Privacy Bar Lab

A static, zero-server environment for practicing with the app.

1. Password Synthesis

Privacy Bar uses the scrypt key derivation function to turn a single Master Key into unique, site-specific passwords.

⚠️ Security Insight: Other Extensions On standard pages, other browser extensions—especially password managers and analytics trackers—can "snoop" on input fields to capture data as you type.

When this page is loaded in Safe View, Privacy Bar isolates the environment, stripping third-party scripts and protecting the DOM from outside interference.
Exercise:
  1. Open Privacy Bar and enter a test Master Key.
  2. Go to the Password tab and click the Synthesize & Fill button.
  3. A strong, unique password will fill the input. Click REVEAL to see it.
  4. Play with the extra parameters, and see how the synthesized password changes when you click the button.

2. Email & Messaging Context

Practice encrypting sensitive communications without the servers ever seeing the cleartext.

To: contact@privacybar.net From: user@example.com Subject: Laboratory Test Entry Dear Friend, Please encrypt this message for "Me" to test the local crypto logic.
Exercise:
  1. Highlight the email body above and copy it.
  2. Open Privacy Bar and navigate to the Crypto tab.
  3. Fill your email address (can be anything) and your Master Key
  4. Paste the text into the message box of the side panel.
  5. Select Recipients: Me and set the mode to Signed or Anonymous.
  6. Click Encrypt. The encrypted message will be injected into the email.
  7. Try decrypting it back. Copy the block into the side panel. Click Decrypt.
More exercises:
  • Encrypt a mesage using a Shared Key rather than a saved Lock: simply make sure no recipient is selected before clicking Encrypt. A prompt will ask you for a Shared Key. Recipients will be asked for that Shared Key when they click Decrypt.
  • Make an Invitation containing your Lock: do this by clicking the Create Invitation button. When you decrypt it, a message will ask you to give it a name, and it will be saved to your Directory.
Even More Exercises (Pro):
  • Advanced Encryption Modes: Pro users have access to more encryption modes. Simply select the mode before you click Encrypt. Post-Quantum modes are immune to attack by future quantum computers. Read-Once messages use ephemeral keys that are deleted after decryption, so the data cannot be decrypted again. Certified messages are signed rather than encrypted so others can verify they come from you. The mode is detected automatically on decryption.
  • Pad Mode: For ultimate security, use a file as Pad Key so it serves as an unbreakable-ever one-time pad. Simply drag the file to the large button at the bottom of the Crypto tab before clicking Encrypt or Decrypt.
  • Hidden Message: All data encrypted by Privacy Bar potentially include a short, undetectable second message encrypted under a separate key. Add this message before encryption by checking the Hidden Msg toggle. To reveal it, click the Hidden Msg button immediately after a successful decryption of the main payload.
  • Folder Keys: Click Encrypt with the box empty to make an encrypted, random Folder Key for the selected recipients. When decrypted (or just after encrypting it), all encryptions and decryptions use that key. Clicking Encrypt when a Folder Key is loaded and the box is empty re-encrypts it for the selected recipients. This way you can control access to a series of encrypted files without having to re-encrypt them individually.

Note: All of the features in the last block are reserved for Pro users.

3. Hide Data Inside Images

You can hide data inside images so no one can even tell there's anything there, unless they have the password to reveal it.

The image above contains the first chapter of Charles Dickens's "Oliver Twist" hidden within its pixels. Do this after opening Privacy Bar on the side and clicking the Crypto tab:

Exercise:
  1. Alt-click (Opt-click on Mac) on the image. It will load into the side panel.
  2. Click From Image. A prompt will ask you for the password.
  3. Type "Oliver Twist" (no quotes), and click OK. The text will appear in the box.
  4. Change the text to something else, and click To Image. The new text will be embedded into the image, replacing the initial text. Right-click on it if you want to save it.
More exercises (Pro):
  • Encrypt to File: Type something into the box, select Me in the directory, and click To File. An encrypted file wil appear in your Downloads folder.
  • Drag to Decrypt: Take that file and drag it onto the box in the Crypto panel. The plaintext will appear again inside the box.
  • Drag to Encrypt: Select Me in the Directory, then drag any file onto the box. It will be encrypted and sent to your Downloads folder. Decrypt the encrypted file back by dragging it onto the box.
  • Camouflage: If you have an image loaded on the Crypto tab, encrypting a file by drag and drop will produce an image file containing the encrypted data behind the image data. This is not undetectable for a computer, but good enough for humans; high capacity. Decrypt it by dragging that image file back onto the box.

Note: All of the features in the second block are reserved for Pro users.

4. Page Sanitization & Safe View

Privacy Bar provides protection against invasive web logic by stripping remote scripts and trackers from suspicious links.

Exercise:
  1. The button below contains a harmless alert() script. Click it now to see it execute in your current environment:
  3. Now, open the Page tab of Privacy Bar and click the Open Sanitized Page button.
  4. The extension will open a sanitized version of this page in a new tab. Try clicking the same button there—the script will be neutralized and fail to fire.
  5. Try also clicking the Send Page to Safe Space button. This will wrap the page in a shell that other extensions, such as password managers or anything malicious you may have installed inadvertently, cannot penetrate. Everything proper to the page wil still function.

Note: Page sanitization and Safe View isolation are reserved for Pro users.