  • Modern graphical UI (GUI) using FLTK with update dialogs
  • Text-based UI (TUI) for terminal environments
  • Shared core API for consistent functionality
• Auto-Update System:
  • GitHub integration for checking latest releases
  • Automatic download and installation with progress tracking
  • Cross-platform update support (Windows, macOS, Linux)
  • Secure update process with backup and rollback
• Security Enhancements:
  • Secure clipboard operations with auto-clear
  • Command injection prevention in system calls
  • Memory-safe operations with smart pointers
  • Comprehensive error handling and logging
• Configuration Management:
  • File-based configuration system (.config)
  • Configurable GitHub repository settings
  • Flexible UI mode selection
  • User-customizable security settings

Architecture

The project follows a modular architecture with these key components:

• Core: Core functionality shared across all interfaces

  • api.cpp/h: Main credentials management API
  • json_storage.cpp/h: JSON-based credential storage
  • file_system.cpp/h: File system operations
  • UIManager: Interface for UI components
  • ConfigManager: Application configuration

• Crypto: Encryption subsystem

  • encryption_interface.h: Base interface for all encryption backends
  • aes_encryption.cpp/h: AES encryption implementation
  • lfsr_encryption.cpp/h: LFSR stream cipher implementation
  • salted_encryption.h: Salt-based encryption wrapper
  • encryption_factory.cpp/h: Factory for creating encryption instances
  • cipher_context_raii.cpp/h: RAII wrapper for encryption contexts

• Terminal UI: Text-based interface

  • tui_main.cpp: Entry point for terminal application
  • terminal_ui.cpp/h: Terminal UI components
  • cli_ui.cpp/h: Command handling and application controllers

• Graphical UI: FLTK-based interface

  • gui_main.cpp: Entry point for graphical application
  • gui.cpp/h: GUI components and event handlers
  • dialogs/: Various dialog implementations

• Configuration:

  • GlobalConfig.cpp/h: Shared configuration settings
  • MigrationHelper.cpp/h: Handles data migration between versions

Project Structure

password-manager/
├── build.sh                       # Build script for all components
├── CMakeLists.txt                 # CMake configuration
├── password_manager               # Unified executable (generated)
├── data/                          # Application data directory
│   └── secure_storage.json        # Encrypted credentials database
├── include/                       # Third-party headers
│   └── nlohmann/
│       └── json.hpp
├── src/
│   ├── main.cpp                   # Unified application entry point
│   ├── gui_main.cpp               # GUI mode implementation
│   ├── tui_main.cpp               # Terminal UI mode implementation
│   ├── cli/                       # Command-line interface components
│   │   ├── TerminalUIManager.cpp
│   │   └── TerminalUIManager.h
│   ├── config/                    # Configuration settings
│   │   ├── GlobalConfig.cpp
│   │   ├── GlobalConfig.h
│   │   ├── MigrationHelper.cpp
│   │   └── MigrationHelper.h
│   ├── core/                      # Core functionality
│   │   ├── api.cpp
│   │   ├── api.h
│   │   ├── base64.cpp
│   │   ├── base64.h
│   │   ├── clipboard.cpp
│   │   ├── clipboard.h
│   │   ├── credential_data.h
│   │   ├── encryption.cpp
│   │   ├── encryption.h
│   │   ├── json_storage.cpp
│   │   ├── json_storage.h
│   │   ├── terminal_ui.cpp
│   │   ├── terminal_ui.h
│   │   ├── UIManager.cpp
│   │   ├── UIManager.h
│   │   ├── UIManagerFactory.cpp
│   │   └── UIManagerFactory.h
│   ├── crypto/                    # Encryption subsystem
│   │   ├── aes_encryption.cpp
│   │   ├── aes_encryption.h
│   │   ├── cipher_context_raii.cpp
│   │   ├── cipher_context_raii.h
│   │   ├── encryption_factory.cpp
│   │   ├── encryption_factory.h
│   │   ├── encryption_interface.h
│   │   ├── lfsr_encryption.cpp
│   │   ├── lfsr_encryption.h
│   │   ├── rsa_encryption.cpp
│   │   └── rsa_encryption.h
│   ├── gui/                       # Graphical user interface
│   │   ├── fl_main.cpp
│   │   ├── password_gui.cpp
│   │   ├── password_gui.h
│   │   └── [other GUI files]
│   ├── updater/                   # Auto-update system
│   │   ├── AppUpdater.cpp
│   │   ├── AppUpdater.h
│   │   ├── GitHubAPI.cpp
│   │   ├── GitHubAPI.h
│   │   ├── system_utils.cpp
│   │   └── system_utils.h
│   └── utils/                     # Common utilities (DRY compliance)
│       ├── filesystem_utils.cpp
│       ├── filesystem_utils.h
│       ├── error_utils.cpp
│       ├── error_utils.h
│       ├── backup_utils.cpp
│       └── backup_utils.h
├── tests/                         # Test files
│   └── base64_test.cpp
├── .gitignore
├── LICENSE
└── README.md

Security Enhancements

Usage

The application provides a unified executable with both GUI and CLI modes.

