JWS Control

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Create, Sign and Verify JSON Web Signatures (JWS).

Syntax

JWS

Remarks

The JWS control supports signing and verifying JSON Web Signatures (JWS).

Specify any payload via input properties and use Sign to create a JWS message using a variety of algorithms including HMAC, RSA, and ECDSA. Use Verify to verify the signature of any received JWS message. The following algorithms are supported:

• HS256
• HS384
• HS512
• RS256
• RS384
• RS512
• PS256
• PS384
• PS512
• ES256
• ES384
• ES512
• None

See Algorithm for more details about supported algorithms.

Signing

The Sign method may be used to sign a payload with a variety of algorithms. Before calling the Sign method set Algorithm to the algorithm which will be used to sign the message. The result of signing is a compact serialized JWS string. For instance:

eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.dGVzdA.o_JihJlCwvBO1AgY_Ao3_VBivdFmj3ufv3ZWAqYF4Ow

The control is agnostic of the payload that is signed. Any value may be signed. KeyId may be set to include an identifier to help the receiving party identify the key used to sign the message. The following properties are applicable when calling this method:

• Algorithm (required)
• Certificate (conditional - required for ECDSA and RSA)
• Key (conditional - required for HMAC)
• HeaderParams
• KeyId
• Overwrite

Input and Output Properties

The control will determine the source and destination of the input and output based on which properties are set.

The order in which the input properties are checked is as follows:

• InputFile
• InputMessage

When a valid source is found, the search stops. The order in which the output properties are checked is as follows:

• OutputFile
• OutputMessage: The output data is written to this property if no other destination is specified.

Notes for HMAC Algorithms (HS256, HS384, HS512)

When Algorithm is set to a HMAC algorithm Key must be set to a key of appropriate length for the algorithm. The Key should be the same number of bits as the algorithm being used. For instance a 256 bit key would be used for HS256.

The example code below uses the EzRand control to generate a key, but the key may be created using any means. The key must be known by both parties in order for signing and verification to take place.

//Generate a 256 bit (32 byte) key Ezrand ezrand = new Ezrand(); ezrand.RandBytesLength = 32; ezrand.GetNextBytes(); byte[] key = ezrand.RandBytesB; //Sign the payload using HS256 Jws jws = new Jws(); jws.Algorithm = JwsAlgorithms.jwsHS256; jws.InputMessage = "test data"; jws.KeyB = key; jws.Sign(); string signedData = jws.OutputMessage;

To use an existing HMAC key provide the bytes to the Key property. For instance:

//HMAC SHA-256 Key byte[] key = new byte[] { 170, 171, 221, 209, 7, 181, 48, 178, 48, 118, 242, 132, 36, 218, 74, 140, 216, 165, 161, 70, 11, 42, 246, 205, 235, 231, 19, 48, 87, 141, 122, 10 }; //Sign the payload using HS256 Jws jws = new Jws(); jws.Algorithm = JwsAlgorithms.jwsHS256; jws.InputMessage = "test data"; jws.KeyB = key; jws.Sign(); string signedData = jws.OutputMessage;

Notes for RSA Algorithms (RS256, RS384, RS512, PS256, PS384, PS512)

The RSA based algorithms use asymmetric encryption. Signing is done with a private key and verification is done with a public key. The private key may be in PFX or PEM format.

Jws jws = new Jws(); jws.Algorithm = JwsAlgorithms.jwsRS256; jws.Certificate = new Certificate(CertStoreTypes.cstPFXFile, "..\\jwt.pfx", "test", "*"); jws.InputMessage = "test"; jws.Sign(); string signedMessage = jws.OutputMessage;

Notes for ECDSA Algorithms (ES256, ES384, ES512)

ECDSA algorithms require a valid ECC private key to sign. The ECC control can be used to create or import an ECC key into the Certificate format accepted by the JWS control.

//Create an ECC key with SHA-256 Ecc ecc = new Ecc(); ecc.HashAlgorithm = EccHashAlgorithms.ehaSHA256; ecc.CreateKey(); string privKey = ecc.Key.PrivateKey; //Sign the payload using ES256 Jws jws = new Jws(); jws.Algorithm = JwsAlgorithms.jwsES256; jws.Certificate = new Certificate(CertStoreTypes.cstPEMKeyBlob, privKey, "", "*"); jws.InputMessage = "test"; jws.Sign(); string signedMessage = jws.OutputMessage;

To use an existing ECC Key populate the Rx, Ry, and K values of Key property in the ECC control first. For instance:

//Import an existing ECC private key Ecc ecc = new Ecc(); byte[] x_bytes = new byte[] { 171, 170, 196, 151, 94, 196, 231, 12, 128, 232, 17, 61, 45, 105, 41, 209, 192, 187, 112, 242, 110, 178, 95, 240, 36, 55, 83, 171, 190, 176, 78, 13 }; byte[] y_bytes = new byte[] { 197, 75, 134, 245, 245, 28, 199, 9, 7, 117, 1, 54, 49, 178, 135, 252, 62, 89, 35, 180, 117, 80, 231, 23, 110, 250, 28, 124, 219, 253, 224, 156 }; byte[] k_bytes = new byte[] { 81, 65, 201, 24, 235, 249, 162, 148, 169, 150, 109, 181, 61, 238, 145, 122, 31, 30, 151, 94, 239, 90, 222, 217, 63, 103, 54, 2, 176, 232, 248, 168 }; ecc.Key.RxB = x_bytes; ecc.Key.RyB = y_bytes; ecc.Key.KB = k_bytes; string privKey = ecc.Key.PrivateKey; //Sign the payload using ES256 Jws jws = new Jws(); jws.Algorithm = JwsAlgorithms.jwsES256; jws.Certificate = new Certificate(CertStoreTypes.cstPEMKeyBlob, privKey, "", "*"); jws.InputMessage = "test"; jws.Sign(); string signedMessage = jws.OutputMessage;

Notes for Unsecured (none)

To create a JWS token without any security set Algorithm to jwsNone.

