AES-128 Security Encryption

Local save files written in standard JSON format are stored as human-readable text. While this is great for developer debugging, it presents a major security vulnerability for released games: players can open save directories, edit their currency totals or unlocked items using a text editor, and easily bypass game loops, leaderboard metrics, or store systems.

Save System Pro eliminates this vulnerability with integrated AES-128 Military Grade Encryption.

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🔒 What is AES-128?

Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is a symmetric block cipher chosen by the U.S. government to protect classified information.

• It encrypts plain text data into randomized, non-human-readable bytes.
• Decryption is only possible if the game client provides the exact match 128-bit key.
• Attempts to tamper with or modify the encrypted bytes corrupt the file signature, which our engine detects instantly, preventing corrupt data loads.

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⚙️ Activating Encryption in the Control Panel

Activating security requires zero programming:

1. Open the Pro Control Panel via Tools > Save System Pro > Control Panel.
2. Scroll to the Security & Optimization header.
3. Check the box for AES-128 Encryption.
4. In the Encryption Key text input field, type your custom security password.

[!IMPORTANT] To guarantee strong security, your encryption key must be exactly 16 characters long (128 bits). If it is shorter, the Control Panel will draw a yellow safety warning box prompting you to increase key complexity!

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💻 Manual Cryptography API

If you are implementing custom cloud syncs, custom data transfers, or manual files and need to encrypt raw strings, you can leverage our security wrappers directly:

using DecnetGames.SaveSystemPro;

string rawJson = "{ \"player_gold\": 99999 }";
string secureKey = "MySecretKey_12345"; // Must be 16 chars

// 1. Encrypt raw string
string encryptedString = AESEncryptor.Encrypt(rawJson, secureKey);
Debug.Log($"Encrypted: {encryptedString}"); // Outputs base64 scrambled text

// 2. Decrypt raw string back
string decryptedJson = AESEncryptor.Decrypt(encryptedString, secureKey);
Debug.Log($"Decrypted: {decryptedJson}"); // Outputs: { "player_gold": 99999 }

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🔬 Auditing Saves: The Pro Save Inspector

When encryption is active, opening slot files on disk displays binary scrambled bytes. For rapid testing and debugging:

1. Open Tools > Save System Pro > Save Inspector.
2. Select your slot and click Load & Decrypt Slot.
3. The editor queries the key configured in SaveSystemProConfig.asset dynamically, decrypts the slot file in memory, and displays it in a clean text field.
4. Edit variables directly inside the text field, click Save Changes & Encrypt, and the editor automatically re-encrypts the data and writes it back to disk!