XOR encryption

I've been trying to get this simple encryption application to work, but i keep getting the wrong output.

Code:

#include <iostream>
#include <fstream>
#include <string>

#include "clscr.h"

int main()
{
    std::ofstream outputfile ("C:\\WINDOWS\\XOR\\DATA.txt", std::ios::trunc);
    
    std::string key, plainText, cipherText;
    int i = 0, j = 0, k = 0, l = 0;
    
    std::cout << "Enter key: ";
    std::cin >> key;
    
    std::cout << std::endl << "Enter plaintext: ";
    std::cin >> plainText;
    clscr();
    
    i = plainText.length();
    l = key.length();
    
    for(j; j < i; j++)
    {
           cipherText[j] = plainText[j] ^ key[k];
           k++;
           
           if(k == (l+1))
           {
                k = 0;
           }
    }
    
    for(j = 0; j < i; j++)
    {
          outputfile << cipherText[j];
    }
    std::cin.ignore();
    outputfile.close();
}

I get the wrong number of characters in the text-file, but i've gone through the code a hundred times, and i can't find the error. What have i done wrong?

Forgetting about the line-break perhaps ?

Have you tried just doing
cipherText[j] = plainText[j];
to make sure you can actually copy the data without any transformations.

> std::cin >> plainText;
You realise that this will stop at the first space right?

Originally Posted by Salem

> std::cin >> plainText;
You realise that this will stop at the first space right?

No, i didn't realize that. How do i get the user input into my string without it breaking at spaces?

When cout'ing the cipherText i get the correct output, but when i look at it in notepad it just shows up as squares. I guess it's because notepad has a hard time displaying beeps and smileys, how do i get the program to ignore those abnormal characters? Or is that even necessary?

Use getline()

You will have to use:

Code:

std::cin.getline(plainText,1000);

I think...

or you could simply use

Code:

std::getline(std::cin, plainText);
//or
std::getline(std::cin, plainText, '\n');

He is a simple function to use XOR to encrypt a file, all you have to do is hardcode your key

Code:

struct CRYPT_
{
    char* byte;
    std::string key;
};

//here is the function
CRYPT_ data;
bool Crypt(const std::string& file)
{
    data.byte = new char;
    char* savebyte = new char;
    int value = 0;
    data.key = "!+_@)#($*&#37;&^-=,./'\"][}{|:\\<>?~`";
    ifstream load (file.c_str(), ios::binary);
    if (!load)
    {
        return false;
    }
    ofstream save ("encrypted.xtc", ios::binary);
    while (load.get(*data.byte))
    {
        *savebyte = *data.byte ^ data.key[value];
        save << *savebyte;
        if ( value < 30 )
        {
            ++value;
        }
        else
        {
            value = 0;
        }
    }
    save.close();
    load.close();
    remove(file.c_str());
    rename("encrypted.xtc", file.c_str());
    delete data.byte;
    delete savebyte;
    return true;
}

I hope that helps. It is a relatively basic function, but easy to complicate more if you needed.

> if(k == (l+1))
This should be:

Code:

           if (k == l)

> if ( value < 92 )
This will go way past the end of the string.

sorry that was a mistake, because the 92 is for the key that I use. I just replaced the string with random characters.

>sorry that was a mistake, because the 92 is for the key that I use.
Aye, I was wondering because other than that the code looked ok. Of course an alternative is:

Code:

        if ( value < data.key.length() )

Or the equivalent:

Code:

        if ( value < data.key.size() )

I guess it would really be:

Code:

        if ( value+1 < data.key.length() )

Since you haven't incremented value yet.

Originally Posted by swoopy

> if(k == (l+1))
This should be:

Code:

           if (k == l)

No it shouldn't, the k variable is incremented after i do the XOR'ing, and then i check the size, so if i do "if(k == l)" it won't use the last character in the key.

Anyways, it works with the spaces now using getline, thanks alot guys

Originally Posted by Neo1

No it shouldn't, the k variable is incremented after i do the XOR'ing, and then i check the size, so if i do "if(k == l)" it won't use the last character in the key.

Actually you're stepping one past the key's end.

Originally Posted by swoopy

Actually you're stepping one past the key's end.

If my code is 10 digits long, and k starts at 0, then it will loop once, then increment and check the size, it will keep doing this until k reaches 9, then it will loop and increment the variable, so k is now 10, k will still not be big enough because if it stopped now, it still hasn't used the last digit.

I increment after i apply the key, and i check the size after i increment it, so if i stop at 10, i won't get to apply the 10th digit of the key, unless i loop one more time.

What?
if it is 10 digits long, and you start at 0. then you stop at 9. Don't forget everything ( for the most part ) starts at zero in C++.