CyberChef

CyberChef is an open-source web application used for data manipulation, encoding, and analysis. It provides a browser-based interface where users can chain together various operations to transform input data into a desired output format. The tool allows for the execution of a wide range of cyber operations, from simple XOR and Base64 encoding to complex encryption methods like AES, DES, and Blowfish.

The software is deployed as a web app that runs entirely client-side, meaning data is processed on the local machine rather than a remote server. It can be used via a browser or hosted locally using Docker containers for use in closed networks or virtual machines. This architecture ensures that recipe configurations and input files are never sent to a web server, maintaining data privacy during the transformation process.

Key features

• Drag and drop interface for building and reorganizing operation recipes
• Support for encoding, encryption, compression, and parsing operations
• Auto Bake mode for immediate output updates during recipe modification
• Automated detection of nested data encodings via a magic icon
• Execution breakpoints to step through recipes and inspect intermediate data
• Local storage for saving and loading frequently used recipes
• Support for loading and saving files up to 2GB
• Deep linking via URL hashes to share recipes and input data

The application is designed for both technical and non-technical analysts who need to manipulate data without writing custom scripts for every task. It utilizes a four-part layout consisting of an input box, an output box, a searchable list of operations, and a recipe area for configuring arguments. Users can perform complex sequences, such as converting data from a hexdump and then decompressing it, or extracting an IV from a cipher stream to perform AES decryption.

Because it is built with JavaScript, it supports integration with Node.js and allows users to create custom operations if they have basic JavaScript knowledge. The tool also includes highlighting features that display offset and length values when text is selected in the input or output fields.

CyberChef serves as a versatile utility for security analysts and developers performing data transformation and parsing tasks.