DSA Component

Properties   Methods   Events   Config Settings   Errors  

The DSA (Digital Signature Algorithm) component enables users to generate DSA hash signatures.

Syntax

nsoftware.IPWorksEncrypt.DSA

Remarks

The DSA (Digital Signature Algorithm) component enables users to generate DSA hash signatures.

To begin you must either specify an existing key or create a new key. Existing private keys may be specified by setting Key. To create a new key call CreateKey. Alternatively an existing certificate may be specified by setting Certificate

Signing

To sign data first set Key or Certificate. Select the input file by setting SetInputStream, InputFile, or InputMessage. Next call Sign. The Sign method will automatically compute the hash, and then sign the hash with the specified key.

Send the public key (see CreateKey for details), file, and HashSignature to the recipient.

To sign a hash without recomputing the hash simply set HashValue to the pre-computed hash value before calling Sign.

Signature Verification

To verify a signature specify the input data using InputFile or InputMessage. Set SignerKey or SignerCert. Next set HashSignature and call VerifySignature. The VerifySignature method will return True if the signature was successfully verified.

To verify a hash signature without recomputing the hash simply set HashValue to the pre-computed hash value before calling VerifySignature.

Hash Notes

The component will determine whether or not to recompute the hash based on the properties that are set. If a file is specified by SetInputStream, InputFile, or InputMessage, the hash will be recomputed when calling Sign or VerifySignature. If the HashValue property is set, the component will only sign the hash or verify the hash signature. Setting SetInputStream, InputFile, or InputMessage clears the HashValue property. Setting the HashValue property clears the input file selection.

DSA Key Notes

A DSA key is made up of a number of individual parameters. When calling CreateKey the Key property is populated with a new private and public key.

After calling Sign the public key must be sent to the recipient along with HashSignature so they may perform signature verification. Likewise you must obtain the public key along with HashSignature in order to perform signature verification.

The public key consists of the following parameters:

The component also includes the PublicKey field which holds the PEM formatted public key for ease of use. This is helpful if you are in control of both signature creation and verification process. When sending the public key to a recipient note that not all implementations will support using the PEM formatted value in PublicKey in which case the individual parameters must be sent.

The private key consists of the following parameters:

The component also include the PrivateKey field which holds the PEM formatted private key for ease of use. This is helpful for storing the private key more easily..

Property List

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

CertificateThe certificate used for signing.
HashAlgorithmThe hash algorithm used for hash computation.
HashSignatureThe hash signature.
HashValueThe hash value of the data.
InputFileThe file to process.
InputMessageThe message to process.
KeyThe DSA key.
SignerCertThe certificate used for signature verification.
SignerKeyThe public key used to verify the signature.
UseHexWhether HashValue and HashSignature are 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.
CreateKeyCreates a new key.
ResetResets the component.
SetInputStreamSets the stream from which the component will read data to encrypt or decrypt.
SignCreates a hash signature.
VerifySignatureVerifies the signature for the specified data.

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.
ProgressFired as progress is made.

Config Settings

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

CloseInputStreamAfterProcessingDetermines whether or not the input stream is closed after processing.
HashSignatureFormatThe format of the HashSignature.
KeyFormatHow the public and private key are formatted.
KeySizeThe size, in bits, of the secret key.
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.

Certificate Property (DSA Component)

The certificate used for signing.

Syntax

public Certificate Certificate { get; set; }

Public Property Certificate As Certificate

Remarks

This property specifies a certificate with private key.

This may be set instead of Key. This allows a Certificate object to be used instead of a DSAKey object. This certificate is used when calling Sign. The specified certificate must have a private key.

If both this property and Key are specified, Key will be used and this property will be ignored.

Please refer to the Certificate type for a complete list of fields.

HashAlgorithm Property (DSA Component)

The hash algorithm used for hash computation.

