Argon2 Component

Properties   Methods   Events   Config Settings   Errors  

This component implements Argon2 cryptographic hashing function designed for password hashing and protecting against various types of attacks.

Syntax

nsoftware.IPWorksEncrypt.Argon2

Remarks

Argon2 is a memory-hard algorithm that can be used for secure key derivation. It supports three different variants of the algorithm.

To create a key using this component, start by setting the required properties:

Optionally, specify the Algorithm variant, KeyLength in bytes, number of Iterations, degree of Parallelism and MemoryCost in kilobytes.

After calling the CreateKey method, the Key will be populated with the derived key.

Note: By default, the component uses the following values which are recommended by RFC 9106: Argon2id variant with 3 iterations, 4 degrees of parallelism, 64 MB of RAM, and 32 byte key length.

Create Key Example

//Create a key using Argon2 component Argon2 argon2 = new Argon2(); argon2.Password = "password"; argon2.Salt = "AAAABBBBCCCCDDDD"; //16 bytes string argon2.UseHex = true; //hex encoded key argon2.CreateKey(); Console.WriteLine(argon2.Key); //outputs the derived key, 32 bytes by default

Property List


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

AlgorithmThe variant used to derive the key.
IterationsNumber of iterations to perform.
KeyThe derived key.
KeyLengthThe desired length of the derived key (in bytes).
MemoryCostThe memory usage in kilobytes.
ParallelismThe degree of parallelism.
PasswordThe password from which a derived key is generated.
SaltThe cryptographic salt used during key creation.
UseHexWhether the key is hex encoded.

Method List


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

ConfigSets or retrieves a configuration setting.
CreateKeyDerives a key from the specified password.
ResetResets the component.

Event List


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

ErrorFired when information is available about errors during data delivery.

Config Settings


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

AssociatedDataOptional associated data.
SecretOptional secret.
BuildInfoInformation about the product's build.
GUIAvailableWhether or not a message loop is available for processing events.
LicenseInfoInformation about the current license.
MaskSensitiveDataWhether sensitive data is masked in log messages.
UseFIPSCompliantAPITells the component whether or not to use FIPS certified APIs.
UseInternalSecurityAPIWhether or not to use the system security libraries or an internal implementation.

Algorithm Property (Argon2 Component)

The variant used to derive the key.

Syntax

public Argon2Algorithms Algorithm { get; set; }

enum Argon2Algorithms { aArgon2d, aArgon2i, aArgon2id }
Public Property Algorithm As Argon2Algorithms

Enum Argon2Algorithms aArgon2d aArgon2i aArgon2id End Enum

Default Value

2

Remarks

This property specifies which type of algorithm to use. Possible values are:

0 (aArgon2d) Argon2d maximizes resistance to GPU cracking attacks, but is more vulnerable to side-channel attacks.
1 (aArgon2i) Argon2i is optimized to resist side-channel attacks, but it is slower as it makes more passes over the memory to protect from tradeoff attacks.
2 (aArgon2id - Default) Argon2id is a hybrid of Argon2i and Argon2d which provides some of Argon2i's resistance to side-channel cache timing attacks and much of Argon2d's resistance to GPU cracking attacks.

Iterations Property (Argon2 Component)

Number of iterations to perform.

Syntax

public int Iterations { get; set; }
Public Property Iterations As Integer

Default Value

3

Remarks

The number of iterations is used to adjust the running time independently of the memory size. Valid values are from 1 to 2^(32)-1.

Key Property (Argon2 Component)

The derived key.

Syntax

public string Key { get; }
public byte[] KeyB { get; }
Public ReadOnly Property Key As String
Public ReadOnly Property KeyB As Byte()

Default Value

""

Remarks

This property holds the derived key. After calling CreateKey this property will be populated.

This property is read-only.

KeyLength Property (Argon2 Component)

The desired length of the derived key (in bytes).

Syntax

public int KeyLength { get; set; }
Public Property KeyLength As Integer

Default Value

32

Remarks

This property specifies the length of the key (in bytes) which will be created when CreateKey is called. Valid values are from 4 to 2^(32)-1.

MemoryCost Property (Argon2 Component)

The memory usage in kilobytes.