Jws jws = new Jws(); jws.Algorithm = JwsAlgorithms.jwsNone; jws.InputMessage = "test"; jws.Sign(); string unsecuredMessage = jws.OutputMessage;

Signature Verification

The Verify method may be used to verify a received JWS message. Before calling the Verify method set InputMessage or InputFile to a valid compact serialized JWS string. For instance:

eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.dGVzdA.o_JihJlCwvBO1AgY_Ao3_VBivdFmj3ufv3ZWAqYF4Ow

Key or Certificate should be set to the HMAC key or public certificate respectively. If the correct Key or Certificate is not known ahead of time the KeyId parameter of the SignerInfo event may be used to identify the correct key.

If this method returns without error verification was successful. If verification fails then this method fails with an error. After calling this method the payload will be present in the OutputMessage or file specified by OutputFile and the HeaderParams property will contain the headers. Headers of the parsed message are also available through the HeaderParam event.

The following properties are applicable when calling this method:

• Key (conditional - required for HMAC)
• Certificate (conditional - required for ECDSA and RSA)
• Algorithm (only if StrictValidation is True)
• Overwrite
• StrictValidation

Input and Output Properties

The control will determine the source and destination of the input and output based on which properties are set.

The order in which the input properties are checked is as follows:

• InputFile
• InputMessage

When a valid source is found, the search stops. The order in which the output properties are checked is as follows:

• OutputFile
• OutputMessage: The output data is written to this property if no other destination is specified.

Notes for HMAC Algorithms (HS256, HS384, HS512)

When verifying a message originally signed with a HMAC algorithm Key must be set to the same key used during signing. The key must be known by both parties in order for signing and verification to take place.

byte[] key = new byte[] { 170, 171, 221, 209, 7, 181, 48, 178, 48, 118, 242, 132, 36, 218, 74, 140, 216, 165, 161, 70, 11, 42, 246, 205, 235, 231, 19, 48, 87, 141, 122, 10 }; Jws jws = new Jws(); jws.KeyB = key; jws.InputMessage = signedData; jws.Verify(); string verifiedPayload = jws.OutputMessage;

Notes for RSA Algorithms (RS256, RS384, RS512, PS256, PS384, PS512)

The RSA based algorithms use asymmetric encryption. Signing is done with a private key and verification is done with a public key. The public key is typically in PEM format.

Jws jws = new Jws(); jws.Certificate = new Certificate("..\\jwt.cer"); jws.InputMessage = signedData; jws.Verify(); string verifiedPayload = jws.OutputMessage;

Notes for ECDSA Algorithms (ES256, ES384, ES512)

ECDSA algorithms require a valid ECC public key to verify the message. If the key was originally created with the ECC control the PEM encoded PublicKey may be used directly with the Certificate property. An example PEM encoded public certificate created by the ECC control:

-----BEGIN PUBLIC KEY-----
MIIBMjCB7AYHKoZIzj0CATCB4AIBATAsBgcqhkjOPQEBAiEA/////wAAAAEAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAD///////////////8wRAQg/////wAAAAEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD///////////////wEIFrG
NdiqOpPns+u9VXaYhrxlHQawzFOw9jvOPD4n0mBLBEEEaxfR8uEsQkf4vOblY6RA8ncDfYEt
6zOg9KE5RdiYwpZP40Li/hp/m47n60p8D54WK84zV2sxXs7LtkBoN79R9QIhAP////8AAAAA
//////////+85vqtpxeehPO5ysL8YyVRAgEBA0EEIC5rbLp11Mnz6cBXLLriaDIov3rm8RAY
x/OR0bOKiff0cQy+sLVaxjseqFk/+Xvl4ORSv5Z6HdHv5GyEpA0UoA==
-----END PUBLIC KEY-----

Jws jws = new Jws(); jws.Certificate = new Certificate(CertStoreTypes.cstPublicKeyFile, pubKey, "", "*"); jws.InputMessage = signedData; jws.Verify(); string verifiedPayload = jws.OutputMessage;

To use an ECC public key created by other means the ECC control may be used to import the key parameters. Populate the Rx and Ry of the ECC control first to obtain the PEM formatted public key. For instance:

//Import an existing ECC public key Ecc ecc = new Ecc(); byte[] x_bytes = new byte[] { 171, 170, 196, 151, 94, 196, 231, 12, 128, 232, 17, 61, 45, 105, 41, 209, 192, 187, 112, 242, 110, 178, 95, 240, 36, 55, 83, 171, 190, 176, 78, 13 }; byte[] y_bytes = new byte[] { 197, 75, 134, 245, 245, 28, 199, 9, 7, 117, 1, 54, 49, 178, 135, 252, 62, 89, 35, 180, 117, 80, 231, 23, 110, 250, 28, 124, 219, 253, 224, 156 }; ecc.Key.RxB = x_bytes; ecc.Key.RyB = y_bytes; string pubKey = ecc.Key.PublicKey; Jws jws = new Jws(); jws.Certificate = new Certificate(CertStoreTypes.cstPublicKeyFile, pubKey, "", "*"); jws.InputMessage = signedData; jws.Verify(); string verifiedPayload = jws.OutputMessage;

Notes for Unsecured (none)

To parse a JWS token without any security call the Sign method without setting Key or Certificate.

Jws jws = new Jws(); jws.InputMessage = signedData; jws.Verify(); string unsecuredPayload = jws.OutputMessage;

Other Functionality

In addition to standard signing and verifying the control also supports a variety of other features including:

• Adding custom header parameters with AddHeaderParam
• Enforcing algorithm restrictions when verifying by setting StrictValidation
• Inspect the JWS without verifying by calling Parse

Property List

The following is the full list of the properties of the control with short descriptions. Click on the links for further details.

Method List

The following is the full list of the methods of the control with short descriptions. Click on the links for further details.

Event List

The following is the full list of the events fired by the control with short descriptions. Click on the links for further details.

Config Settings

The following is a list of config settings for the control with short descriptions. Click on the links for further details.

Algorithm Property (JWS Control)

The algorithm used when signing.

