XOR Cipher

XOR Cipher encrypts and decrypts data using the bitwise XOR (exclusive-OR) operation applied between each byte of the input and the corresponding byte of a repeating key. Because XOR is its own inverse, the exact same key and operation both encrypts and decrypts, making implementation trivial. XOR encryption with a single-byte key produces a simple substitution cipher vulnerable to frequency analysis, while a key as long as the message provides theoretically perfect secrecy (one-time pad). XOR is widely used as an obfuscation technique, a component in stream ciphers such as RC4 and ChaCha20, and in XOR-based RAID parity calculation.

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How to Use

Enter your plaintext or paste hex-encoded ciphertext into the input field and provide an encryption key as text or hexadecimal bytes in the key field. Select the key interpretation mode: ASCII text key (repeating) or raw hex bytes. Click Encrypt or Decrypt to apply the XOR operation; both buttons perform the same computation since XOR is self-inverse. The output is displayed in hexadecimal and Base64 for flexibility. Copy the result for use in obfuscation scripts, CTF challenge analysis, or educational demonstrations.

Common Use Cases

• •Obfuscating embedded configuration strings or license keys in compiled applications to deter casual inspection without strong security
• •Decrypting XOR-obfuscated payloads and configuration data encountered during malware analysis or CTF (Capture The Flag) competitions
• •Demonstrating bitwise XOR operations and the concept of a Vernam cipher in introductory cryptography and computer science courses
• •Computing XOR-based parity bytes and simple checksums for data integrity verification in embedded and IoT protocol implementations
• •Implementing a basic one-time pad demonstration by XOR-encrypting a message with a key of equal length for educational purposes

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