CertificateStorage Class
Properties Methods Events Configuration Settings Errors
The CertificateStorage class works with collections of certificates.
Syntax
CertificateStorage
Remarks
CertificateStorage can work with certificates residing on a variety of media. Among others, it can access certificates residing in files, Windows and macOS system stores, and PKCS#11 devices. All such kinds of media can be accessed via a simple, unified interface, which makes CertificateStorage a handy certificate access option. Most users of SecureBlackbox use this component to access certificates residing on hardware devices. CertificateStorage is also a good alternative to CertificateManager where the certificate file contains more than one certificate.
To access certificates stored on certain type of media, start with the Open method. Provide the location of your certificates via a uniform URI-like specifier. Once the storage has been opened, you can access the certificates contained in it via the Certificates property.
Iterate over certificates by using the Certificates property, or use filtering facilities such as Select and SelectChain. You can add certificates to the storage with the Add, AddFromFile, and AddPinned methods. In the latter case please assign the certificate object to be imported to the PinnedCert property.
Use CreateNew method to create a new storage. Note that not all storage kinds can be created.
When you have finished working with the certificate storage, close it with the Close method.
Certain types of stores must be kept open for the certificates to continue to be usable. This means that while you can
copy a certificate to a different storage, or assign it to a different component, you still must keep
the storage it originates from open for as long as you intend to use that certificate in your code.
This is because the storage is often a bridge between a certificate
and its private key, and by closing the storage early you are destroying this bridge prematurely. See the code example below:
// This code, although syntactically correct, will fail because the storage is closed too early: storage.Open("pkcs11://user:12345@localhost/C:/Windows/System32/asepkcs.dll"); pdfSigner.SigningCertificate = storage.Certificates[0]; storage.Close(false); // the private key of the SigningCertificate gets lost after this call pdfSigner.Sign(); // returns an error // This code will work as expected storage.Open("pkcs11://user:12345@localhost/C:/Windows/System32/asepkcs.dll"); pdfSigner.SigningCertificate = storage.Certificates[0]; pdfSigner.Sign(); storage.Close(false);
Property List
The following is the full list of the properties of the class with short descriptions. Click on the links for further details.
CertCount | The number of records in the Cert arrays. |
CertBytes | Returns raw certificate data in DER format. |
CertCA | Indicates whether the certificate has a CA capability (a setting in BasicConstraints extension). |
CertCAKeyID | A unique identifier (fingerprint) of the CA certificate's private key. |
CertCRLDistributionPoints | Locations of the CRL (Certificate Revocation List) distribution points used to check this certificate's validity. |
CertCurve | Specifies the elliptic curve of the EC public key. |
CertFingerprint | Contains the fingerprint (a hash imprint) of this certificate. |
CertFriendlyName | Contains an associated alias (friendly name) of the certificate. |
CertHandle | Allows to get or set a 'handle', a unique identifier of the underlying property object. |
CertHashAlgorithm | Specifies the hash algorithm to be used in the operations on the certificate (such as key signing) SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_SHA1 SHA1 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_SHA224 SHA224 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_SHA256 SHA256 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_SHA384 SHA384 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_SHA512 SHA512 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_MD2 MD2 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_MD4 MD4 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_MD5 MD5 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_RIPEMD160 RIPEMD160 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_CRC32 CRC32 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_SSL3 SSL3 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_GOST_R3411_1994 GOST1994 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_WHIRLPOOL WHIRLPOOL SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_POLY1305 POLY1305 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_SHA3_224 SHA3_224 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_SHA3_256 SHA3_256 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_SHA3_384 SHA3_384 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_SHA3_512 SHA3_512 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_BLAKE2S_128 BLAKE2S_128 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_BLAKE2S_160 BLAKE2S_160 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_BLAKE2S_224 BLAKE2S_224 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_BLAKE2S_256 BLAKE2S_256 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_BLAKE2B_160 BLAKE2B_160 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_BLAKE2B_256 BLAKE2B_256 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_BLAKE2B_384 BLAKE2B_384 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_BLAKE2B_512 BLAKE2B_512 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_SHAKE_128 SHAKE_128 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_SHAKE_256 SHAKE_256 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_SHAKE_128_LEN SHAKE_128_LEN SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_SHAKE_256_LEN SHAKE_256_LEN . |
