CrypTool

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title: "CrypTool" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1998-software", "free-educational-software", "cryptographic-software", "free-software-programmed-in-c++", "free-software-programmed-in-java", "free-software-programmed-in-c-sharp", "windows-only-free-software", "cryptography-contests", "cryptologic-education", "software-using-the-apache-license"] topic_path: "technology/operating-systems" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CrypTool" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox software"]

FieldValue
nameCrypTool
screenshotCt 1.4.30 en.png
captionE-Learning Program for Cryptography
developerBernhard Esslinger
released
latest release versionCT 1.4.42 (December 2021)

| | CT 2.1 (release 2024.1) (January 2024)| latest preview date | | | operating system | CT1 and CT2: Microsoft Windows, JCT: Win, Linux and macOS | | language count | | | genre | Cryptography, Encryption, Privacy, E-Learning | | license | Apache Licence 2.0 | | website | | ::

| name = CrypTool

| screenshot = Ct 1.4.30 en.png | caption = E-Learning Program for Cryptography | screenshot alt = | collapsible = | author = | developer = Bernhard Esslinger | released = | discontinued = | latest release version = CT 1.4.42 (December 2021)

CT 2.1 (release 2024.1) (January 2024)

JCT 1.0.9 (September 2023) | latest release date = | latest preview version = | latest preview date = | programming language = | operating system = CT1 and CT2: Microsoft Windows, JCT: Win, Linux and macOS | platform = | size = | language = | language count = | language footnote = | genre = Cryptography, Encryption, Privacy, E-Learning | license = Apache Licence 2.0 | alexa = | website = | standard = | AsOf = CrypTool is an open-source project that is a free e-learning software for illustrating cryptographic and cryptanalytic concepts.

History

The development of CrypTool started in 1998. Originally developed by German companies and universities, it is an open-source project since 2001.

Currently 4 versions of CrypTool are maintained and developed: CrypTool 1 (CT1), CrypTool 2 (CT2), JCrypTool (JCT), and CrypTool-Online (CTO). All are available in English and German.

The goal of the CrypTool project is to make users aware of how cryptography can help against network security threats and to explain the underlying concepts of cryptology.

The development of CT1 started in 1998. It is written in C++ and designed for the Microsoft Windows operating system.

In 2007, development began on two additional projects, both based on a pure-plugin architecture, to serve as successors to the original CT1 program:

  • CrypTool 2 (built with C#/.NET/WPF) (abbreviated CT2) :uses the concept of visual programming to clarify cryptographic processes. Currently, CT2 contains more than 150 crypto functions. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3c/Keysearcher.png" caption="Brute-force attack on a reduced version of AES in CrypTool 2"] ::

  • JCrypTool 1.0 (built with Java/Eclipse/RCP/SWT) (abbreviated JCT) :runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and offers both a document-centric and a function-centric perspective. Currently, JCT contains more than 100 crypto functions. One of its focal points are modern digital signatures (like Merkle trees and SPHINCS).

The browser software CrypTool-Online (CTO) has been in development since 2010 and is now the one most widely used.

Since 2023, the project has been managed by the CODE research institute at the Bundeswehr University Munich.

CrypTool is used in schools, universities, companies and agencies for education and awareness training.

References

References

  1. (22 September 2016). "CrypTool: An Open-Source E-Learning Project for Cryptography and Cryptanalysis". University of Siegen.
  2. (23 April 2013). "CrypTool: Modern open-source e-learning programs for cryptography and cryptanalysis".
  3. "CT1 Downloads - CrypTool".
  4. "CrypTool for Awareness".
  5. "Thesis of Rachel J. McRae".
  6. CrypTool 2: ''[https://www.cryptool.org/trac/CrypTool2/wiki/WikiStart Developer site of the CT2 project]'' Besides release and beta versions, each day a so called "Nightly Build" is produced for download.
  7. CrypTool 2: ''[https://www.facebook.com/CrypTool2 Facebook Site of the CT2 project]''
  8. JCrypTool 1.0: ''[https://github.com/jcryptool GitHub project of JCT]'' Beta versions are updated each weekend as so called "Weekly Builds" for download.
  9. JCrypTool 1.0: ''[http://www.cryptool.org/en/jcryptool Site of the JCT project]''
  10. (8 May 2023). "Kryptografie-Lernsoftware CrypTool wird jetzt an der Bundeswehr-Uni in München weiterentwickelt".
  11. (2014). "An Interactive and Collaborative Approach to Teaching Cryptology". Educational Technology & Society.
  12. (6 February 2013). "Winter School in Information Security. Overview presentation, Finse 1222, April 21-26, 2013".
  13. "CrypTool, 2003-08-07".
  14. "Solving Classical Ciphers with CrypTool 2".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

1998-softwarefree-educational-softwarecryptographic-softwarefree-software-programmed-in-c++free-software-programmed-in-javafree-software-programmed-in-c-sharpwindows-only-free-softwarecryptography-contestscryptologic-educationsoftware-using-the-apache-license