RC4¶
Overview¶
RC4 (also known as ARC4) is a widely-used stream cipher designed by Ron Rivest. It is used in popular protocols such as SSL and WEP. Although remarkable for its simplicity and speed, the algorithm's history doesn't inspire confidence in its security.
Status¶
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Implementation | Partial |
| Parity | Unknown |
| Availability | Available |
| Input requirement | Required |
| Features | none |
| Side effects | [] |
| Deterministic | true |
Input¶
Declared input type: Bytes.
Output¶
Declared output type: Bytes. Redirect stdout or use --output-file for exact binary bytes.
Arguments¶
| # | Argument | Type | Required | Default | Allowed | Sensitive | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Key | Bytes |
yes | <empty> |
— | yes | Passphrase/key as UTF-8 string or hex (prefix 0x for hex) |
| 2 | Input format | String |
no | Raw |
— | no | Input encoding: Raw or Hex |
| 3 | Output format | String |
no | Hex |
— | no | Output encoding: Raw or Hex |
Implementation¶
The implementation is in src/operations/rc4.rs and declares Bytes input and Bytes output. The operation module owns conversion and domain-error rules; registry resolution, argument validation, input-requirement enforcement, tracing, and output validation are performed by rxchef::execution.
Command-line use¶
This operation requires input. Supply literal UTF-8 with --input, exact bytes with --input-file, or pipe bytes on stdin.
rxchef run "RC4" --input-file input.bin --output-file output.bin
Arguments may be supplied positionally in the table order or by name with repeatable --arg NAME=VALUE. Omitted optional arguments use the documented defaults.
Pipeline use¶
Place the operation anywhere a Bytes value is valid. Its Bytes result becomes the next step's input. Compact syntax uses the operation name followed by comma-separated arguments; JSON/YAML recipes use an op field and an args array.
Error conditions¶
Schema violations are rejected before the operation runs. Malformed input, unsupported parameter combinations, unavailable optional backends, and domain processing failures produce structured errors and a non-zero CLI status; partial output is never reported as success.
CyberChef compatibility¶
Parity status: Unknown. Unknown records an unassessed compatibility claim; it does not imply equality or incompatibility.
Security considerations¶
Declared side effects: []. Treat parser inputs as untrusted and apply execution limits to large data. Arguments marked sensitive in the schema are redacted from metadata-aware History displays.
Testing evidence¶
Correctness tests: - tests/tests/operations/rc4.rs
Known-answer tests: - tests/tests/operations/rc4.rs
Performance classification¶
Excluded from the committed representative benchmark set: No stable representative benchmark case is defined; operation remains Partial until performance evidence is reviewed.