OTP is secure encryption software that allows for secure communication between two parties by implementing the one-time pad algorithm.
The project is written in Python programming language, and it requires a Python interpreter to run. To use OTP reliably, a source of good random data is mandatory. On Unix systems, /dev/random device is probably good enough. However, on non-Unix systems, a user is on their own. It is crucial to store random data in a file and point to it using OTP's -p option when encrypting. The recipient must use the same pad to decrypt.
The security of your messages greatly depends on the quality of the pad data. It is crucial to never encrypt different plaintexts with the same stretch of pad as this could reveal some or all of the used pad to eavesdroppers. The default setting of OTP is to avoid reusing pad data, unless explicitly told otherwise.
The software comes with a help function that provides more information about its usage. OTP remembers what ranges of what pad files have been used and avoids re-using those ranges while encoding. Because OTP compresses plaintext input to save pad, encoding and decoding are not symmetrical. Thus, OTP needs to be told whether it is encoding or decoding (-e or -d).
All options are available to the user, including encrypting, decrypting, specifying a pad, controlling the start offset of pad data, among others. It is important to note that OTP leaves no record of pad usage in the user's config when the -n or --no-trace option is chosen. The software also has options to specify a directory as a config area, show an introduction to OTP and one-time pads, show version information, or display usage options. OTP is ideal for users who are looking for software that provides secure communication between two parties.
Version 1.61: N/A