Syntax

jwscontrol.Algorithm[=integer]

Possible Values

jwsHS256(0), 
jwsHS384(1), 
jwsHS512(2), 
jwsRS256(3), 
jwsRS384(4), 
jwsRS512(5), 
jwsES256(6), 
jwsES384(7), 
jwsES512(8), 
jwsPS256(9), 
jwsPS384(10), 
jwsPS512(11), 
jwsES256K(12), 
jwsNone(99)

Default Value

0

Remarks

This property specifies the algorithm to use when signing.

When signing with an HMAC algorithm Key must be specified. When an RSA or ECDSA algorithm is selected Certificate must be set before calling Sign and Certificate must be set before calling Verify. The following values are supported:

Note: This setting is also applicable when StrictValidation is enabled before calling Verify.

Data Type

Integer

CertEffectiveDate Property (JWS Control)

The date on which this certificate becomes valid.

Syntax

jwscontrol.CertEffectiveDate

Default Value

""

Remarks

The date on which this certificate becomes valid. Before this date, it is not valid. The date is localized to the system's time zone. The following example illustrates the format of an encoded date:

23-Jan-2000 15:00:00.

This property is read-only.

Data Type

String

CertExpirationDate Property (JWS Control)

The date on which the certificate expires.

Syntax

jwscontrol.CertExpirationDate

Default Value

""

Remarks

The date on which the certificate expires. After this date, the certificate will no longer be valid. The date is localized to the system's time zone. The following example illustrates the format of an encoded date:

23-Jan-2001 15:00:00.

This property is read-only.

Data Type

String

CertExtendedKeyUsage Property (JWS Control)

A comma-delimited list of extended key usage identifiers.

Syntax

jwscontrol.CertExtendedKeyUsage

Default Value

""

Remarks

A comma-delimited list of extended key usage identifiers. These are the same as ASN.1 object identifiers (OIDs).

This property is read-only.

Data Type

String

CertFingerprint Property (JWS Control)

The hex-encoded, 16-byte MD5 fingerprint of the certificate.

Syntax

jwscontrol.CertFingerprint

Default Value

""

Remarks

The hex-encoded, 16-byte MD5 fingerprint of the certificate. This property is primarily used for keys which do not have a corresponding X.509 public certificate, such as PEM keys that only contain a private key. It is commonly used for SSH keys.

The following example illustrates the format: bc:2a:72:af:fe:58:17:43:7a:5f:ba:5a:7c:90:f7:02

This property is read-only.

Data Type

String

CertFingerprintSHA1 Property (JWS Control)

The hex-encoded, 20-byte SHA-1 fingerprint of the certificate.

Syntax

jwscontrol.CertFingerprintSHA1

Default Value

""

Remarks

The hex-encoded, 20-byte SHA-1 fingerprint of the certificate. This property is primarily used for keys which do not have a corresponding X.509 public certificate, such as PEM keys that only contain a private key. It is commonly used for SSH keys.

The following example illustrates the format: 30:7b:fa:38:65:83:ff:da:b4:4e:07:3f:17:b8:a4:ed:80:be:ff:84

This property is read-only.

Data Type

String

CertFingerprintSHA256 Property (JWS Control)

The hex-encoded, 32-byte SHA-256 fingerprint of the certificate.

Syntax

jwscontrol.CertFingerprintSHA256

Default Value

""

Remarks

The hex-encoded, 32-byte SHA-256 fingerprint of the certificate. This property is primarily used for keys which do not have a corresponding X.509 public certificate, such as PEM keys that only contain a private key. It is commonly used for SSH keys.

The following example illustrates the format: 6a:80:5c:33:a9:43:ea:b0:96:12:8a:64:96:30:ef:4a:8a:96:86:ce:f4:c7:be:10:24:8e:2b:60:9e:f3:59:53

This property is read-only.

Data Type

String

CertIssuer Property (JWS Control)

The issuer of the certificate.

Syntax

jwscontrol.CertIssuer

Default Value

""

Remarks

The issuer of the certificate. This property contains a string representation of the name of the issuing authority for the certificate.

This property is read-only.

Data Type

String

CertPrivateKey Property (JWS Control)

The private key of the certificate (if available).

Syntax

jwscontrol.CertPrivateKey

Default Value

""

Remarks

The private key of the certificate (if available). The key is provided as PEM/Base64-encoded data.

Note: The CertPrivateKey may be available but not exportable. In this case, CertPrivateKey returns an empty string.

This property is read-only.

Data Type

String

CertPrivateKeyAvailable Property (JWS Control)

Whether a PrivateKey is available for the selected certificate.

Syntax

jwscontrol.CertPrivateKeyAvailable

Default Value

False

Remarks

Whether a CertPrivateKey is available for the selected certificate. If CertPrivateKeyAvailable is True, the certificate may be used for authentication purposes (e.g., server authentication).

This property is read-only.

Data Type

Boolean

CertPrivateKeyContainer Property (JWS Control)

The name of the PrivateKey container for the certificate (if available).

Syntax

jwscontrol.CertPrivateKeyContainer

Default Value

""

Remarks

The name of the CertPrivateKey container for the certificate (if available). This functionality is available only on Windows platforms.

This property is read-only.

Data Type

String

CertPublicKey Property (JWS Control)

The public key of the certificate.

Syntax

jwscontrol.CertPublicKey

Default Value

""

Remarks

The public key of the certificate. The key is provided as PEM/Base64-encoded data.

This property is read-only.

Data Type

String

CertPublicKeyAlgorithm Property (JWS Control)

The textual description of the certificate's public key algorithm.

Syntax

jwscontrol.CertPublicKeyAlgorithm

Default Value

""

Remarks

The textual description of the certificate's public key algorithm. The property contains either the name of the algorithm (e.g., "RSA" or "RSA_DH") or an object identifier (OID) string representing the algorithm.

This property is read-only.

Data Type

String

CertPublicKeyLength Property (JWS Control)

The length of the certificate's public key (in bits).