Syntax

public int MemoryCost { get; set; }
Public Property MemoryCost As Integer

Default Value

65536

Remarks

This property defines the memory used (in kilobytes) when calling CreateKey.

Parallelism Property (Argon2 Component)

The degree of parallelism.

Syntax

public int Parallelism { get; set; }
Public Property Parallelism As Integer

Default Value

4

Remarks

This property specifies the number of lanes used when calling CreateKey.

Password Property (Argon2 Component)

The password from which a derived key is generated.

Syntax

public string Password { get; set; }
public byte[] PasswordB { get; set; }
Public Property Password As String
Public Property PasswordB As Byte()

Default Value

""

Remarks

This property specifies the password from which the derived key is created.

Salt Property (Argon2 Component)

The cryptographic salt used during key creation.

Syntax

public string Salt { get; set; }
public byte[] SaltB { get; set; }
Public Property Salt As String
Public Property SaltB As Byte()

Default Value

""

Remarks

This property specifies the salt used when CreateKey is called. The salt should be a unique value and should be at least 16 bytes in length.

UseHex Property (Argon2 Component)

Whether the key is hex encoded.

Syntax

public bool UseHex { get; set; }
Public Property UseHex As Boolean

Default Value

False

Remarks

This property specifies whether the created Key is hex encoded when calling CreateKey. The default value is false.

Config Method (Argon2 Component)

Sets or retrieves a configuration setting.

Syntax

public string Config(string configurationString);

Async Version
public async Task<string> Config(string configurationString);
public async Task<string> Config(string configurationString, CancellationToken cancellationToken);
Public Function Config(ByVal ConfigurationString As String) As String

Async Version
Public Function Config(ByVal ConfigurationString As String) As Task(Of String)
Public Function Config(ByVal ConfigurationString As String, cancellationToken As CancellationToken) As Task(Of String)

Remarks

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

These settings are similar in functionality to properties, but they are rarely used. In order to avoid "polluting" the property namespace of the component, 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.

CreateKey Method (Argon2 Component)

Derives a key from the specified password.

Syntax

public void CreateKey();

Async Version
public async Task CreateKey();
public async Task CreateKey(CancellationToken cancellationToken);
Public Sub CreateKey()

Async Version
Public Sub CreateKey() As Task
Public Sub CreateKey(cancellationToken As CancellationToken) As Task

Remarks

This method derives a key from the specified password using Argon2.

The following properties are applicable when calling this method:

This method populates the Key property with the created (derived) key.

Create Key Example

//Create a key using Argon2 component Argon2 argon2 = new Argon2(); argon2.Password = "password"; argon2.Salt = "AAAABBBBCCCCDDDD"; //16 bytes string argon2.UseHex = true; //hex encoded key argon2.CreateKey(); Console.WriteLine(argon2.Key); //outputs the derived key, 32 bytes by default

Reset Method (Argon2 Component)

Resets the component.

Syntax

public void Reset();

Async Version
public async Task Reset();
public async Task Reset(CancellationToken cancellationToken);
Public Sub Reset()

Async Version
Public Sub Reset() As Task
Public Sub Reset(cancellationToken As CancellationToken) As Task

Remarks

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

Error Event (Argon2 Component)

Fired when information is available about errors during data delivery.

Syntax

public event OnErrorHandler OnError;

public delegate void OnErrorHandler(object sender, Argon2ErrorEventArgs e);

public class Argon2ErrorEventArgs : EventArgs {
  public int ErrorCode { get; }
  public string Description { get; }
}
Public Event OnError As OnErrorHandler

Public Delegate Sub OnErrorHandler(sender As Object, e As Argon2ErrorEventArgs)

Public Class Argon2ErrorEventArgs Inherits EventArgs
  Public ReadOnly Property ErrorCode As Integer
  Public ReadOnly Property Description As String
End Class

Remarks

The Error event is fired in case of exceptional conditions during message processing. Normally the component throws an exception.

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.

Config Settings (Argon2 Component)

The component accepts one or more of the following configuration settings. Configuration settings are similar in functionality to properties, but they are rarely used. In order to avoid "polluting" the property namespace of the component, access to these internal properties is provided through the Config method.

Argon2 Config Settings

AssociatedData:   Optional associated data.

