OpenSSL AES-256 Decryption Fix
Budget: £20 – £250 GBP
I have a small, password-protected text file that was encrypted with OpenSSL using AES-256. The password is definitely correct, yet the usual OpenSSL command line fails to decrypt—either producing garbled output or throwing a “bad decrypt” error. My goal is straightforward: identify why the routine is failing and supply a reliable method (script, one-liner, or documented steps) that successfully returns the original clear-text.
You may need to inspect the file header, check salt or IV handling, verify padding, or recreate the encryption parameters before running a working OpenSSL, OpenSSL-compatible Python, or similar solution. Please let me know what tools or commands you plan to test so I can match them in my environment.
Important ethical note: because of internal compliance, I cannot award this project to freelancers based in—or with business ties to—Singapore, Israel, or Russia.
Acceptance criteria
• I can replicate your instructions locally and decrypt the file without errors
• The recovered text matches a short known phrase I will provide for verification
• You explain, in a brief summary, why the original attempt failed so we can avoid the issue in future backups
You may need to inspect the file header, check salt or IV handling, verify padding, or recreate the encryption parameters before running a working OpenSSL, OpenSSL-compatible Python, or similar solution. Please let me know what tools or commands you plan to test so I can match them in my environment.
Important ethical note: because of internal compliance, I cannot award this project to freelancers based in—or with business ties to—Singapore, Israel, or Russia.
Acceptance criteria
• I can replicate your instructions locally and decrypt the file without errors
• The recovered text matches a short known phrase I will provide for verification
• You explain, in a brief summary, why the original attempt failed so we can avoid the issue in future backups