Hacker’s Secret Vault

Imagine you’re a hacker who needs to store dozens of credentials like SSH keys, API tokens, cloud passwords. Writing them in plain text is dangerous. You need a vault: a secure, encrypted place where secrets are stored and retrieved only when needed.

This project builds a Command Line Interface (CLI) Password Manager in Python. It will let you add, retrieve, and manage passwords securely using encryption, file storage, and a simple CLI interface.

Why a Password Manager

• Security: Protects sensitive credentials with encryption.
• Convenience: Stores multiple passwords in one place.
• Automation: CLI commands make retrieval fast and scriptable.
• Scalability: Can be extended to support cloud secrets or APIs.
• Real‑World Analogy: Like a hacker’s vault - locked, encrypted, and accessible only with the right key.

Core Components

• Encryption: Use cryptography library (Fernet symmetric encryption).
• Storage: Save encrypted passwords in a local file (vault.json).
• CLI Interface: Use argparse for commands (add, get, list).
• Master Key: Protects all stored credentials.

Implementation – Step by Step

Setup Encryption

from cryptography.fernet import Fernet

# Generate a key (run once and save securely)
key = Fernet.generate_key()
cipher = Fernet(key)

# Encrypt and decrypt
encrypted = cipher.encrypt(b"my_secret_password")
print("Encrypted:", encrypted)

decrypted = cipher.decrypt(encrypted)
print("Decrypted:", decrypted.decode())

2. Vault Storage

import json

def save_vault(vault, filename="vault.json"):
    with open(filename, "w") as f:
        json.dump(vault, f)

def load_vault(filename="vault.json"):
    try:
        with open(filename, "r") as f:
            return json.load(f)
    except FileNotFoundError:
        return {}

3. CLI Interface

import argparse

parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="CLI Password Manager")
parser.add_argument("command", choices=["add", "get", "list"])
parser.add_argument("--service", help="Service name")
parser.add_argument("--password", help="Password")

args = parser.parse_args()

4. Putting It Together

vault = load_vault()

if args.command == "add":
    vault[args.service] = cipher.encrypt(args.password.encode()).decode()
    save_vault(vault)
    print(f"Password for {args.service} added.")

elif args.command == "get":
    encrypted = vault.get(args.service)
    if encrypted:
        print("Password:", cipher.decrypt(encrypted.encode()).decode())
    else:
        print("Service not found.")

elif args.command == "list":
    print("Stored services:", list(vault.keys()))

Real‑World Usage

# Add a password
python manager.py add --service github --password mypass123

# Retrieve a password
python manager.py get --service github

# List all stored services
python manager.py list

The Hacker’s Notebook

• Encryption (cryptography) secures sensitive credentials. JSON storage keeps vaults lightweight and portable.
• CLI (argparse) makes the tool scriptable and user‑friendly. Password managers are critical for DevOps, cloud, and security workflows.

Hacker’s Mindset: treat this project as your secret vault. It’s the foundation for managing credentials securely in real‑world systems.