Syntax

public DSAHashAlgorithms HashAlgorithm { get; set; }

enum DSAHashAlgorithms {
  dhaSHA1,
  dhaSHA224,
  dhaSHA256,
  dhaSHA384,
  dhaSHA512,
  dhaRIPEMD160
}

Public Property HashAlgorithm As DsaHashAlgorithms

Enum DSAHashAlgorithms
  dhaSHA1
  dhaSHA224
  dhaSHA256
  dhaSHA384
  dhaSHA512
  dhaRIPEMD160
End Enum

Default Value

2

Remarks

This property specifies the hash algorithm used for hash computation. This is only applicable when calling Sign or VerifySignature and HashValue is computed. Possible values are:

0 (dhaSHA1) SHA-1
1 (dhaSHA224) SHA-224
2 (dhaSHA256 - default) SHA-256
3 (dhaSHA384) SHA-384
4 (dhaSHA512) SHA-512
5 (dhaRIPEMD160) RIPEMD-160

HashSignature Property (DSA Component)

The hash signature.

Syntax

public string HashSignature { get; set; }
public byte[] HashSignatureB { get; set; }

Public Property HashSignature As String
Public Property HashSignatureB As Byte()

Default Value

""

Remarks

This property holds the computed hash signature. This is populated after calling Sign. This must be set before calling VerifySignature.

HashValue Property (DSA Component)

The hash value of the data.

Syntax

public string HashValue { get; set; }
public byte[] HashValueB { get; set; }

Public Property HashValue As String
Public Property HashValueB As Byte()

Default Value

""

Remarks

This property holds the computed hash value for the specified data. This is populated when calling Sign or VerifySignature when an input file is specified by setting SetInputStream, InputFile, or InputMessage.

If you know the hash value prior to using the component you may specify the pre-computed hash value here.

Hash Notes

The component will determine whether or not to recompute the hash based on the properties that are set. If a file is specified by SetInputStream, InputFile, or InputMessage, the hash will be recomputed when calling Sign or VerifySignature. If the HashValue property is set, the component will only sign the hash or verify the hash signature. Setting SetInputStream, InputFile, or InputMessage clears the HashValue property. Setting the HashValue property clears the input file selection.

InputFile Property (DSA Component)

The file to process.

Syntax

public string InputFile { get; set; }

Public Property InputFile As 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 component 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:

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

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

When using streams, you may need to additionally set CloseInputStreamAfterProcessing or CloseOutputStreamAfterProcessing.

InputMessage Property (DSA Component)

The message to process.

Syntax

public string InputMessage { get; set; }
public byte[] InputMessageB { get; set; }

Public Property InputMessage As String
Public Property InputMessageB As Byte()

Default Value

""

Remarks

This property specifies the message to be processed.

Input and Output Properties

The component 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:

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

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

When using streams, you may need to additionally set CloseInputStreamAfterProcessing or CloseOutputStreamAfterProcessing.

Key Property (DSA Component)

The DSA key.

Syntax

public DSAKey Key { get; set; }

Public Property Key As DSAKey

Remarks

This property specifies the DSA key used to create a signature. This property must be set before calling Sign. Alternatively, a certificate may be specified by setting Certificate

DSA Key Notes

A DSA key is made up of a number of individual parameters. When calling CreateKey the Key property is populated with a new private and public key.

After calling Sign the public key must be sent to the recipient along with HashSignature so they may perform signature verification. Likewise you must obtain the public key along with HashSignature in order to perform signature verification.

The public key consists of the following parameters:

The component also includes the PublicKey field which holds the PEM formatted public key for ease of use. This is helpful if you are in control of both signature creation and verification process. When sending the public key to a recipient note that not all implementations will support using the PEM formatted value in PublicKey in which case the individual parameters must be sent.

The private key consists of the following parameters:

The component also include the PrivateKey field which holds the PEM formatted private key for ease of use. This is helpful for storing the private key more easily.

Please refer to the DSAKey type for a complete list of fields.

SignerCert Property (DSA Component)

The certificate used for signature verification.

Syntax

public Certificate SignerCert { get; set; }

Public Property SignerCert As Certificate

Remarks

This property specifies a certificate for signature verification.

This may be set instead of SignerKey. This allows a Certificate object to be used instead of a DSAKey object. This certificate is used when calling VerifySignature.

If both this property and SignerKey are specified, SignerKey will be used and this property will be ignored.

Please refer to the Certificate type for a complete list of fields.

SignerKey Property (DSA Component)

The public key used to verify the signature.

