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Show HN: SecretMemoryLocker – File Encryption Without Static Passwords
Show HN: SecretMemoryLocker – File Encryption Without Static Passwords I built SecretMemoryLocker (<a href="https://secretmemorylocker.com" rel="nofollow">https://secretmemorylocker.com</a>), a file encryption tool that generates keys dynamically from your answers to personal questions instead of using a static master password. This makes offline brute-force attacks much more difficult. Think of it as a password manager that meets mnemonic seed recovery, but without storing any sensitive keys on disk.<p>Why? I kept losing master passwords and wanted a solution that wasn't tied to a single point of failure. I also wanted to create a "digital legacy" that my family could access only under specific conditions. The core principle is knowledge-based encryption: the key only exists in memory when you provide the correct answers.<p>Status: * MVP is ready for Windows (.exe). * Linux and macOS support is planned. * UI is available in English, Spanish, and Ukrainian.<p>Key Features:<p>* No Static Secrets: No master password or seed phrase is ever stored. The key is reconstructed on the fly.<p>* Knowledge-Based Key Generation: The final encryption key is derived from a combination of your personal answers and file metadata.<p>* Offline Brute-Force Resistance: Uses MirageLoop, a decoy system that activates when incorrect answers are entered. Instead of decrypting real data, it generates an endless sequence of AI-created questions from a secure local database, creating an illusion of progress while keeping your real data untouched.<p>* Offline AI Generation Mode: Optional offline Q&A generator (prototype).<p>How It Works (Simplified):<p>1) Files are packed into an AES-256 encrypted ZIP archive.<p>2) A JSON key file stores the questions in an encrypted chain. Each subsequent question is encrypted with a key derived from the previous correct answer and the file's hash. This forces you to answer them sequentially.<p>3) The final encryption key for the ZIP file is derived by combining the hashes of all your correct answers. The key derivation formula looks like this:<p><pre><code> K_final = SHA256(H(answer1+file_hash) + H(answer2+file_hash) + ...) </code></pre> (Note: We are aware that a fast hash like SHA256 is not ideal for a KDF. We plan to migrate to Argon2 in a future release to further strengthen resistance against brute-force attacks.)<p>To encrypt, you provide a file. This creates two outputs: your_file.txt → your_file_SMLkey.json + your_file_SecretML.zip<p>To decrypt, you need both files and the correct answers.<p>Install & Quick Start: Download the EXE from GitHub Releases (no dependencies needed):<p><a href="https://github.com/SecretML/SecretMemoryLocker/releases" rel="nofollow">https://github.com/SecretML/SecretMemoryLocker/releases</a><p>Encrypt:<p><pre><code> SecretMemoryLocker.exe --encrypt "C:\docs\important.pdf" </code></pre> Decrypt:<p><pre><code> SecretMemoryLocker.exe --decrypt "C:\docs\important_SMLkey.json" </code></pre> I would love to get your feedback on the concept, the user experience, and any security assumptions I've made. Thanks!
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