Feature: End to End Encrypted Message Handling for Ruqola

[edcedcedcedc]

FINAL REPORT, GSOC 2025

• Student name: Andro Ranogajec @edcedcedcedc
• Organization: Rocket.Chat
• Mentors: Laurent Montel @Montel, Aaron Ogle @geekgonecrazy
• Project: E2EE message handling for Ruqola

Project

Phase 1:
Develop an encryption Test GUI within Ruqola client in ‘tests/encryptiontest’, to prototype and test the E2EE workflow.

This includes:

• - Master Key derivation using PBKDF2.
• - RSA key pair generation for secure key exchange.
• - Session key generation for symmetric encryption.
• - Message encryption and decryption using AES.
• - Encryption test GUI

Phase 2:
Key integration with Rocket.Chat server and cli sandbox testing environment with Ruqola.

This will include:

• - RSA keypair upload download
  • - Cli entrypoint
    • - Login programmaticaly into Ruqola
• - Local keystorage and management
• - Session key management and distribution
• - Message encryption and decryption via rocket chat server
• - Basic UI within main Ruqola app.

Current state and progress of phase 2:

Key upload download:

• - e2ekeytool, cli entrypoint link
• - update CMakeLists link
• - remove credentials from .txt, add them to .env and update the func, add some const qualifiers
• - mv files from apps to tests
• - implement upload download
• - autotests

localkeystore and management:

• - local key storage and management
• - autotests
  • - create read update delete
• - Load keys at startup and integrate with the client E2EE pipeline.

Session Key Management and Distribution:

• - session key accept reject distribute
• - autotests

Message Encryption and Decryption:

• - message encryption decryption via rocket chat server
• - autotests

Bugfixes:

• - export rsa public key
• - export rsa encrypted private key

Сhallenges and important things that I have learned during the project:
I learned how to manage stress, respect deadlines, and be reliable. I improved my technical communication, high-level planning, and system design skills, as well as my ability to collaborate effectively. I also developed a stronger security mindset, practiced testing and quality assurance, gained practical C++ experience, and became more confident with open-source workflows.

The main challenges included developing the CLI entry point to enable programmatic login, designing the overall system architecture while keeping the broader context in mind, and ensuring that I always understood the purpose of each step. Another significant challenge was working with C++ itself - a language as verbose as Java but often more cryptic, which required extra care and attention.

Notes:
This PR has been created as part of the Google Summer of Code in the "E2EE message handling for Ruqola" project.

[Montel]

const variable

[Montel]

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