CertIssuer | The common name of the certificate issuer (CA), typically a company name. |
CertIssuerRDN | A collection of information, in the form of [OID, Value] pairs, uniquely identifying the certificate issuer. |
CertKeyAlgorithm | Specifies the public key algorithm of this certificate. |
CertKeyBits | Returns the length of the public key. |
CertKeyFingerprint | Returns a fingerprint of the public key contained in the certificate. |
CertKeyUsage | Indicates the purposes of the key contained in the certificate, in the form of an OR'ed flag set. |
CertKeyValid | Returns True if the certificate's key is cryptographically valid, and False otherwise. |
CertOCSPLocations | Locations of OCSP (Online Certificate Status Protocol) services that can be used to check this certificate's validity, as recorded by the CA. |
CertOrigin | Returns the origin of this certificate. |
CertPolicyIDs | Contains identifiers (OIDs) of the applicable certificate policies. |
CertPrivateKeyBytes | Contains the certificate's private key. |
CertPrivateKeyExists | Indicates whether the certificate has an associated private key. |
CertPrivateKeyExtractable | Indicates whether the private key is extractable. |
CertPublicKeyBytes | Contains the certificate's public key in DER format. |
CertSelfSigned | Indicates whether the certificate is self-signed (root) or signed by an external CA. |
CertSerialNumber | Returns the certificate's serial number. |
CertSigAlgorithm | Indicates the algorithm that was used by the CA to sign this certificate. |
CertSubject | The common name of the certificate holder, typically an individual's name, a URL, an e-mail address, or a company name. |
CertSubjectKeyID | Contains a unique identifier (fingerprint) of the certificate's private key. |
CertSubjectRDN | A collection of information, in the form of [OID, Value] pairs, uniquely identifying the certificate holder (subject). |
CertValidFrom | The time point at which the certificate becomes valid, in UTC. |
CertValidTo | The time point at which the certificate expires, in UTC. |
Opened | Indicates whether the storage is in the open state. |
PinnedCertBytes | Returns raw certificate data in DER format. |
PinnedCertHandle | Allows to get or set a 'handle', a unique identifier of the underlying property object. |
SelectedCertCount | The number of records in the SelectedCert arrays. |
SelectedCertBytes | Returns raw certificate data in DER format. |
SelectedCertCA | Indicates whether the certificate has a CA capability (a setting in BasicConstraints extension). |
SelectedCertCAKeyID | A unique identifier (fingerprint) of the CA certificate's private key. |
SelectedCertCRLDistributionPoints | Locations of the CRL (Certificate Revocation List) distribution points used to check this certificate's validity. |
SelectedCertCurve | Specifies the elliptic curve of the EC public key. |
SelectedCertFingerprint | Contains the fingerprint (a hash imprint) of this certificate. |
SelectedCertFriendlyName | Contains an associated alias (friendly name) of the certificate. |
SelectedCertHandle | Allows to get or set a 'handle', a unique identifier of the underlying property object. |
SelectedCertHashAlgorithm | Specifies the hash algorithm to be used in the operations on the certificate (such as key signing) SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_SHA1 SHA1 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_SHA224 SHA224 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_SHA256 SHA256 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_SHA384 SHA384 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_SHA512 SHA512 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_MD2 MD2 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_MD4 MD4 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_MD5 MD5 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_RIPEMD160 RIPEMD160 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_CRC32 CRC32 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_SSL3 SSL3 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_GOST_R3411_1994 GOST1994 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_WHIRLPOOL WHIRLPOOL SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_POLY1305 POLY1305 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_SHA3_224 SHA3_224 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_SHA3_256 SHA3_256 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_SHA3_384 SHA3_384 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_SHA3_512 SHA3_512 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_BLAKE2S_128 BLAKE2S_128 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_BLAKE2S_160 BLAKE2S_160 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_BLAKE2S_224 BLAKE2S_224 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_BLAKE2S_256 BLAKE2S_256 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_BLAKE2B_160 BLAKE2B_160 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_BLAKE2B_256 BLAKE2B_256 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_BLAKE2B_384 BLAKE2B_384 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_BLAKE2B_512 BLAKE2B_512 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_SHAKE_128 SHAKE_128 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_SHAKE_256 SHAKE_256 SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_SHAKE_128_LEN SHAKE_128_LEN SB_HASH_ALGORITHM_SHAKE_256_LEN SHAKE_256_LEN . |