Syntax

jwscontrol.CertPublicKeyLength

Default Value

0

Remarks

The length of the certificate's public key (in bits). Common values are 512, 1024, and 2048.

This property is read-only.

Data Type

Integer

CertSerialNumber Property (JWS Control)

The serial number of the certificate encoded as a string.

Syntax

jwscontrol.CertSerialNumber

Default Value

""

Remarks

The serial number of the certificate encoded as a string. The number is encoded as a series of hexadecimal digits, with each pair representing a byte of the serial number.

This property is read-only.

Data Type

String

CertSignatureAlgorithm Property (JWS Control)

The text description of the certificate's signature algorithm.

Syntax

jwscontrol.CertSignatureAlgorithm

Default Value

""

Remarks

The text description of the certificate's signature algorithm. The property contains either the name of the algorithm (e.g., "RSA" or "RSA_MD5RSA") or an object identifier (OID) string representing the algorithm.

This property is read-only.

Data Type

String

CertStore Property (JWS Control)

The name of the certificate store for the client certificate.

Syntax

jwscontrol.CertStore[=string]

Default Value

"MY"

Remarks

The name of the certificate store for the client certificate.

The CertStoreType property denotes the type of the certificate store specified by CertStore. If the store is password-protected, specify the password in CertStorePassword.

CertStore is used in conjunction with the CertSubject property to specify client certificates. If CertStore has a value, and CertSubject or CertEncoded is set, a search for a certificate is initiated. Please see the CertSubject property for details.

Designations of certificate stores are platform dependent.

The following designations are the most common User and Machine certificate stores in Windows:

When the certificate store type is cstPFXFile, this property must be set to the name of the file. When the type is cstPFXBlob, the property must be set to the binary contents of a PFX file (i.e., PKCS#12 certificate store).

To read or write binary data to the property, a Variant (Byte Array) version is provided in .CertStoreB.

Data Type

Binary String

CertStorePassword Property (JWS Control)

If the type of certificate store requires a password, this property is used to specify the password needed to open the certificate store.

Syntax

jwscontrol.CertStorePassword[=string]

Default Value

""

Remarks

If the type of certificate store requires a password, this property is used to specify the password needed to open the certificate store.

Data Type

String

CertStoreType Property (JWS Control)

The type of certificate store for this certificate.

Syntax

jwscontrol.CertStoreType[=integer]

Possible Values

cstUser(0), 
cstMachine(1), 
cstPFXFile(2), 
cstPFXBlob(3), 
cstJKSFile(4), 
cstJKSBlob(5), 
cstPEMKeyFile(6), 
cstPEMKeyBlob(7), 
cstPublicKeyFile(8), 
cstPublicKeyBlob(9), 
cstSSHPublicKeyBlob(10), 
cstP7BFile(11), 
cstP7BBlob(12), 
cstSSHPublicKeyFile(13), 
cstPPKFile(14), 
cstPPKBlob(15), 
cstXMLFile(16), 
cstXMLBlob(17), 
cstJWKFile(18), 
cstJWKBlob(19), 
cstSecurityKey(20), 
cstBCFKSFile(21), 
cstBCFKSBlob(22), 
cstPKCS11(23), 
cstAuto(99)

Default Value

0

Remarks

The type of certificate store for this certificate.

The control supports both public and private keys in a variety of formats. When the cstAuto value is used, the control will automatically determine the type. This property can take one of the following values:

Data Type

Integer

CertSubjectAltNames Property (JWS Control)

Comma-separated lists of alternative subject names for the certificate.

Syntax

jwscontrol.CertSubjectAltNames

Default Value

""

Remarks

Comma-separated lists of alternative subject names for the certificate.

This property is read-only.

Data Type

String

CertThumbprintMD5 Property (JWS Control)

The MD5 hash of the certificate.

Syntax

jwscontrol.CertThumbprintMD5

Default Value

""

Remarks

The MD5 hash of the certificate. It is primarily used for X.509 certificates. If the hash does not already exist, it is automatically computed.

This property is read-only.

Data Type

String

CertThumbprintSHA1 Property (JWS Control)

The SHA-1 hash of the certificate.

Syntax

jwscontrol.CertThumbprintSHA1

Default Value

""

Remarks

The SHA-1 hash of the certificate. It is primarily used for X.509 certificates. If the hash does not already exist, it is automatically computed.

This property is read-only.

Data Type

String

CertThumbprintSHA256 Property (JWS Control)

The SHA-256 hash of the certificate.

Syntax

jwscontrol.CertThumbprintSHA256

Default Value

""

Remarks

The SHA-256 hash of the certificate. It is primarily used for X.509 certificates. If the hash does not already exist, it is automatically computed.

This property is read-only.

Data Type

String

CertUsage Property (JWS Control)

The text description of UsageFlags .

Syntax

jwscontrol.CertUsage

Default Value

""

Remarks

The text description of CertUsageFlags.

This value will be one or more of the following strings and will be separated by commas:

• Digital Signature
• Non-Repudiation
• Key Encipherment
• Data Encipherment
• Key Agreement
• Certificate Signing
• CRL Signing
• Encipher Only

If the provider is OpenSSL, the value is a comma-separated list of X.509 certificate extension names.

This property is read-only.

Data Type

String

CertUsageFlags Property (JWS Control)

The flags that show intended use for the certificate.

Syntax

jwscontrol.CertUsageFlags

Default Value

0

Remarks

The flags that show intended use for the certificate. The value of CertUsageFlags is a combination of the following flags:

Please see the CertUsage property for a text representation of CertUsageFlags.

This functionality currently is not available when the provider is OpenSSL.

This property is read-only.

Data Type

Integer

CertVersion Property (JWS Control)

The certificate's version number.

Syntax

jwscontrol.CertVersion

Default Value

""

Remarks

The certificate's version number. The possible values are the strings "V1", "V2", and "V3".

This property is read-only.

Data Type

String

CertSubject Property (JWS Control)

The subject of the certificate used for client authentication.