Syntax

public DSAKey SignerKey { get; set; }

Public Property SignerKey As DSAKey

Remarks

This property specifies the public key used to verify the signature. This public key corresponds to the private key used when creating the signature. This must be set before calling VerifySignature. Alternatively, a certificate may be specified by setting SignerCert

DSA Key Notes

A DSA key is made up of a number of individual parameters. When calling CreateKey the Key property is populated with a new private and public key.

After calling Sign the public key must be sent to the recipient along with HashSignature so they may perform signature verification. Likewise you must obtain the public key along with HashSignature in order to perform signature verification.

The public key consists of the following parameters:

The component also includes the PublicKey field which holds the PEM formatted public key for ease of use. This is helpful if you are in control of both signature creation and verification process. When sending the public key to a recipient note that not all implementations will support using the PEM formatted value in PublicKey in which case the individual parameters must be sent.

The private key consists of the following parameters:

The component also include the PrivateKey field which holds the PEM formatted private key for ease of use. This is helpful for storing the private key more easily.

Please refer to the DSAKey type for a complete list of fields.

UseHex Property (DSA Component)

Whether HashValue and HashSignature are hex encoded.

Syntax

public bool UseHex { get; set; }

Public Property UseHex As Boolean

Default Value

False

Remarks

This property specifies whether HashValue and HashSignature are hex encoded.

If set to True, when Sign is called the component will compute the hash for the specified file and populate HashValue with the hex encoded hash value. It will then create the hash signature and populate HashSignature with the hex encoded hash signature value. If HashValue is specified directly, it must be a hex encoded value.

If set to True, when VerifySignature is called the component will compute the hash value for the specified file and populate HashValue with the hex encoded hash value. It will then hex decode HashSignature and verify the signature. HashSignature must hold a hex encoded value. If HashValue is specified directly, it must be a hex encoded value.

Config Method (DSA 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 (DSA Component)

Creates a new key.

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 creates a new public and private key.

DSA Key Notes

A DSA key is made up of a number of individual parameters. When calling CreateKey the Key property is populated with a new private and public key.

After calling Sign the public key must be sent to the recipient along with HashSignature so they may perform signature verification. Likewise you must obtain the public key along with HashSignature in order to perform signature verification.

The public key consists of the following parameters:

The component also includes the PublicKey field which holds the PEM formatted public key for ease of use. This is helpful if you are in control of both signature creation and verification process. When sending the public key to a recipient note that not all implementations will support using the PEM formatted value in PublicKey in which case the individual parameters must be sent.

The private key consists of the following parameters:

The component also include the PrivateKey field which holds the PEM formatted private key for ease of use. This is helpful for storing the private key more easily.

Reset Method (DSA 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.

SetInputStream Method (DSA Component)

Sets the stream from which the component will read data to encrypt or decrypt.

Syntax

public void SetInputStream(System.IO.Stream inputStream);

Async Version
public async Task SetInputStream(System.IO.Stream inputStream);
public async Task SetInputStream(System.IO.Stream inputStream, CancellationToken cancellationToken);

Public Sub SetInputStream(ByVal InputStream As System.IO.Stream)

Async Version
Public Sub SetInputStream(ByVal InputStream As System.IO.Stream) As Task
Public Sub SetInputStream(ByVal InputStream As System.IO.Stream, cancellationToken As CancellationToken) As Task

Remarks

This method sets the stream from which the component will read data to encrypt or decrypt.

Input and Output Properties

The component 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:

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

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

When using streams, you may need to additionally set CloseInputStreamAfterProcessing or CloseOutputStreamAfterProcessing.

Sign Method (DSA Component)

Creates a hash signature.

Syntax

public void Sign();

Async Version
public async Task Sign();
public async Task Sign(CancellationToken cancellationToken);

Public Sub Sign()

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

Remarks

This method will create a hash signature.

Before calling this method specify the input file by setting SetInputStream, InputFile, or InputMessage.

A key is required to create the hash signature. You may create a new key by calling CreateKey, or specify an existing key pair in Key. Alternatively, a certificate may be specified by setting Certificate. When this method is called the component will compute the hash for the specified file and populate HashValue. It will then create the hash signature using the specified Key and populate HashSignature.

