Question

Is there a way in PHP to test if a string has been encrypted using mcrypt_encrypt?

Answer 1

You have not written what you’re actually concerned about specifically, but:

Whether or not some data has been encrypted is not dependent on which encryption function has been used but which encryption algorithm. Say, if somebody has encrypted something in PERL or in PHP – you can’t tell by having the encrypted string.

So as this applies, you can’t tell for mcrypt_encrypt. That function does not leave any sign inside the encrypted data.

However, if you have the key and the original text (plain) as well as the algorithm, you can reverse what mcrypt_encrypt does with mcrypt_decrypt. You can then compare the plains and if they match you can say that the plain was encrypted with the specific key and algorithm.

As we’re talking about encryption, this is normally not the case, you don’t have the plain.

However, you can create a checksum of the plain and encrypt it as well. Then you can decrypt it later on and compare it with a checksum of the plain you encrypted as well to tell if the data was successfully decrypted. But as this shows, this is actually additional information next to the encrypted data.

If you add more information what you’re looking for, it might be possible to give more helpful suggestions.