Syntax

jwscontrol.CertSubject[=string]

Default Value

""

Remarks

The subject of the certificate used for client authentication.

This property must be set after all other certificate properties are set. When this property is set, a search is performed in the current certificate store to locate a certificate with a matching subject.

If a matching certificate is found, the property is set to the full subject of the matching certificate.

If an exact match is not found, the store is searched for subjects containing the value of the property.

If a match is still not found, the property is set to an empty string, and no certificate is selected.

The special value "*" picks a random certificate in the certificate store.

The certificate subject is a comma-separated list of distinguished name fields and values. For instance, "CN=www.server.com, OU=test, C=US, E=support@nsoftware.com". Common fields and their meanings are as follows:

If a field value contains a comma, it must be quoted.

Data Type

String

CertEncoded Property (JWS Control)

The certificate (PEM/Base64 encoded).

Syntax

jwscontrol.CertEncoded[=string]

Default Value

""

Remarks

The certificate (PEM/Base64 encoded). This property is used to assign a specific certificate. The CertStore and CertSubject properties also may be used to specify a certificate.

When CertEncoded is set, a search is initiated in the current CertStore for the private key of the certificate. If the key is found, CertSubject is updated to reflect the full subject of the selected certificate; otherwise, CertSubject is set to an empty string.

To read or write binary data to the property, a Variant (Byte Array) version is provided in .CertEncodedB.

This property is not available at design time.

Data Type

Binary String

HeaderParamCount Property (JWS Control)

The number of records in the HeaderParam arrays.

Syntax

jwscontrol.HeaderParamCount[=integer]

Default Value

0

Remarks

This property controls the size of the following arrays:

• HeaderParamDataType
• HeaderParamName
• HeaderParamValue

The array indices start at 0 and end at HeaderParamCount - 1.

This property is not available at design time.

Data Type

Integer

HeaderParamDataType Property (JWS Control)

The data type of the header parameter.

Syntax

jwscontrol.HeaderParamDataType(HeaderParamIndex)[=integer]

Possible Values

dtObject(0), 
dtArray(1), 
dtString(2), 
dtNumber(3), 
dtBool(4), 
dtNull(5)

Default Value

2

Remarks

The data type of the header parameter.

This property specifies the JSON type of the header parameter value. Possible values are:

• 0 (Object)
• 1 (Array)
• 2 (String)
• 3 (Number)
• 4 (Bool)
• 5 (Null)

The HeaderParamIndex parameter specifies the index of the item in the array. The size of the array is controlled by the HeaderParamCount property.

This property is not available at design time.

Data Type

Integer

HeaderParamName Property (JWS Control)

The header parameter name.

Syntax

jwscontrol.HeaderParamName(HeaderParamIndex)[=string]

Default Value

""

Remarks

The header parameter name.

The HeaderParamIndex parameter specifies the index of the item in the array. The size of the array is controlled by the HeaderParamCount property.

This property is not available at design time.

Data Type

String

HeaderParamValue Property (JWS Control)

The header parameter value.

Syntax

jwscontrol.HeaderParamValue(HeaderParamIndex)[=string]

Default Value

""

Remarks

The header parameter value.

The HeaderParamIndex parameter specifies the index of the item in the array. The size of the array is controlled by the HeaderParamCount property.

This property is not available at design time.

Data Type

String

InputFile Property (JWS Control)

The file to process.

Syntax

jwscontrol.InputFile[=string]

Default Value

""

Remarks

This property specifies the file to be processed. Set this property to the full or relative path to the file which will be processed.

Input and Output Properties

The control will determine the source and destination of the input and output based on which properties are set.

The order in which the input properties are checked is as follows:

• InputFile
• InputMessage

When a valid source is found, the search stops. The order in which the output properties are checked is as follows:

• OutputFile
• OutputMessage: The output data is written to this property if no other destination is specified.

Data Type

String

InputMessage Property (JWS Control)

The message to process.

Syntax

jwscontrol.InputMessage[=string]

Default Value

""

Remarks

This property specifies the message to be processed.

Input and Output Properties

The control will determine the source and destination of the input and output based on which properties are set.

The order in which the input properties are checked is as follows:

• InputFile
• InputMessage

When a valid source is found, the search stops. The order in which the output properties are checked is as follows:

• OutputFile
• OutputMessage: The output data is written to this property if no other destination is specified.

To read or write binary data to the property, a Variant (Byte Array) version is provided in .InputMessageB.

Data Type

Binary String

Key Property (JWS Control)

The secret key for the hash algorithm.

Syntax

jwscontrol.Key[=string]

Default Value

""

Remarks

This property holds the secret key used when creating the hash. The key can be arbitrarily long.

Note: This property is only applicable when Algorithm is set to an HMAC algorithm.

It is recommended that the length of the key be equal to or larger than the hash size of the algorithm. Use of keys shorter than the hash size is discouraged.

Sizes (in bytes)

Key Length Details

As mentioned above it is recommended to use a key size equal to the hash size. Use of keys larger than the hash size does not typically significantly increase the function strength. Keys of any length are technically valid however see the below processing rules to understand how keys of varying lengths are treated:

• If the key length is equal to the hash size (recommended) it is used without modification.
• If the key length is less than the hash size it is used without modification.
• If the key length is less than or equal to the block size it is used without modification.
• If the key length is larger than the block size is it first hashed with the same algorithm.

To read or write binary data to the property, a Variant (Byte Array) version is provided in .KeyB.

Data Type

Binary String

KeyId Property (JWS Control)

The Id of the key used to sign the message.

Syntax

jwscontrol.KeyId[=string]

Default Value

""

Remarks

This property optionally specifies the Id of the key used to sign the message.

Any string value may be supplied here to help the other party identify the key used to sign the message. This may be set before calling the Sign method.

Data Type

String

OutputFile Property (JWS Control)

The output file when encrypting or decrypting.

Syntax

jwscontrol.OutputFile[=string]

Default Value

""

Remarks

This property specifies the file to which the output will be written when Encrypt or Decrypt is called. This may be set to an absolute or relative path.