To create the hash signature without first computing the hash simply specify HashValue before calling this method.

The Progress event will fire with updates for the hash computation progress only. The hash signature creation process is quick and does not require progress updates.

VerifySignature Method (DSA Component)

Verifies the signature for the specified data.

Syntax

public bool VerifySignature();

Async Version
public async Task<bool> VerifySignature();
public async Task<bool> VerifySignature(CancellationToken cancellationToken);

Public Function VerifySignature() As Boolean

Async Version
Public Function VerifySignature() As Task(Of Boolean)
Public Function VerifySignature(cancellationToken As CancellationToken) As Task(Of Boolean)

Remarks

This method will verify a hash signature.

Before calling this method specify the input file by setting SetInputStream, InputFile, or InputMessage.

A public key and the hash signature are required to perform the signature verification. Specify the public key in SignerKey. Alternatively, a certificate may be specified by setting SignerCert. Specify the hash signature in HashSignature.

When this method is called the component will compute the hash for the specified file and populate HashValue. It will verify the signature using the specified SignerKey and HashSignature.

To verify the hash signature without first computing the hash simply specify HashValue before calling this method.

The Progress event will fire with updates for the hash computation progress only. The hash signature verification process is quick and does not require progress updates.

Error Event (DSA Component)

Fired when information is available about errors during data delivery.

Syntax

public event OnErrorHandler OnError;

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

public class DSAErrorEventArgs : EventArgs {
  public int ErrorCode { get; }
  public string Description { get; }
}

Public Event OnError As OnErrorHandler

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

Public Class DSAErrorEventArgs 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.

Progress Event (DSA Component)

Fired as progress is made.

Syntax

public event OnProgressHandler OnProgress;

public delegate void OnProgressHandler(object sender, DSAProgressEventArgs e);

public class DSAProgressEventArgs : EventArgs {
  public long BytesProcessed { get; }
  public int PercentProcessed { get; }
}

Public Event OnProgress As OnProgressHandler

Public Delegate Sub OnProgressHandler(sender As Object, e As DSAProgressEventArgs)

Public Class DSAProgressEventArgs Inherits EventArgs
  Public ReadOnly Property BytesProcessed As Long
  Public ReadOnly Property PercentProcessed As Integer
End Class

Remarks

This event is fired automatically as data is processed by the component.

The PercentProcessed parameter indicates the current status of the operation.

The BytesProcessed parameter holds the total number of bytes processed so far.

Certificate Type

This is the digital certificate being used.

Remarks

This type describes the current digital certificate. The certificate may be a public or private key. The fields are used to identify or select certificates.

The following fields are available:
  • EffectiveDate
  • ExpirationDate
  • ExtendedKeyUsage
  • Fingerprint
  • FingerprintSHA1
  • FingerprintSHA256
  • Issuer
  • PrivateKey
  • PrivateKeyAvailable
  • PrivateKeyContainer
  • PublicKey
  • PublicKeyAlgorithm
  • PublicKeyLength
  • SerialNumber
  • SignatureAlgorithm
  • Store
  • StorePassword
  • StoreType
  • SubjectAltNames
  • ThumbprintMD5
  • ThumbprintSHA1
  • ThumbprintSHA256
  • Usage
  • UsageFlags
  • Version
  • Subject
  • Encoded

    • Fields

    EffectiveDate
    string (read-only)
    Default: ""

    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.

    ExpirationDate
    string (read-only)
    Default: ""

    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.

    ExtendedKeyUsage
    string (read-only)
    Default: ""

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

    Fingerprint
    string (read-only)
    Default: ""

    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

    FingerprintSHA1
    string (read-only)
    Default: ""

    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

    FingerprintSHA256
    string (read-only)
    Default: ""

    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

    Issuer
    string (read-only)
    Default: ""

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

    PrivateKey
    string (read-only)
    Default: ""

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

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

    PrivateKeyAvailable
    bool (read-only)
    Default: False

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

    PrivateKeyContainer
    string (read-only)
    Default: ""

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

    PublicKey
    string (read-only)
    Default: ""

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

    PublicKeyAlgorithm
    string (read-only)
    Default: ""

    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.