Command Line Arguments

# Run in GUI mode (default)
./password_manager
./password_manager -g
./password_manager --gui

# Run in CLI/Terminal mode
./password_manager -t
./password_manager --terminal

# Show help
./password_manager --help

Graphical User Interface (GUI)

The GUI mode provides a user-friendly desktop experience:

./password_manager -g

GUI features include:

• Modern FLTK-based interface with dialogs
• Login dialog for master password protection
• List view of all stored platforms
• Add/view credential forms with secure input
• Credential deletion with confirmation
• Auto-update notifications and progress dialogs

Terminal User Interface (CLI)

For a text-based interactive experience:

./password_manager -t

CLI features include:

• Menu-driven interface with numbered options
• Secure master password handling
• Interactive credential management
• Platform listing and search
• Command injection prevention

Available CLI operations:

1. Change Master Password
2. Add New Platform Credentials
3. Retrieve Platform Credentials
4. Delete Platform Credentials
5. Show All Stored Platforms

Build Instructions

Using the Build Script

The easiest way to build the unified executable:

./build.sh

This creates the single password_manager executable with both GUI and CLI modes.

Using CMake Directly

mkdir -p build
cd build
cmake ..
make

This produces a single password_manager executable that can run in either GUI or CLI mode based on command-line arguments.

Build Output

After building, you'll have:

• password_manager - Unified executable supporting both modes
• Test executables (if enabled)
• Data directory structure

Security Features

This password manager implements multiple layers of security:

1. Multiple Encryption Backends:

   • AES-256 for strong cryptographic protection
   • LFSR (Linear Feedback Shift Register) for lightweight encryption
   • Pluggable architecture for future encryption algorithms

2. Secure Key Management:

   • Master password hashing with salt
   • Secure key derivation
   • Encryption context management with RAII

3. Data Protection:

   • Salt-based encryption to prevent rainbow table attacks
   • Secure memory handling
   • Automatic data migration between encryption types

4. Operational Security:

   • Automatic backups before critical operations
   • Secure file handling
   • Transaction-safe storage operations

5. Secure File Handling: Proper file resource management with immediate closing after operations

6. Memory Management: Smart pointers to prevent memory leaks

7. Error Handling: Comprehensive exception handling throughout the codebase

License

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

Build Script Options

./build.sh --direct

# Clean and rebuild everything
./build.sh --clean

# Build CLI and terminal UI only
./build.sh --cli --tui

For all available options, run:

./build.sh --help

Dependencies

• C++17 or later
• CMake 3.10+ (for building)
• FLTK 1.3+ (for the GUI version)

Recent Improvements

The codebase has undergone significant improvements:

• Optimized File Handling: Every data operation now properly opens and closes files
• Enhanced Error Recovery: Better error handling during file operations
• Code Refactoring: Applied DRY principles with helper methods
• GUI Stability: Fixed crashes when viewing credentials multiple times
• Resource Management: Proper cleanup of FLTK widgets and buffers
• Standardized Dialogs: Consistent patterns for all user interactions
• Auto-Update System: Added GitHub integration for automatic updates

Auto-Update System

The GUI version includes a built-in update system that allows you to:

• Check for Updates: Access via the Help menu → Check for Updates
• Automatic Download: Download and install updates with progress reporting
• Version Comparison: Compare current version with latest GitHub release
• Release Notes: View what's new in each version
• Cross-Platform: Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux
• Secure Updates: Downloads from official GitHub releases

How to Use Updates

1. Open the GUI application (./password_manager -g)
2. Go to Help → Check for Updates
3. Click "Check for Updates" to see if a new version is available
4. If an update is found, click "Download Update" to install it
5. Restart the application when prompted

The updater will:

• Download the latest release from the GitHub repository
• Create a backup of your current version
• Replace the executable with the new version
• Maintain all your existing data and settings

Architecture Improvements

This codebase follows DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself) principles with:

• Common Utilities: Shared filesystem, error handling, and backup utilities in src/utils/
• Unified Architecture: Single executable supporting both GUI and CLI modes
• Modular Design: Factory patterns for encryption backends and UI managers
• Resource Management: RAII patterns for secure resource handling
• Error Consistency: Standardized error logging and exception handling

Future Enhancements

Potential future improvements to consider:

• Password strength checker with entropy analysis
• Auto-generation of strong passwords with customizable policies
• Import/export functionality for credential migration
• Configurable encryption options with user selection
• Search functionality for large credential sets
• Credential expiration notifications and alerts
• Password history tracking and audit logs
• Multi-factor authentication support