SelectedCertIssuer | The common name of the certificate issuer (CA), typically a company name. |
SelectedCertIssuerRDN | A collection of information, in the form of [OID, Value] pairs, uniquely identifying the certificate issuer. |
SelectedCertKeyAlgorithm | Specifies the public key algorithm of this certificate. |
SelectedCertKeyBits | Returns the length of the public key. |
SelectedCertKeyFingerprint | Returns a fingerprint of the public key contained in the certificate. |
SelectedCertKeyUsage | Indicates the purposes of the key contained in the certificate, in the form of an OR'ed flag set. |
SelectedCertKeyValid | Returns True if the certificate's key is cryptographically valid, and False otherwise. |
SelectedCertOCSPLocations | Locations of OCSP (Online Certificate Status Protocol) services that can be used to check this certificate's validity, as recorded by the CA. |
SelectedCertOrigin | Returns the origin of this certificate. |
SelectedCertPolicyIDs | Contains identifiers (OIDs) of the applicable certificate policies. |
SelectedCertPrivateKeyBytes | Contains the certificate's private key. |
SelectedCertPrivateKeyExists | Indicates whether the certificate has an associated private key. |
SelectedCertPrivateKeyExtractable | Indicates whether the private key is extractable. |
SelectedCertPublicKeyBytes | Contains the certificate's public key in DER format. |
SelectedCertSelfSigned | Indicates whether the certificate is self-signed (root) or signed by an external CA. |
SelectedCertSerialNumber | Returns the certificate's serial number. |
SelectedCertSigAlgorithm | Indicates the algorithm that was used by the CA to sign this certificate. |
SelectedCertSubject | The common name of the certificate holder, typically an individual's name, a URL, an e-mail address, or a company name. |
SelectedCertSubjectKeyID | Contains a unique identifier (fingerprint) of the certificate's private key. |
SelectedCertSubjectRDN | A collection of information, in the form of [OID, Value] pairs, uniquely identifying the certificate holder (subject). |
SelectedCertValidFrom | The time point at which the certificate becomes valid, in UTC. |
SelectedCertValidTo | The time point at which the certificate expires, in UTC. |
StorageID | A unique identifier of this storage. |
StorageLocation | Specifies the location of the currently opened storage. |
Method List
The following is the full list of the methods of the class with short descriptions. Click on the links for further details.
Add | Adds a certificate to the storage. |
AddFromFile | Adds a certificate to the storage. |
AddPinned | Adds the pinned certificate to the storage. |
Clear | Removes all certificates from the storage. |
Close | Closes the certificate storage. |
Config | Sets or retrieves a configuration setting. |
CreateNew | Creates a new storage. |
Open | Opens existing storage or creates one in memory. |
Refresh | Refreshes all storage keychains. |
Remove | Removes a certificate from the storage. |
Select | Allows the selection of certificates from the system store. |
SelectChain | Selects a chain of certificates given its index. |
Event List
The following is the full list of the events fired by the class with short descriptions. Click on the links for further details.
Error | Information about errors during certificate loading or saving. |
Notification | This event notifies the application about an underlying control flow event. |
PasswordNeeded | This event is fired when a decryption password is needed. |
Configuration Settings
The following is a list of configuration settings for the class with short descriptions. Click on the links for further details.
AuthAttempts | The number of auth/login attempts to try. |
PKCS11ActiveSlot | The index of the slot that the class is working with. |
PKCS11NewPIN | Changes the current user's PIN. |
PKCS11NewUserPIN | Registers a new user PIN. |
PKCS11PIN | Sets the operation PIN. |
PKCS11SlotCount | The number of slots exposed in the storage. |
PKCS11SlotDescription[i] | A human-readable description of the slot. |
PKCS11SlotLoggedIn[i] | Whether slot i has an active session associated with it. |
PKCS11SlotPinNeeded[i] | Whether slot i requires you to provide a PIN to log in or sign. |
PKCS11SlotReadOnly[i] | Whether slot i only supports read-only access. |
PKCS11SlotTokenLabel[i] | The label assigned to the token. |
PKCS11SlotTokenModel[i] | The token model. |
PKCS11SlotTokenPresent[i] | Indicates whether there is a token in the slot. |
PKCS11SlotTokenSerial[i] | The serial number of the token. |
PKCS11SlotTokenVendorID[i] | The manufacturer ID of the inserted token. |
PKCS11SlotVendorID[i] | Returns the manufacturer ID of the slot. |
TempPath | Path for storing temporary files. |