    PublicKeyLength
    int (read-only)
    Default: 0

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

    SerialNumber
    string (read-only)
    Default: ""

    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.

    SignatureAlgorithm
    string (read-only)
    Default: ""

    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.

    Store
    string
    Default: "MY"

    The name of the certificate store for the client certificate.

    The StoreType field denotes the type of the certificate store specified by Store. If the store is password-protected, specify the password in StorePassword.

    Store is used in conjunction with the Subject field to specify client certificates. If Store has a value, and Subject or Encoded is set, a search for a certificate is initiated. Please see the Subject field for details.

    Designations of certificate stores are platform dependent.

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

    MYA certificate store holding personal certificates with their associated private keys.
    CACertifying authority certificates.
    ROOTRoot certificates.

    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).

    StoreB
    byte []
    Default: "MY"

    The name of the certificate store for the client certificate.

    The StoreType field denotes the type of the certificate store specified by Store. If the store is password-protected, specify the password in StorePassword.

    Store is used in conjunction with the Subject field to specify client certificates. If Store has a value, and Subject or Encoded is set, a search for a certificate is initiated. Please see the Subject field for details.

    Designations of certificate stores are platform dependent.

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

    MYA certificate store holding personal certificates with their associated private keys.
    CACertifying authority certificates.
    ROOTRoot certificates.

    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).

    StorePassword
    string
    Default: ""

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

    StoreType
    CertStoreTypes
    Default: 0

    The type of certificate store for this certificate.

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

    0 (cstUser - default)For Windows, this specifies that the certificate store is a certificate store owned by the current user.

    Note: This store type is not available in Java.

    1 (cstMachine)For Windows, this specifies that the certificate store is a machine store.

    Note: This store type is not available in Java.

    2 (cstPFXFile)The certificate store is the name of a PFX (PKCS#12) file containing certificates.
    3 (cstPFXBlob)The certificate store is a string (binary or Base64-encoded) representing a certificate store in PFX (PKCS#12) format.
    4 (cstJKSFile)The certificate store is the name of a Java Key Store (JKS) file containing certificates.

    Note: This store type is only available in Java.

    5 (cstJKSBlob)The certificate store is a string (binary or Base64-encoded) representing a certificate store in Java Key Store (JKS) format.

    Note: This store type is only available in Java.

    6 (cstPEMKeyFile)The certificate store is the name of a PEM-encoded file that contains a private key and an optional certificate.
    7 (cstPEMKeyBlob)The certificate store is a string (binary or Base64-encoded) that contains a private key and an optional certificate.
    8 (cstPublicKeyFile)The certificate store is the name of a file that contains a PEM- or DER-encoded public key certificate.
    9 (cstPublicKeyBlob)The certificate store is a string (binary or Base64-encoded) that contains a PEM- or DER-encoded public key certificate.
    10 (cstSSHPublicKeyBlob)The certificate store is a string (binary or Base64-encoded) that contains an SSH-style public key.
    11 (cstP7BFile)The certificate store is the name of a PKCS#7 file containing certificates.
    12 (cstP7BBlob)The certificate store is a string (binary) representing a certificate store in PKCS#7 format.
    13 (cstSSHPublicKeyFile)The certificate store is the name of a file that contains an SSH-style public key.
    14 (cstPPKFile)The certificate store is the name of a file that contains a PPK (PuTTY Private Key).
    15 (cstPPKBlob)The certificate store is a string (binary) that contains a PPK (PuTTY Private Key).
    16 (cstXMLFile)The certificate store is the name of a file that contains a certificate in XML format.
    17 (cstXMLBlob)The certificate store is a string that contains a certificate in XML format.
    18 (cstJWKFile)The certificate store is the name of a file that contains a JWK (JSON Web Key).
    19 (cstJWKBlob)The certificate store is a string that contains a JWK (JSON Web Key).
    21 (cstBCFKSFile)The certificate store is the name of a file that contains a BCFKS (Bouncy Castle FIPS Key Store).

    Note: This store type is only available in Java and .NET.

    22 (cstBCFKSBlob)The certificate store is a string (binary or Base64-encoded) representing a certificate store in BCFKS (Bouncy Castle FIPS Key Store) format.

