# CyberChef

> GCHQ's browser-based workbench for decoding, decrypting, decompressing, parsing and carving data by chaining operations into a recipe, with all processing done client-side. The pinned operation catalogue lists 506 operations, among them XOR brute force, AES, DES and Blowfish decryption, x86 and ARM disassembly, ELF info, file-type detection, file extraction, entropy and strings, YARA rules, Protobuf decoding and Ethernet, IPv4, TCP and UDP header parsing. The Magic operation tries to detect nested encodings automatically, and breakpoints step through a recipe one operation at a time to show the data at each stage.

- Type: Tool
- Targets: Binary · Protocol
- Category: Native analysis tools
- Relationship: Foundation tool
- Sources reviewed: 2026-11-05
- Added to the catalog: 2026-11-06
- Original resource: <https://github.com/gchq/CyberChef>
- Primary source: <https://github.com/gchq/CyberChef/blob/d4d96c6c3d2597fef836d81bfc04617d97c681a5/README.md>
- Catalog page: <https://awesomerea.org/resources/cyberchef/>
- Record JSON: <https://awesomerea.org/resources/cyberchef/record.json>
- Chinese version: [简体中文](https://awesomerea.org/zh/resources/cyberchef/index.md)

## Requirements & limits

- **Prerequisites:** Use the hosted app at gchq.github.io/CyberChef, a full copy downloaded from the app, the ghcr.io/gchq/cyberchef Docker image or a Node.js v24 build (npm install, then npm start or npm run build); the README lists Chrome 50+ and Firefox 38+ as supported browsers. Release at review: v11.5.0, published 2026-09-18; the reviewed master commit is newer.
- **Limits:** Inputs and recipes stay in the browser and are not sent to the web server. Files of up to about 2 GB load, depending on the browser, and some operations can take a very long time on that much data; Auto Bake can be turned off for large inputs.
- **License:** Apache-2.0, under Crown Copyright; contributions require signing the GCHQ Contributor Licence Agreement.

## Primary sources

1. <https://github.com/gchq/CyberChef/blob/d4d96c6c3d2597fef836d81bfc04617d97c681a5/README.md>
2. <https://github.com/gchq/CyberChef/blob/d4d96c6c3d2597fef836d81bfc04617d97c681a5/src/core/config/Categories.json>
3. <https://github.com/gchq/CyberChef/blob/d4d96c6c3d2597fef836d81bfc04617d97c681a5/LICENSE>
4. <https://github.com/gchq/CyberChef/releases/tag/v11.5.0>
5. <https://gchq.github.io/CyberChef/>

## More in Native binaries

- [YARA](https://awesomerea.org/resources/yara/index.md) · Tool
- [Cheat Engine](https://awesomerea.org/resources/cheat-engine/index.md) · Tool
- [Noriben](https://awesomerea.org/resources/noriben/index.md) · Tool
- [QEMU](https://awesomerea.org/resources/qemu/index.md) · Tool
- [Hex Fiend](https://awesomerea.org/resources/hex-fiend/index.md) · Tool
- [ScyllaHide](https://awesomerea.org/resources/scyllahide/index.md) · Tool

## About this entry

The description was reviewed against primary sources.
Original editorial content: MIT. Linked projects, papers and assets retain their own rights and licenses.