Vitriol

509 crypto material. Designed to run locally without telemetry or third-party APIs, it enables users to convert files by dropping them into a playlist, selecting a target format, and clicking convert. The tool is available for Windows download and as a web app, with its markup and document conversion capabilities powered by Pandoc, which is auto-fetched on first launch.

A distinctive feature of Vitriol is its "Philosopher's Stone" mode, which allows users to hide any lossless file inside an ordinary-looking image, audio file, video, archive, or self-extracting script. This mode offers optional AES-256 password protection per file, with passwords derived through PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA256. The encryption is integrated into the carrier file, and without the correct password, the output cannot be decoded—incorrect passwords produce unusable data, making it difficult for an attacker to discern whether encryption was used. The tool also provides a round-trip verification feature that can automatically reverse a Stone conversion in a temporary folder to ensure the output matches the original before finalizing, helping to catch integrity issues.

Vitriol supports layering, where files can be successively hidden inside different carrier formats, each with its own password, requiring each layer to be unwrapped in reverse order for recovery. For added flexibility, Stone-mode outputs can be generated as self-extracting Python scripts or Windows executables, enabling recipients to recover the original file without needing Vitriol installed. The Python scripts are cross-platform and prompt for a password if protected, with a security measure that deletes the script after five incorrect attempts.

The tool is source-available, code-signed, and uses AES-256 encryption. Its local operation ensures privacy, as no network calls are made during conversions. Vitriol is suitable for users who require extensive file conversion capabilities along with advanced steganography and encryption features.