    Note: This store type is only available in Java and .NET.

    23 (cstPKCS11)The certificate is present on a physical security key accessible via a PKCS#11 interface.

    To use a security key, the necessary data must first be collected using the CertMgr component. The ListStoreCertificates method may be called after setting CertStoreType to cstPKCS11, CertStorePassword to the PIN, and CertStore to the full path of the PKCS#11 DLL. The certificate information returned in the CertList event's CertEncoded parameter may be saved for later use.

    When using a certificate, pass the previously saved security key information as the Store and set StorePassword to the PIN.

    Code Example. SSH Authentication with Security Key: certmgr.CertStoreType = CertStoreTypes.cstPKCS11; certmgr.OnCertList += (s, e) => { secKeyBlob = e.CertEncoded; }; certmgr.CertStore = @"C:\Program Files\OpenSC Project\OpenSC\pkcs11\opensc-pkcs11.dll"; certmgr.CertStorePassword = "123456"; //PIN certmgr.ListStoreCertificates(); sftp.SSHCert = new Certificate(CertStoreTypes.cstPKCS11, secKeyBlob, "123456", "*"); sftp.SSHUser = "test"; sftp.SSHLogon("myhost", 22);

    99 (cstAuto)The store type is automatically detected from the input data. This setting may be used with both public and private keys and can detect any of the supported formats automatically.

    SubjectAltNames
    string (read-only)
    Default: ""

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

    ThumbprintMD5
    string (read-only)
    Default: ""

    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.

    ThumbprintSHA1
    string (read-only)
    Default: ""

    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.

    ThumbprintSHA256
    string (read-only)
    Default: ""

    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.

    Usage
    string (read-only)
    Default: ""

    The text description of UsageFlags.

    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.

    UsageFlags
    int (read-only)
    Default: 0

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

    0x80Digital Signature
    0x40Non-Repudiation
    0x20Key Encipherment
    0x10Data Encipherment
    0x08Key Agreement
    0x04Certificate Signing
    0x02CRL Signing
    0x01Encipher Only

    Please see the Usage field for a text representation of UsageFlags.

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

    Version
    string (read-only)
    Default: ""

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

    Subject
    string
    Default: ""

    The subject of the certificate used for client authentication.

    This field will be populated with the full subject of the loaded certificate. When loading a certificate, the subject is used to locate the certificate in the store.

    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:

    FieldMeaning
    CNCommon Name. This is commonly a hostname like www.server.com.
    OOrganization
    OUOrganizational Unit
    LLocality
    SState
    CCountry
    EEmail Address

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

    Encoded
    string
    Default: ""

    The certificate (PEM/Base64 encoded). This field is used to assign a specific certificate. The Store and Subject fields also may be used to specify a certificate.

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

    EncodedB
    byte []
    Default: ""

    The certificate (PEM/Base64 encoded). This field is used to assign a specific certificate. The Store and Subject fields also may be used to specify a certificate.

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

    Constructors

    public Certificate();

    Public Certificate()

    Creates a instance whose properties can be set. This is useful for use with when generating new certificates. 

    public Certificate(string certificateFile);

    Public Certificate(ByVal CertificateFile As String)

    Opens CertificateFile and reads out the contents as an X.509 public key. 

    public Certificate(byte[] encoded);

    Public Certificate(ByVal Encoded As Byte())

    Parses Encoded as an X.509 public key. 

    public Certificate(CertStoreTypes storeType, string store, string storePassword, string subject);

    Public Certificate(ByVal StoreType As CertStoreTypes, ByVal Store As String, ByVal StorePassword As String, ByVal Subject As String)

    StoreType identifies the type of certificate store to use. See for descriptions of the different certificate stores. Store is a file containing the certificate store. StorePassword is the password used to protect the store.

    After the store has been successfully opened, the component will attempt to find the certificate identified by Subject . This can be either a complete or a substring match of the X.509 certificate's subject Distinguished Name (DN). The Subject parameter can also take an MD5, SHA-1, or SHA-256 thumbprint of the certificate to load in a "Thumbprint=value" format. 

    public Certificate(CertStoreTypes storeType, string store, string storePassword, string subject, string configurationString);

    Public Certificate(ByVal StoreType As CertStoreTypes, ByVal Store As String, ByVal StorePassword As String, ByVal Subject As String, ByVal ConfigurationString As String)

    StoreType identifies the type of certificate store to use. See for descriptions of the different certificate stores. Store is a file containing the certificate store. StorePassword is the password used to protect the store.