This property is only applicable to Encrypt and Decrypt.

Input and Output Properties

The control will determine the source and destination of the input and output based on which properties are set.

The order in which the input properties are checked is as follows:

• InputFile
• InputMessage

When a valid source is found, the search stops. The order in which the output properties are checked is as follows:

• OutputFile
• OutputMessage: The output data is written to this property if no other destination is specified.

Data Type

String

OutputMessage Property (JWS Control)

The output message after processing.

Syntax

jwscontrol.OutputMessage

Default Value

""

Remarks

This property will be populated with the output from the operation if OutputFile is not set.

Input and Output Properties

The control will determine the source and destination of the input and output based on which properties are set.

The order in which the input properties are checked is as follows:

• InputFile
• InputMessage

When a valid source is found, the search stops. The order in which the output properties are checked is as follows:

• OutputFile
• OutputMessage: The output data is written to this property if no other destination is specified.

To read or write binary data to the property, a Variant (Byte Array) version is provided in .OutputMessageB.

This property is read-only and not available at design time.

Data Type

Binary String

Overwrite Property (JWS Control)

Indicates whether or not the control should overwrite files.

Syntax

jwscontrol.Overwrite[=boolean]

Default Value

False

Remarks

This property indicates whether or not the control will overwrite OutputFile. If Overwrite is False, an error will be thrown whenever OutputFile exists before an operation. The default value is False.

Data Type

Boolean

AddHeaderParam Method (JWS Control)

Adds additional header parameters.

Syntax

jwscontrol.AddHeaderParam name, value, dataType

Remarks

This method is used to add additional header parameters before calling Sign.

The Name and Value parameters define the name and value of the parameter respectively. The DataType parameter specifies the JSON data type of the value. Possible values for DataType are:

• 0 (Object)
• 1 (Array)
• 2 (String)
• 3 (Number)
• 4 (Bool)
• 5 (Null)

{
  "alg": "HS512",
  "crit": [
    "exp"
  ],
  "exp": 12345687,
  "kid": "myKeyId",
  "type": "JWT"
}

The following code can be used:

jws.Algorithm = JwsAlgorithms.jwsHS512; jws.KeyId = "myKeyId"; jws.KeyB = key; jws.AddHeaderParam("type", "JWT", 2); jws.AddHeaderParam("crit", "[\"exp\"]", 1); jws.AddHeaderParam("exp", "12345687", 3); jws.InputMessage = "test"; jws.Sign(); string signedData = jws.OutputMessage;

Note: when calling Sign the control will automatically add some headers based on properties that are set.

Parameters Automatically Set:

Config Method (JWS Control)

Sets or retrieves a configuration setting.

Syntax

jwscontrol.Config ConfigurationString

Remarks

Config is a generic method available in every control. It is used to set and retrieve configuration settings for the control.

These settings are similar in functionality to properties, but they are rarely used. In order to avoid "polluting" the property namespace of the control, access to these internal properties is provided through the Config method.

To set a configuration setting named PROPERTY, you must call Config("PROPERTY=VALUE"), where VALUE is the value of the setting expressed as a string. For boolean values, use the strings "True", "False", "0", "1", "Yes", or "No" (case does not matter).

To read (query) the value of a configuration setting, you must call Config("PROPERTY"). The value will be returned as a string.

Parse Method (JWS Control)

Parses the compact serialized JWS string.

Syntax

jwscontrol.Parse 

Remarks

This method parses, but does not verify, the JWS string.

Take care when using this method as no signature verification is performed. This method may be helpful in cases where information about the signature is contained within the payload, or for any other reason where the signature is not important.

If verification is desired, use Verify instead. It is not necessary to call this method before calling Verify. Verify will both parse and verify the message.

When calling this method the headers and payload are parsed. The HeaderParam and SignerInfo events will fire and the HeaderParams property will be populated. The payload will be written to the specified output location.

Input and Output Properties

The control will determine the source and destination of the input and output based on which properties are set.

The order in which the input properties are checked is as follows:

• InputFile
• InputMessage

When a valid source is found, the search stops. The order in which the output properties are checked is as follows:

• OutputFile
• OutputMessage: The output data is written to this property if no other destination is specified.

Reset Method (JWS Control)

Resets the control.

Syntax

jwscontrol.Reset 

Remarks

When called, the control will reset all of its properties to their default values.

Sign Method (JWS Control)

Signs the payload with the specified algorithm.

Syntax

jwscontrol.Sign 

Remarks

This method signs the input with the specified Algorithm.

Before calling the Sign method set Algorithm to the algorithm which will be used to sign the message. The result of signing is a compact serialized JWS string. For instance:

eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.dGVzdA.o_JihJlCwvBO1AgY_Ao3_VBivdFmj3ufv3ZWAqYF4Ow

The control is agnostic of the payload that is signed. Any value may be signed. KeyId may be set to include an identifier to help the receiving party identify the key used to sign the message. The following properties are applicable when calling this method:

• Algorithm (required)
• Certificate (conditional - required for ECDSA and RSA)
• Key (conditional - required for HMAC)
• HeaderParams
• KeyId
• Overwrite

Input and Output Properties

The control will determine the source and destination of the input and output based on which properties are set.

The order in which the input properties are checked is as follows:

• InputFile
• InputMessage

When a valid source is found, the search stops. The order in which the output properties are checked is as follows:

• OutputFile
• OutputMessage: The output data is written to this property if no other destination is specified.

Notes for HMAC Algorithms (HS256, HS384, HS512)

When Algorithm is set to a HMAC algorithm Key must be set to a key of appropriate length for the algorithm. The Key should be the same number of bits as the algorithm being used. For instance a 256 bit key would be used for HS256.

The example code below uses the EzRand control to generate a key, but the key may be created using any means. The key must be known by both parties in order for signing and verification to take place.

