feat: Symmetric encryption. No decryption, no sharing of the secret, not tested.

Author: Hocuri

src/e2ee.rs

@@ -59,6 +59,26 @@ impl EncryptHelper {
         Ok(ctext)
     }
 
+    /// TODO documentation
+    pub async fn encrypt_for_broadcast(
+        self,
+        context: &Context,
+        passphrase: &str,
+        mail_to_encrypt: MimePart<'static>,
+        compress: bool,
+    ) -> Result<String> {
+        let sign_key = load_self_secret_key(context).await?;
+
+        let mut raw_message = Vec::new();
+        let cursor = Cursor::new(&mut raw_message);
+        mail_to_encrypt.clone().write_part(cursor).ok();
+
+        let ctext =
+            pgp::encrypt_for_broadcast(raw_message, passphrase, Some(sign_key), compress).await?;
+
+        Ok(ctext)
+    }
+
     /// Signs the passed-in `mail` using the private key from `context`.
     /// Returns the payload and the signature.
     pub async fn sign(self, context: &Context, mail: &MimePart<'static>) -> Result<String> {

src/mimefactory.rs

@@ -1118,18 +1118,42 @@ impl MimeFactory {
                 Loaded::Mdn { .. } => true,
             };
 
-            // Encrypt to self unconditionally,
-            // even for a single-device setup.
-            let mut encryption_keyring = vec![encrypt_helper.public_key.clone()];
-            encryption_keyring.extend(encryption_keys.iter().map(|(_addr, key)| (*key).clone()));
+            let symmetric_key = match &self.loaded {
+                Loaded::Message { chat, .. } if chat.typ == Chattype::OutBroadcast => {
+                    // If there is no symmetric key yet
+                    // (because this is an old broadcast channel,
+                    // created before we had symmetric encryption),
+                    // we just encrypt asymmetrically.
+                    // Symmetric encryption exists since 2025-08;
+                    // some time after that, we can think about requiring everyone
+                    // to switch to symmetrically-encrypted broadcast lists.
+                    chat.param.get(Param::SymmetricKey)
+                }
+                _ => None,
+            };
+
+            let encrypted = if let Some(symmetric_key) = symmetric_key {
+                encrypt_helper
+                    .encrypt_for_broadcast(context, symmetric_key, message, compress)
+                    .await?
+            } else {
+                // Asymmetric encryption
+
+                // Encrypt to self unconditionally,
+                // even for a single-device setup.
+                let mut encryption_keyring = vec![encrypt_helper.public_key.clone()];
+                encryption_keyring
+                    .extend(encryption_keys.iter().map(|(_addr, key)| (*key).clone()));
+
+                encrypt_helper
+                    .encrypt(context, encryption_keyring, message, compress)
+                    .await?
+            };
 
             // XXX: additional newline is needed
             // to pass filtermail at
-            // <https://github.com/deltachat/chatmail/blob/4d915f9800435bf13057d41af8d708abd34dbfa8/chatmaild/src/chatmaild/filtermail.py#L84-L86>
-            let encrypted = encrypt_helper
-                .encrypt(context, encryption_keyring, message, compress)
-                .await?
-                + "\n";
+            // <https://github.com/deltachat/chatmail/blob/4d915f9800435bf13057d41af8d708abd34dbfa8/chatmaild/src/chatmaild/filtermail.py#L84-L86>:
+            let encrypted = encrypted + "\n";
 
             // Set the appropriate Content-Type for the outer message
             MimePart::new(

src/param.rs

@@ -169,6 +169,11 @@ pub enum Param {
     /// post something to the mailing list.
     ListPost = b'p',
 
+    /// For Chats of type [`Chattype::OutBroadcast`] and [`Chattype::InBroadcast`]:
+    /// The symmetric key shared among all chat participants,
+    /// used to encrypt and decrypt messages.
+    SymmetricKey = b'z',
+
     /// For Contacts: If this is the List-Post address of a mailing list, contains
     /// the List-Id of the mailing list (which is also used as the group id of the chat).
     ListId = b's',

src/pgp.rs

@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ use pgp::composed::{
     SecretKeyParamsBuilder, SignedPublicKey, SignedPublicSubKey, SignedSecretKey,
     StandaloneSignature, SubkeyParamsBuilder, TheRing,
 };
+use pgp::crypto::aead::{AeadAlgorithm, ChunkSize};
 use pgp::crypto::ecc_curve::ECCCurve;
 use pgp::crypto::hash::HashAlgorithm;
 use pgp::crypto::sym::SymmetricKeyAlgorithm;
@@ -322,6 +323,41 @@ pub async fn symm_encrypt(passphrase: &str, plain: Vec<u8>) -> Result<String> {
     .await?
 }
 
+/// Symmetric encryption.
+pub async fn encrypt_for_broadcast(
+    plain: Vec<u8>,
+    passphrase: &str,
+    private_key_for_signing: Option<SignedSecretKey>,
+    compress: bool,
+) -> Result<String> {
+    let passphrase = Password::from(passphrase.to_string());
+
+    tokio::task::spawn_blocking(move || {
+        let mut rng = thread_rng();
+        let s2k = StringToKey::new_default(&mut rng);
+        let msg = MessageBuilder::from_bytes("", plain);
+        let mut msg = msg.seipd_v2(
+            &mut rng,
+            SymmetricKeyAlgorithm::AES128,
+            AeadAlgorithm::Ocb,
+            ChunkSize::C8KiB,
+        );
+        msg.encrypt_with_password(&mut rng, s2k, &passphrase)?;
+
+        if let Some(ref skey) = private_key_for_signing {
+            msg.sign(&**skey, Password::empty(), HASH_ALGORITHM);
+            if compress {
+                msg.compression(CompressionAlgorithm::ZLIB);
+            }
+        }
+
+        let encoded_msg = msg.to_armored_string(&mut rng, Default::default())?;
+
+        Ok(encoded_msg)
+    })
+    .await?
+}
+
 /// Symmetric decryption.
 pub async fn symm_decrypt<T: BufRead + std::fmt::Debug + 'static + Send>(
     passphrase: &str,