Virtual Cryptography Laboratory

Interactive lab for learning classical and modern ciphers by breaking them.

About the Project

The Virtual Cryptography Laboratory is a hands-on learning platform developed by Batch A for Cryptographic Security Systems (CSS). It lets students test and understand core cryptographic algorithms directly in the browser through interactive simulations, packet flow visualizers, and live Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attacker scenarios.

All cryptographic computations run 100% client-side using standard bitwise math and the browser's native Web Crypto API (crypto.subtle), with zero backend dependencies.

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Lab Structure

To maintain uniformity across all Batch A experiments, every module follows a standard 7-part structure:

1. Objective: Pedagogical goals and expected learning outcomes
2. Theory: Cryptographic definitions, mathematical foundations, and RFC standards
3. Procedure: Step-by-step instructions to perform the lab
4. Simulation: Interactive real-time sandbox with customizable inputs
5. Observations: Execution transcript, round-by-round math, and bit-level tracking
6. Assessment: Multiple-choice quiz to verify understanding
7. References: RFC documents, NIST publications, and academic resources

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Experiments

• MD5 Hash Algorithm (RFC 1321)
  128-bit digest generator, 64-round step compression pipeline, message padding breakdown, and avalanche effect analysis.

• SHA-1 Secure Hash Algorithm (RFC 3174 / FIPS 180-1)
  160-bit digest, 80-step expansion schedule ($W_0 \dots W_{79}$), 512-bit block padding inspector, and bit-flip sensitivity testing.

• Message Authentication Code (MAC)
  Data origin authentication and integrity simulation featuring Alice (Sender), Eve (In-Transit Attacker), and Bob (Receiver) with live payload tampering and MAC verification.

• HMAC Keyed-Hash MAC (RFC 2104 / FIPS 198-1)
  Nested hashing construction ($K \oplus opad$ / $K \oplus ipad$), dual Encrypt-then-MAC AES-256 simulation, and avalanche diffusion analysis.

• SSL/TLS Handshake Protocol (RFC 8446 / RFC 5246)
  Interactive handshake state machines for TLS 1.3 (1-RTT) and TLS 1.2 (2-RTT), ECDHE P-256 key exchange, animated SVG packet flow, and error injection scenarios.

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Batch A Team

Deployment Team

• Ulric and Sai

Experiment Authors

• MD5: Ruth Dmello, Alciya Dodti, Nicole Dabre, Larissa Dabreo
• SHA-1: Tanush Chavan, Swar, Aaron Deniz, Asher
• MAC: Slora Bar, Aarna Chopdekar, Arya Chavan, Cajetan Dsouza
• HMAC: Wendell Dsouza, Jaden Crasto, Rohit Ahir, Shreyas Divekar
• SSL/TLS: Jace Jaison, Ahamed Wafiq, Sai Balkawade

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Quickstart

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v18+)
• npm

Run Locally

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/WillyEverGreen/css-virtual-lab.git
cd css-virtual-lab

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Start development server
npm run dev

Open http://localhost:5173 in your browser.

Build for Production

npm run build

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College & Course Info

• Institution: Fr. Conceicao Rodrigues College of Engineering (Fr. CRCE), Bandra, Mumbai
• Department: Department of Computer Engineering
• Course: Cryptographic Security Systems (CSS) - Batch A
• Academic Year: 2025-2026