//Generate a 256 bit (32 byte) key Ezrand ezrand = new Ezrand(); ezrand.RandBytesLength = 32; ezrand.GetNextBytes(); byte[] key = ezrand.RandBytesB; //Sign the payload using HS256 Jws jws = new Jws(); jws.Algorithm = JwsAlgorithms.jwsHS256; jws.InputMessage = "test data"; jws.KeyB = key; jws.Sign(); string signedData = jws.OutputMessage;

To use an existing HMAC key provide the bytes to the Key property. For instance:

//HMAC SHA-256 Key byte[] key = new byte[] { 170, 171, 221, 209, 7, 181, 48, 178, 48, 118, 242, 132, 36, 218, 74, 140, 216, 165, 161, 70, 11, 42, 246, 205, 235, 231, 19, 48, 87, 141, 122, 10 }; //Sign the payload using HS256 Jws jws = new Jws(); jws.Algorithm = JwsAlgorithms.jwsHS256; jws.InputMessage = "test data"; jws.KeyB = key; jws.Sign(); string signedData = jws.OutputMessage;

Notes for RSA Algorithms (RS256, RS384, RS512, PS256, PS384, PS512)

The RSA based algorithms use asymmetric encryption. Signing is done with a private key and verification is done with a public key. The private key may be in PFX or PEM format.

Jws jws = new Jws(); jws.Algorithm = JwsAlgorithms.jwsRS256; jws.Certificate = new Certificate(CertStoreTypes.cstPFXFile, "..\\jwt.pfx", "test", "*"); jws.InputMessage = "test"; jws.Sign(); string signedMessage = jws.OutputMessage;

Notes for ECDSA Algorithms (ES256, ES384, ES512)

ECDSA algorithms require a valid ECC private key to sign. The ECC control can be used to create or import an ECC key into the Certificate format accepted by the JWS control.

//Create an ECC key with SHA-256 Ecc ecc = new Ecc(); ecc.HashAlgorithm = EccHashAlgorithms.ehaSHA256; ecc.CreateKey(); string privKey = ecc.Key.PrivateKey; //Sign the payload using ES256 Jws jws = new Jws(); jws.Algorithm = JwsAlgorithms.jwsES256; jws.Certificate = new Certificate(CertStoreTypes.cstPEMKeyBlob, privKey, "", "*"); jws.InputMessage = "test"; jws.Sign(); string signedMessage = jws.OutputMessage;

To use an existing ECC Key populate the Rx, Ry, and K values of Key property in the ECC control first. For instance:

//Import an existing ECC private key Ecc ecc = new Ecc(); byte[] x_bytes = new byte[] { 171, 170, 196, 151, 94, 196, 231, 12, 128, 232, 17, 61, 45, 105, 41, 209, 192, 187, 112, 242, 110, 178, 95, 240, 36, 55, 83, 171, 190, 176, 78, 13 }; byte[] y_bytes = new byte[] { 197, 75, 134, 245, 245, 28, 199, 9, 7, 117, 1, 54, 49, 178, 135, 252, 62, 89, 35, 180, 117, 80, 231, 23, 110, 250, 28, 124, 219, 253, 224, 156 }; byte[] k_bytes = new byte[] { 81, 65, 201, 24, 235, 249, 162, 148, 169, 150, 109, 181, 61, 238, 145, 122, 31, 30, 151, 94, 239, 90, 222, 217, 63, 103, 54, 2, 176, 232, 248, 168 }; ecc.Key.RxB = x_bytes; ecc.Key.RyB = y_bytes; ecc.Key.KB = k_bytes; string privKey = ecc.Key.PrivateKey; //Sign the payload using ES256 Jws jws = new Jws(); jws.Algorithm = JwsAlgorithms.jwsES256; jws.Certificate = new Certificate(CertStoreTypes.cstPEMKeyBlob, privKey, "", "*"); jws.InputMessage = "test"; jws.Sign(); string signedMessage = jws.OutputMessage;

Notes for Unsecured (none)

To create a JWS token without any security set Algorithm to jwsNone.

Jws jws = new Jws(); jws.Algorithm = JwsAlgorithms.jwsNone; jws.InputMessage = "test"; jws.Sign(); string unsecuredMessage = jws.OutputMessage;

Verify Method (JWS Control)

Verifies the signature of the JWS token.

Syntax

jwscontrol.Verify 

Remarks

This method verifies the signature of the JWS token.

Before calling the Verify method set InputMessage or InputFile to a valid compact serialized JWS string. For instance:

eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.dGVzdA.o_JihJlCwvBO1AgY_Ao3_VBivdFmj3ufv3ZWAqYF4Ow

Key or Certificate should be set to the HMAC key or public certificate respectively. If the correct Key or Certificate is not known ahead of time the KeyId parameter of the SignerInfo event may be used to identify the correct key.

If this method returns without error verification was successful. If verification fails then this method fails with an error. After calling this method the payload will be present in the OutputMessage or file specified by OutputFile and the HeaderParams property will contain the headers. Headers of the parsed message are also available through the HeaderParam event.

The following properties are applicable when calling this method:

• Key (conditional - required for HMAC)
• Certificate (conditional - required for ECDSA and RSA)
• Algorithm (only if StrictValidation is True)
• Overwrite
• StrictValidation

Input and Output Properties

The control will determine the source and destination of the input and output based on which properties are set.

The order in which the input properties are checked is as follows:

• InputFile
• InputMessage

When a valid source is found, the search stops. The order in which the output properties are checked is as follows:

• OutputFile
• OutputMessage: The output data is written to this property if no other destination is specified.

Notes for HMAC Algorithms (HS256, HS384, HS512)

When verifying a message originally signed with a HMAC algorithm Key must be set to the same key used during signing. The key must be known by both parties in order for signing and verification to take place.

byte[] key = new byte[] { 170, 171, 221, 209, 7, 181, 48, 178, 48, 118, 242, 132, 36, 218, 74, 140, 216, 165, 161, 70, 11, 42, 246, 205, 235, 231, 19, 48, 87, 141, 122, 10 }; Jws jws = new Jws(); jws.KeyB = key; jws.InputMessage = signedData; jws.Verify(); string verifiedPayload = jws.OutputMessage;

Notes for RSA Algorithms (RS256, RS384, RS512, PS256, PS384, PS512)

The RSA based algorithms use asymmetric encryption. Signing is done with a private key and verification is done with a public key. The public key is typically in PEM format.

