Why
Cryptex Vault exists because a password manager I depended on was acquired and shut down. When MYKI disappeared in 2022, I didn't want to migrate. I wanted to keep using the software I already trusted.
Four years later, I'm building a password manager of my own. And there's a question I think I owe its users an answer to: What happens if Cryptex Industries announces tomorrow that it is going out of business?
The 90 days
On the day of the announcement, application updates explaining the transition will be pushed out to users explaining what is happening, and the 90 day transition period will commence. Please do note that updates distributed through application and browser stores may become available later, depending on their respective review processes.
Account registrations will be disabled, and existing accounts will not be able to upgrade to a paid/trial plan. Renewals on subscriptions are disabled. All subscriptions (including free trials) active on that day retain access to Online Services until the shutdown date, at no further cost.
All users with subscriptions paid to last after the shutdown date will receive refunds pro rata to their original payment method.
Final application release will be made before removing the store listings.
We have a financial reserve to keep our own infrastructure online during these 90 days.
That way everyone gets time to synchronize changes between their devices, restore from Managed backups, export their data or set up the same Cryptex Vault services locally - side-by-side to compare them before switching.
What stops working
At the end of the 90 day transition period, Signaling and STUN/TURN managed synchronization services, Managed backups, SSH agent relays, managed credential sharing, Online Services device management along with the public facing pages and the API will be taken offline.
All managed backup storage and account data will be deleted.
Applications will be removed from all app/browser stores.
What's left
Online Services going offline won't wipe the vaults on your devices. The mobile app will continue to function even though you won't be able to download it from the application stores any more.
The vaults stored in your browsers, made on cryptex-vault.com, need that exact domain to be operational in order to access them.
The last releases will remain available in the archived repository releases.
So please make sure to export your vault or save an encrypted backup (.cryx file) during the 90 day transition period so that you can restore the vault or import the data elsewhere.
How to continue (a way to stay)
The source code will remain open and AGPL-3.0 while the repositories will be archived.
Existing mobile installations will continue functioning locally and the users can restore their encrypted backups into an independently deployed web application.
The local vaults will remain on your devices and you can self-host the services you need using the self-hosting guide (also available in the repository).
If you want to use the backups feature, you can point your vaults to your own S3-compatible buckets.
It is not recommended to use an unmaintained Cryptex Vault version for a prolonged period of time due to the nature of the cybersecurity world itself.
I need not say that forking the repository and keeping Cryptex Vault up to date and secure is very much welcome and appreciated.
As much as I'd like to guarantee that Cryptex Industries will exist forever - I can't. What I can do is to build every Cryptex Industries product with that in mind: that people should have a way to continue using the technology we built, even when we're not there anymore. I wish I had that option when MYKI shut down.
Milivoj Bošnjak
- 8l4cksmith