    ConfigurationString is a newline-separated list of name-value pairs that may be used to modify the default behavior. Possible values include "PersistPFXKey", which shows whether or not the PFX key is persisted after performing operations with the private key. This correlates to the PKCS12_NO_PERSIST_KEY CryptoAPI option. The default value is True (the key is persisted). "Thumbprint" - an MD5, SHA-1, or SHA-256 thumbprint of the certificate to load. When specified, this value is used to select the certificate in the store. This is applicable to the cstUser , cstMachine , cstPublicKeyFile , and cstPFXFile store types. "UseInternalSecurityAPI" shows whether the platform (default) or the internal security API is used when performing certificate-related operations.

    After the store has been successfully opened, the component will attempt to find the certificate identified by Subject . This can be either a complete or a substring match of the X.509 certificate's subject Distinguished Name (DN). The Subject parameter can also take an MD5, SHA-1, or SHA-256 thumbprint of the certificate to load in a "Thumbprint=value" format. 

    public Certificate(CertStoreTypes storeType, string store, string storePassword, byte[] encoded);

    Public Certificate(ByVal StoreType As CertStoreTypes, ByVal Store As String, ByVal StorePassword As String, ByVal Encoded As Byte())

    StoreType identifies the type of certificate store to use. See for descriptions of the different certificate stores. Store is a file containing the certificate store. StorePassword is the password used to protect the store.

    After the store has been successfully opened, the component will load Encoded as an X.509 certificate and search the opened store for a corresponding private key. 

    public Certificate(CertStoreTypes storeType, byte[] store, string storePassword, string subject);

    Public Certificate(ByVal StoreType As CertStoreTypes, ByVal Store As Byte(), ByVal StorePassword As String, ByVal Subject As String)

    StoreType identifies the type of certificate store to use. See for descriptions of the different certificate stores. Store is a byte array containing the certificate data. StorePassword is the password used to protect the store.

    After the store has been successfully opened, the component will attempt to find the certificate identified by Subject . This can be either a complete or a substring match of the X.509 certificate's subject Distinguished Name (DN). The Subject parameter can also take an MD5, SHA-1, or SHA-256 thumbprint of the certificate to load in a "Thumbprint=value" format. 

    public Certificate(CertStoreTypes storeType, byte[] store, string storePassword, string subject, string configurationString);

    Public Certificate(ByVal StoreType As CertStoreTypes, ByVal Store As Byte(), ByVal StorePassword As String, ByVal Subject As String, ByVal ConfigurationString As String)

    StoreType identifies the type of certificate store to use. See for descriptions of the different certificate stores. Store is a byte array containing the certificate data. StorePassword is the password used to protect the store.

    After the store has been successfully opened, the component will attempt to find the certificate identified by Subject . This can be either a complete or a substring match of the X.509 certificate's subject Distinguished Name (DN). The Subject parameter can also take an MD5, SHA-1, or SHA-256 thumbprint of the certificate to load in a "Thumbprint=value" format. 

    public Certificate(CertStoreTypes storeType, byte[] store, string storePassword, byte[] encoded);

    Public Certificate(ByVal StoreType As CertStoreTypes, ByVal Store As Byte(), ByVal StorePassword As String, ByVal Encoded As Byte())

    StoreType identifies the type of certificate store to use. See for descriptions of the different certificate stores. Store is a byte array containing the certificate data. StorePassword is the password used to protect the store.

    After the store has been successfully opened, the component will load Encoded as an X.509 certificate and search the opened store for a corresponding private key.

    DSAKey Type

    Contains the parameters for the DSA algorithm.

    Remarks

    This type is made up of fields that represent the private and public key parameters used by the DSA algorithm.

    DSA Key Notes

    A DSA key is made up of a number of individual parameters. When calling CreateKey the Key property is populated with a new private and public key.