Jws jws = new Jws(); jws.Certificate = new Certificate("..\\jwt.cer"); jws.InputMessage = signedData; jws.Verify(); string verifiedPayload = jws.OutputMessage;

Notes for ECDSA Algorithms (ES256, ES384, ES512)

ECDSA algorithms require a valid ECC public key to verify the message. If the key was originally created with the ECC control the PEM encoded PublicKey may be used directly with the Certificate property. An example PEM encoded public certificate created by the ECC control:

-----BEGIN PUBLIC KEY-----
MIIBMjCB7AYHKoZIzj0CATCB4AIBATAsBgcqhkjOPQEBAiEA/////wAAAAEAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAD///////////////8wRAQg/////wAAAAEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD///////////////wEIFrG
NdiqOpPns+u9VXaYhrxlHQawzFOw9jvOPD4n0mBLBEEEaxfR8uEsQkf4vOblY6RA8ncDfYEt
6zOg9KE5RdiYwpZP40Li/hp/m47n60p8D54WK84zV2sxXs7LtkBoN79R9QIhAP////8AAAAA
//////////+85vqtpxeehPO5ysL8YyVRAgEBA0EEIC5rbLp11Mnz6cBXLLriaDIov3rm8RAY
x/OR0bOKiff0cQy+sLVaxjseqFk/+Xvl4ORSv5Z6HdHv5GyEpA0UoA==
-----END PUBLIC KEY-----

Jws jws = new Jws(); jws.Certificate = new Certificate(CertStoreTypes.cstPublicKeyFile, pubKey, "", "*"); jws.InputMessage = signedData; jws.Verify(); string verifiedPayload = jws.OutputMessage;

To use an ECC public key created by other means the ECC control may be used to import the key parameters. Populate the Rx and Ry of the ECC control first to obtain the PEM formatted public key. For instance:

//Import an existing ECC public key Ecc ecc = new Ecc(); byte[] x_bytes = new byte[] { 171, 170, 196, 151, 94, 196, 231, 12, 128, 232, 17, 61, 45, 105, 41, 209, 192, 187, 112, 242, 110, 178, 95, 240, 36, 55, 83, 171, 190, 176, 78, 13 }; byte[] y_bytes = new byte[] { 197, 75, 134, 245, 245, 28, 199, 9, 7, 117, 1, 54, 49, 178, 135, 252, 62, 89, 35, 180, 117, 80, 231, 23, 110, 250, 28, 124, 219, 253, 224, 156 }; ecc.Key.RxB = x_bytes; ecc.Key.RyB = y_bytes; string pubKey = ecc.Key.PublicKey; Jws jws = new Jws(); jws.Certificate = new Certificate(CertStoreTypes.cstPublicKeyFile, pubKey, "", "*"); jws.InputMessage = signedData; jws.Verify(); string verifiedPayload = jws.OutputMessage;

Notes for Unsecured (none)

To parse a JWS token without any security call the Sign method without setting Key or Certificate.

Jws jws = new Jws(); jws.InputMessage = signedData; jws.Verify(); string unsecuredPayload = jws.OutputMessage;

Error Event (JWS Control)

Fired when information is available about errors during data delivery.

Syntax

Sub jwscontrol_Error(ErrorCode As Integer, Description As String)

Remarks

The Error event is fired in case of exceptional conditions during message processing. Normally the control fails with an error.

The ErrorCode parameter contains an error code, and the Description parameter contains a textual description of the error. For a list of valid error codes and their descriptions, please refer to the Error Codes section.

HeaderParam Event (JWS Control)

Fires once for each JOSE header parameter.

Syntax

Sub jwscontrol_HeaderParam(Name As String, Value As String, DataType As Integer)

Remarks

When Verify or Parse is called this event will fire once for each JOSE header parameter.

Name is the name of the parameter.

Value is the value of the parameter.

DataType specifies the JSON data type of the value. Possible values are:

• 0 (Object)
• 1 (Array)
• 2 (String)
• 3 (Number)
• 4 (Bool)
• 5 (Null)

SignerInfo Event (JWS Control)

Fires with information about the signature.

Syntax

Sub jwscontrol_SignerInfo(KeyId As String, Algorithm As String)

Remarks

This event fires with information about the signature. This may be used to help identify the Key or Certificate to load in order to verify the signature. This event fires when Verify or Parse is called.

KeyId is the Id of the key as supplied by the signer that created the message. This may be empty.

Algorithm is the signature algorithm used to sign the message.

Config Settings (JWS Control)

JWS Config Settings

-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
MIIBujCCASOgAwIBAgICA+kwDQYJKoZIhvcNAQELBQAwHTEbMBkGA1UEAxMSbnVuaXRDZXJ0
Q2hhaW5Sb290MCAXDTE4MTAxNTA5MDAxN1oYDzIxMTgwOTIxMDkwMDE3WjAmMSQwIgYDVQQD
...
Tr+wi0ouNo7ifWRcE83Z15PhfGn1nkfxMYj4rya5n+V0RVVcgFUdiolCI5o/sYq503a7kH16
JSF5Zw+TiMz/COM8R94=
-----END CERTIFICATE-----

-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
MIIBsTCCARqgAwIBAgICA+gwDQYJKoZIhvcNAQELBQAwHTEbMBkGA1UEAxMSbnVuaXRDZXJ0
Q2hhaW5Sb290MCAXDTE4MTAxNTA5MDAxN1oYDzIxMTgwOTIxMDkwMDE3WjAdMRswGQYDVQQD
...
5u2K9PuJ3ySgL7AvYsqbB/e0/gw8j253SOU+gNTpFahOJsLGEJ43CRtaowkLnWEzs+OPnRfw
iQmqruw=
-----END CERTIFICATE-----

Base Config Settings

Trappable Errors (JWS Control)

JWS Errors