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animesh_varma
animesh_varma shipped Sigil
about 2 months ago

Shipped this project!

Hours: 16.41
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Sigil v0.4.5 - Encryption Profiles & The “Raw Mode” Update!

I just shipped v0.4.5, a massive overhaul focused on flexibility! Sigil is an Android app for multi-layered text encryption, and this update moves it from a strict tool to a customizable platform.

What did I make?
I built Encryption Profiles and Raw Mode. Previously, users were locked into my specific “Sigil Chain.” Now, you can save your own cipher configurations via the custom tab or use a Raw Mode profile to output standard, header-less ciphertext compatible with generic tools (like OpenSSL). I also finally ripped out the numeric-only restriction to support full alphanumeric passwords for the app lock!

What was challenging?
The hardest part was definitely fighting the Android Lifecycle and GitHub Actions simultaneously.

  1. State Management: Swapping between Numpad (for PINs) and QWERTY (for Passwords) dynamically without breaking the secure input flow was trickier than expected.
  2. CI/CD: autobuild kept failing on Android, so I had to rewrite the workflows to use manual Gradle modes to keep CodeQL and Linting functional.

What are you proud of?
I’m super proud of the community growth! Since the last update, the star count doubled (Even though i did’t market it anywhere!), and I received my first legitimate bug report (Issue #10) regarding cross-device decryption.

v1.0.0 is getting closer!!

animesh_varma
animesh_varma worked on Sigil
about 2 months ago
16h 24m logged

Okay, I know I said in the last log that “each merge into the dev branch will be followed by a devlog.” Clearly, I lied. I am absolutely terrible at keeping that promise.

I’ve been heads-down working towards v0.4.5. This covers roughly 16h 12m of work, mostly fighting state management and GitHub Actions.

Here is what I’ve been busy doing (shortened caus the 2000-character limit):

I) The Auth Overhaul (Passwords are here!)
I ripped out the old logic for a system supporting full alphanumeric Passwords.

  • Dynamic UI: The Lock Screen detects PIN vs. Password and swaps keyboards (Numpad vs. QWERTY) automatically.
  • Security: Still backed by TEE and Salted Argon2id.

II) Encryption Profiles
The biggest change. Not everyone wants the paranoid “Quad-Layer Cascade.”

  • Raw Mode: Output standard AES-GCM (no metadata) for OpenSSL compatibility.
  • Custom Chains: Save algo configs as “Profiles” with custom KDF overrides to switch instantly.

III) CI/CD & Infrastructure
Spent ages fixing GitHub Actions. autobuild failed on Android, so I switched to manual Gradle with JDK 17 to restore CodeQL and Linting.

The Bug Report (Issue #10)
First real bug report! @hulkspec noted cross-device decryption failed.

  • The Cause: Likely a feature working too well. Differing Argon2 settings (e.g., 64MB vs 128MB RAM) mean derived keys won’t match. Waiting on confirmation.
  • The Fix: Manual syncing for now. Future: embed KDF params or add Profile sharing.

Project Status:

  • Stars: 15 (Doubled since last devlog despite no marketing!)
  • Watchers: 2
  • Issues: 1 (Investigating KDF sync UX)

Polishing final docs now; v0.4.5 is imminent. After that, I’ll be setting up a public GitHub Project Board so you can actually see the roadmap instead of me just rambling about it here.

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animesh_varma
animesh_varma shipped Sigil
2 months ago

Shipped this project!

Hours: 0.28
Cookies: 🍪 4
Multiplier: 15.07 cookies/hr

My first ship! Honestly, I have no idea what I’m doing here (yet), but I’m excited to finally share what I’ve been working on for the last two months!

What is Sigil?
It’s an Android app designed for multi-layered text encryption. I wanted to build something that uses high-level cryptography but actually looks good with a modern Material 3 interface. I plan to expand it into a complete cryptography app, a one-stop shop for all your mobile cryptography needs!

What I did for v0.4.1

This update was all about “Transparency.” I worked on stripping out Google metadata blobs to make the app compliant with IzzyOnDroid and F-Droid standards.

What I learned

Android security is hard. Integrating biometrics (especially ones that expire when a new one is added!) and custom pins that are separate from the system lock taught me a lot about how sensitive data is actually handled in memory (and how to handle Sigil’s own data as well!).

It’s still technically a pre-release, but it’s functional and very stable (with no known crashes) and live on Google Play and IzzyOnDroid. Looking forward to learning the ropes here :D

animesh_varma
animesh_varma worked on Sigil
2 months ago
0h 16m logged

This first devlog will cover what I have already done for Sigil, as I have been working on it for well over two months (Before I joined HackClub yesterday).
Till now, I have managed to:

  1. Keep a very high security standard across the app
  2. Pass numuras varifcations [Displayed in README as badges]
  3. Set up a CI/CD pipeline along with PR checks
  4. Publish the app on IzzyOnDroid and Google Play
  5. Implement 15+ algorithms
  6. Make an Auto and Custom tab for different levels of users
  7. Create a comprehensive onboarding
  8. Add TEE and hardware integration with a Keystore tab for keystoreage
  9. Implement a release tab
  10. Create a settings tab allowing tweaking of encryption parameters and other parameters
  11. Add applock with biometrics and custom pin separate from screen lock
  12. Allow changing of appearance
  13. Screen shield and Clipboard auto wipe

And that about winds it up. This was until v0.4.1 whcih is a Pre-release (Though not marked as such because of IzzyOnDroid publishing guideline, this will be fixed with the release of v1.0.0)

The next release will be v0.5.0 with the following updates:

  1. Implement Steganography tab: The Steganography tab will be implemented.
  2. Biometric Upgrade: Transitioning authentication keys to AES-GCM.
  3. Custom Chains: The “Auto Mode” encryption chain (currently fixed at 4 layers) will become fully configurable. Users will be able to define their own custom cascades of ciphers for quick access.
  4. New Algorithms: Implementation of XChaCha20-Poly1305 and Aegis-256 (Addressing issues #3).

I am keeping this dev log just to keep track of changes I made, each merge into the dev branch will be followed by a devlog documenting everything (At least I hope so, as I am the worst at keeping consistent :( )
Sigil currently has: 7 Stargazers, 1 Watchers (Me), and 1 issues open (Add encryption algorithm)

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