    After calling Sign the public key must be sent to the recipient along with HashSignature so they may perform signature verification. Likewise you must obtain the public key along with HashSignature in order to perform signature verification.

    The public key consists of the following parameters:

    The component also includes the PublicKey field which holds the PEM formatted public key for ease of use. This is helpful if you are in control of both signature creation and verification process. When sending the public key to a recipient note that not all implementations will support using the PEM formatted value in PublicKey in which case the individual parameters must be sent.

    The private key consists of the following parameters:

    The component also include the PrivateKey field which holds the PEM formatted private key for ease of use. This is helpful for storing the private key more easily.

    The following fields are available:
  • G
  • P
  • PrivateKey
  • PublicKey
  • Q
  • X
  • Y

    • Fields

    G
    string
    Default: ""

    Represents the G parameter for the DSA algorithm.

    GB
    byte []
    Default: ""

    Represents the G parameter for the DSA algorithm.

    P
    string
    Default: ""

    Represents the P parameter for the DSA algorithm.

    PB
    byte []
    Default: ""

    Represents the P parameter for the DSA algorithm.

    PrivateKey
    string
    Default: ""

    This field is a PEM formatted private key. The purpose of this field is to allow easier management of the private key parameters by using only a single value.

    PublicKey
    string
    Default: ""

    This field is a PEM formatted public key. The purpose of this field is to allow easier management of the public key parameters by using only a single value.

    Q
    string
    Default: ""

    Represents the Q parameter for the DSA algorithm.

    QB
    byte []
    Default: ""

    Represents the Q parameter for the DSA algorithm.

    X
    string
    Default: ""

    Represents the X parameter for the DSA algorithm.

    XB
    byte []
    Default: ""

    Represents the X parameter for the DSA algorithm.

    Y
    string
    Default: ""

    Represents the Y parameter for the DSA algorithm.

    YB
    byte []
    Default: ""

    Represents the Y parameter for the DSA algorithm.

    Constructors

    public DSAKey();

    Public DSAKey()

    The default constructor creates a new DSAKey instance but does not assign a public or private key. 

    Public DSAKey(ByVal P As Byte(), ByVal Q As Byte(), ByVal G As Byte(), ByVal Y As Byte())

    The public key constructor assigns an existing public key. 

    Public DSAKey(ByVal P As Byte(), ByVal Q As Byte(), ByVal G As Byte(), ByVal Y As Byte(), ByVal X As Byte())

    The private key constructor assigns an existing private key.

    Config Settings (DSA 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.

    DSA Config Settings

    CloseInputStreamAfterProcessing:   Determines whether or not the input stream is closed after processing.

    Determines whether or not the input stream set by SetInputStream is closed after processing is complete. The default value is True.

    HashSignatureFormat:   The format of the HashSignature.

    This setting specifies the format of HashSignature when calling Sign. The way the HashSignature parameters are represented can be changed to be interoperable with other implementations. Possible values are:

    0 (Concatenated - default) Compatible with Windows/.NET
    1 (ASN) Compatible with OpenSSL/Mac/iOS
    The default value is 0 (Concatenated). This setting is only applicable when calling Sign. When calling VerifySignature the format is automatically determined by the component.
    KeyFormat:   How the public and private key are formatted.

    This setting controls the format of PublicKey and PrivateKey. By default these fields hold PEM formatted public and private key data. When set to 1 (XML) the keys are stored in a XML format. This only affects the values returned by the component; the actual keys remain the same regardless of this setting. Possible values are:

    • 0 (PEM - PKCS#1)
    • 1 (XML)
    • 2 (PEM - PKCS#8 - default)
    The default value is 2 (PEM - PKCS#8).
    KeySize:   The size, in bits, of the secret key.

    This specifies the size, in bits, of the secret key. The minimum key size for DSA is 512. The maximum key size is 4096. Note that large values such as 4096 will impact performance. The default value is 1024.

    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 (DSA Component)

    DSA Errors

    102   No Key specified.
    104   Cannot read or write file.
    105   Key parameters incorrect.
    106   Cannot create hash.
    113   Input data or HashValue must be specified.
    121   Invalid certificate.
    124   HashSignature must be specified.
    304   Cannot write file.
    305   Cannot read file.