diff --git a/util/util.go b/util/util.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6b7e2c6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/util/util.go
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+package util
+
+import (
+	"crypto/sha256"
+)
+
+func SecretBytesFromString(str string) []byte {
+    // TODO (2026-11-09): securely clear all arrays to the extent possible
+    digest := sha256.Sum256([]byte(str))
+    return digest[:] // copy out bytes from strict [32]byte type to []byte used by everything else + iroh
+}