Mask Smith

🎯 Overview

Mask Smith is a VS Code extension designed to protect sensitive information in your documents. It allows you to encrypt selected text directly within your editor using industry-standard AES-256-GCM encryption, keeping your sensitive data secure while maintaining document readability.

✨ Features

• 🔐 Strong Encryption: Uses AES-256-GCM encryption with SHA-256 hashing for maximum security
• 👁️ Visual Masking: Encrypted content is visually masked in the editor with a clear indicator
• 🔄 Seamless Integration: Works directly within VS Code with context menu and keyboard shortcuts
• 🔑 Smart Password Management: Securely stores passwords in VS Code's secret storage with option to reuse previous passwords
• 📋 Smart Copy: Automatically decrypts masked content when copying to clipboard
• 🌍 Multi-language Support: Available in English and Chinese
• 📝 File Type Support: Works with plain text and Markdown files

📦 Installation

From VS Code Marketplace

1. Open VS Code
2. Press Ctrl+P / Cmd+P to open the Quick Open dialog
3. Type ext install Yarmu.mask-smith and press Enter
4. Click Install

From VSIX File

1. Download the .vsix file from the releases page
2. Open VS Code
3. Press Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P
4. Type "Install from VSIX" and select it
5. Browse to the downloaded .vsix file

🚀 Usage

Encrypting Text

1. Select the text you want to encrypt in a supported file (.txt or .md)
2. Use one of the following methods:
   • Right-click and select "Mask Selection" from the context menu
   • Press Ctrl+Alt+M (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Alt+M (Mac)
   • Open Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P) and run "Mask Smith: Mask Selection"
3. Enter your password when prompted
   • For first-time encryption, you'll need to confirm the password
   • The extension will offer to reuse your last password for convenience
4. The selected text will be replaced with encrypted content like: <!MASK-SMITH:encrypted_data>

Viewing Encrypted Content

• Hover over any encrypted text to see a "Copy to Clipboard" button
• Click the button to decrypt and copy the original text to your clipboard

Copying Encrypted Content

When you select and copy text containing encrypted content:

• Press Ctrl+C (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+C (Mac)
• The extension automatically decrypts any masked content before copying
• You'll see a notification confirming the decrypted content was copied

⌨️ Keyboard Shortcuts

🔒 Security Features

Encryption Details

• Algorithm: AES-256-GCM (Galois/Counter Mode)
• Key Derivation: SHA-256 hash of user password
• Initialization Vector: First 12 bytes of SHA-256 hash of plaintext
• Key Storage: Passwords are hashed and stored securely in VS Code's secret storage
• Verification: Each encryption is immediately verified by decryption to ensure data integrity

Security Best Practices

1. Use strong passwords: Combine uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and special characters
2. Different passwords for different sensitivity levels: Use unique passwords for highly sensitive data
3. Regular password updates: Change passwords periodically for enhanced security
4. Secure file storage: Store files with encrypted content in secure locations
5. Backup considerations: Keep secure backups of your passwords

🎨 Visual Indicators

• Encrypted Content: Displayed as <!MASK-SMITH:...> with a visual "🔒 Encrypted" badge
• Hover Actions: Interactive buttons appear when hovering over encrypted content
• Status Messages: Clear notifications for all operations (encryption, decryption, copying)

🛠️ Configuration

Currently, Mask Smith works out of the box with no configuration required. The extension automatically:

• Manages password storage securely
• Applies visual decorations to encrypted content
• Handles clipboard operations intelligently

📝 Supported File Types

• Plain Text files (.txt)
• Markdown files (.md)

⚠️ Important Notes

1. Password Recovery: There is no way to recover encrypted data if you forget your password. Keep your passwords safe!
2. File Sharing: When sharing files with encrypted content, recipients will need Mask Smith and the correct password to decrypt
3. Version Control: Encrypted content is safe to commit to version control as it appears as encoded text
4. Performance: Large amounts of encrypted content may impact editor performance

🐛 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"Unsupported file type" error

• Ensure you're working in a .txt or .md file
• Check that the file is properly saved with the correct extension

"Password key mismatch" error

• You're trying to decrypt with a different password than was used for encryption
• Enter the correct password that was used during encryption

Encrypted content not displaying correctly

• Ensure the encrypted content format hasn't been altered
• The format must be exactly: <!MASK-SMITH:encrypted_data>

Copy to clipboard not working

• Check VS Code has clipboard access permissions
• Try using the keyboard shortcut instead of the hover button

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit issues and pull requests.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

👨‍💻 Author

Yarmu

• GitHub: @iceyarmu
• Repository: mask-smith

🙏 Acknowledgments

• VS Code Extension API for providing secure storage capabilities
• The Web Crypto API for robust encryption support
• Z85 encoding for efficient binary-to-text encoding
• All contributors and users of this extension

📈 Changelog

Version 0.0.6

• Fixed encrypted badge hover and one-click decrypted copy
• Safely bound hover actions to their encrypted payloads
• Improved encryption and decryption validation, error handling, and sensitive-data cleanup

Version 0.0.5

• Added support for reusing previous passwords
• Improved password management with default key storage
• Enhanced user experience with password confirmation options
• Bug fixes and performance improvements

Version 0.0.4

• Added smart copy functionality with automatic decryption
• Improved clipboard integration
• Enhanced error handling

Version 0.0.3

• Added hover actions for encrypted content
• Improved visual indicators
• Performance optimizations

Version 0.0.2

• Added multi-language support (English and Chinese)
• Enhanced security with verification after encryption
• Improved error messages

Version 0.0.1

• Initial release
• Basic encryption/decryption functionality
• Context menu integration
• Keyboard shortcuts