The associated data parameter, which is used to input any additional data into the hash value. The data specified must be hex encoded. If used, it must have a length not greater than 2^(32)-1 bytes.

Argon2 argon2 = new Argon2(); argon2.Password = "password"; argon2.Salt = "AAAABBBBCCCCDDDD"; argon2.Config("AssociatedData=040404040404040404040404"); //hex encoded value argon2.CreateKey();

Secret:   Optional secret.

The secret parameter, which is used for keyed hashing. This allows a secret key to be input at hashing time into the value of the hash. The data specified must be hex encoded. This means that even if the salts and hashes are compromised, an attacker cannot use brute-force to find the password without the key. If used, it must have a length not greater than 2^(32)-1 bytes.

Argon2 argon2 = new Argon2(); argon2.Password = "password"; argon2.Salt = "AAAABBBBCCCCDDDD"; argon2.Config("Secret=012345012345ABCD"); //hex encoded value argon2.CreateKey();

Base Config Settings

BuildInfo:   Information about the product's build.

When queried, this setting will return a string containing information about the product's build.

GUIAvailable:   Whether or not a message loop is available for processing events.

In a GUI-based application, long-running blocking operations may cause the application to stop responding to input until the operation returns. The component will attempt to discover whether or not the application has a message loop and, if one is discovered, it will process events in that message loop during any such blocking operation.

In some non-GUI applications, an invalid message loop may be discovered that will result in errant behavior. In these cases, setting GUIAvailable to false will ensure that the component does not attempt to process external events.

LicenseInfo:   Information about the current license.

When queried, this setting will return a string containing information about the license this instance of a component is using. It will return the following information:

  • Product: The product the license is for.
  • Product Key: The key the license was generated from.
  • License Source: Where the license was found (e.g., RuntimeLicense, License File).
  • License Type: The type of license installed (e.g., Royalty Free, Single Server).
  • Last Valid Build: The last valid build number for which the license will work.
MaskSensitiveData:   Whether sensitive data is masked in log messages.

In certain circumstances it may be beneficial to mask sensitive data, like passwords, in log messages. Set this to true to mask sensitive data. The default is true.

This setting only works on these components: AS3Receiver, AS3Sender, Atom, Client(3DS), FTP, FTPServer, IMAP, OFTPClient, SSHClient, SCP, Server(3DS), Sexec, SFTP, SFTPServer, SSHServer, TCPClient, TCPServer.

UseFIPSCompliantAPI:   Tells the component whether or not to use FIPS certified APIs.

When set to true, the component will utilize the underlying operating system's certified APIs. Java editions, regardless of OS, utilize Bouncy Castle Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS), while all other Windows editions make use of Microsoft security libraries.

FIPS mode can be enabled by setting the UseFIPSCompliantAPI configuration setting to true. This is a static setting that applies to all instances of all components of the toolkit within the process. It is recommended to enable or disable this setting once before the component has been used to establish a connection. Enabling FIPS while an instance of the component is active and connected may result in unexpected behavior.

For more details, please see the FIPS 140-2 Compliance article.

Note: This setting is applicable only on Windows.

Note: Enabling FIPS compliance requires a special license; please contact sales@nsoftware.com for details.

UseInternalSecurityAPI:   Whether or not to use the system security libraries or an internal implementation.

When set to false, the component will use the system security libraries by default to perform cryptographic functions where applicable. In this case, calls to unmanaged code will be made. In certain environments, this is not desirable. To use a completely managed security implementation, set this setting to true.

Setting this configuration setting to true tells the component to use the internal implementation instead of using the system security libraries.

On Windows, this setting is set to false by default. On Linux/macOS, this setting is set to true by default.

If using the .NET Standard Library, this setting will be true on all platforms. The .NET Standard library does not support using the system security libraries.

Note: This setting is static. The value set is applicable to all components used in the application.

When this value is set, the product's system dynamic link library (DLL) is no longer required as a reference, as all unmanaged code is stored in that file.

Trappable Errors (Argon2 Component)

Argon2 Errors

105   An invalid parameter was specified.
108   An invalid key size was specified.
116   Password must be set.
117   An error occurred during hash calculation.
118   An invalid algorithm was specified.