Metadata Seal
DARK FIRE SECURITYmetadata-seal
Runs in this browser. Nothing is uploaded.

See everything a photo says about you. Then lock it.

Every Exif, GPS, XMP and IPTC field is listed in full. Then you can encrypt them inside the file with a passphrase. The picture still opens anywhere, and the passphrase puts every byte back.

Preview of the loaded photo
Loading sample photo
 
JPEG or PNG. Drop or paste one here too.

Metadata in this file

Reading every field in the file

Encrypt it

Use at least 8 characters. A sentence of four or more words is harder to guess than a short mix of symbols.

File structure

    Specification
    Cipher
    AES-256-GCM
    Key
    PBKDF2-SHA256, 600,000 rounds, 128-bit salt
    Formats
    JPEG, PNG
    Picture data
    copied bit for bit, never re-encoded
    Restore check
    SHA-256 of the original file
    Network
    none

    How the encryption works

    1. The file is read part by part. Every field is listed first and nothing changes. Everything the picture does not need is marked: Exif and GPS, XMP, IPTC, comments, embedded thumbnails, and anything stored after the image.
    2. Those parts are encrypted when you choose to. Your passphrase runs through 600,000 rounds of PBKDF2-SHA256 with a fresh random salt, and the resulting key encrypts the parts with AES-256-GCM.
    3. The ciphertext goes back into the file as one private block that photo viewers skip. The compressed picture data is copied as it is.
    4. Decrypting puts every part back where it was and compares the result with a SHA-256 of the original, so you know the file is identical.

    What it does not do

    • It does not change the picture.A street sign or house number in the frame is still in the frame.
    • It does not hide that something is encrypted.Anyone can see an encrypted block and its size, rounded up to the next kilobyte.
    • It does not survive re-encoding.Social networks and most messaging apps rebuild photos on upload and drop the block. Send encrypted photos as files: email attachment, shared drive, USB.
    • It cannot recover a lost passphrase.The photo still opens. The metadata stays locked.
    • It does not read HEIC, RAW or video.JPEG and PNG only.