SMIME Component

Properties Methods Events Config Settings Errors

The S/MIME component implements the S/MIME standard for encryption and decryption with public key cryptography and X.509 digital certificates.

Syntax

nsoftware.IPWorksSMIME.SMIME

Remarks

The S/MIME component implements the S/MIME V3 standard for encryption and decryption using Public Key Cryptography Standards (PKCS). In addition, the component can be used to both generate and verify RSA digital signatures. Using this component for decrypting or signing requires a valid digital certificate with a private key.

Before performing an operation the input and output values should be specified.

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:

SetInputStream
InputFile
InputMessage

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.

The headers of the input message (if any) will be read from InputMessageHeaders or InputMessageHeadersString.

The headers of the resulting message will be available in the OutputMessageHeaders and OutputMessageHeadersString properties.

Signing

To sign the current data included in the input message with a certificate, the Certificate property must be set to a valid Certificate object for the signing certificate. The IncludeCertificate and DetachedSignature properties allow you to specify additional details about the signing process. By setting IncludeCertificate to True, digital certificates can be encoded and included in message signature when signing the document. Including a certificate is the preferred method of building signed messages. In addition the S/MIME component can also generate PKCS #7 formatted detached digital signatures and envelopes by specifying DetachedSignature.

Encrypting

To encrypt a message with the component in a PKCS envelope, you must first specify the Certificate for each recipient in the RecipientCerts collection to encrypt the message with. You can easily add these with the AddRecipientCert method. Once you have done this you can call the Encrypt method to encrypt the message with the recipient certificates.

In addition, the component allows you to sign and encrypt simultaneously with the SignAndEncrypt method. You must set all of the properties needed for both Sign and Encrypt

The result of the encrypted or signed data will be replaced in the OutputMessage property and the OutputMessageHeaders property will be filled with the appropriate mime headers if applicable.

Decrypting

Decrypting PKCS envelopes is handled with the Decrypt method. When this method is called, the component will attempt to find an appropriate certificate in the Certificate property that matches the encrypting certificate. If it cannot find an appropriate certificate, an exception will be thrown and the message will not be decrypted.

Verifying Signatures

In addition, the S/MIME component can be used to verify signatures included in signed messages or documents. After specifying the input, VerifySignature can then be used to verify the signature. If the message does not have a certificate attached, more then likely an exception will be thrown and the component will not be able to verify the signature. If VerifySignature is successful, the SignerCert and SignerCertChain properties will be filled with the certificate information of the message signer. This information can be used to verify the signing certificates.

Similar to SignAndEncrypt, DecryptAndVerifySignature can be used to both decrypt and verify the message in Message.

Property List

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


Certificate	This property includes the current selected certificate.
DetachedSignature	This property specifies whether to include a detached signature when signing a message.
EncryptingAlgorithm	The property includes textual description of the encrypting algorithm.
IncludeCertificate	This property specifies whether to include the signer's certificate with the signed message.
IncludeChain	This property specifies whether to include the signer's certificate chain with the signed message.
IncludeHeaders	This property tells the component whether to include the headers when encoding the message.
InputFile	This property includes the file to process.
InputMessage	This property includes the message to process.
InputMessageHeaders	This property includes a collection of headers from the S/MIME message.
InputMessageHeadersString	This property includes the string version of headers from the S/MIME message.
InternalHeaders	This property includes the headers of the MIME entity inside the encrypted or signed message.
OutputFile	This property specifies the output file.
OutputMessage	This property includes the output message after processing.
OutputMessageHeaders	This property includes a collection of headers from the S/MIME message.
OutputMessageHeadersString	This property includes a string version of headers from the S/MIME message.
Overwrite	This property indicates whether or not the component should overwrite files.
RecipientCerts	This property includes a collection of recipient certificates of the message.
SignerCert	This property contains the certificate of the message signer.
SignerCertChain	This property includes the certificate chain of the signing certificate.
SigningAlgorithm	This property includes a textual description of the signature hash algorithm.
UseOAEP	This property specifies whether or not to use Optimal Asymmetric Encryption Padding (OAEP).
UsePSS	This property specifies whether or not RSA-PSS will be used during signing and verification.

Method List

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


AddRecipientCert	This method is used to add recipient certificates used to encrypt messages.
CheckMessageEncrypted	This method checks whether or not the current message is encrypted.
CheckMessageSigned	This method checks whether or not the current message is signed.
Config	Sets or retrieves a configuration setting.
Decrypt	This method decrypts the current Message .
DecryptAndVerifySignature	This method decrypts and verifies the signature of the current message.
Encrypt	This method encrypts the message.
GetRecipientInfo	This method gets the recipient information for an encrypted message.
GetSignerCertInfo	This method gets the signature information for an signed message.
Reset	This method resets the component properties.
SetInputStream	This method sets the stream from which the component will read data to encode or decode.
SetOutputStream	This method includes the stream to which the component will write the fully encoded or decoded S/MIME data.
Sign	This method signs the current message.
SignAndEncrypt	This method signs and encrypts the current message.
VerifySignature	This method verifies the signature of the current message.

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.


Error	Fired when information is available about errors during data delivery.
RecipientInfo	This event is fired for each recipient certificate of the encrypted message.
SignerCertInfo	This event is fired during verification of the signed message.

Config Settings

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


ApplyB64Encoding	Instructs the component to base64 encode the message when signing or encrypting.
CloseInputStreamAfterProcess	Determines whether or not the input stream is closed after processing.
CloseOutputStreamAfterProcess	Determines whether or not the output stream is closed after processing.
CSP	The Cryptographic Service Provider.
GenerateSignatureTimestamp	Whether to generate timestamps in signatures.
IncludeHeaders	Tells the component whether to include the headers when encoding the message.
IncludeInternalHeaders	Tells the component whether or not to include the internal headers when encoding the message.
InputContentTransferEncoding	Sets the Content-Transfer-Encoding for the signed message.
InputContentType	Sets the Content-Type for the signed message.
InputMessageEncrypted	Whether or not the input message is encrypted.
InputMessageSigned	Whether or not the input message is signed.
NormalizeCRLF	Whether or not the component will normalize line endings of the input data to CrLf.
OAEPMGF1HashAlgorithm	The MGF1 hash algorithm used with OAEP.
OAEPParams	The hex encoded OAEP parameters.
OAEPRSAHashAlgorithm	The RSA hash algorithm used with OAEP.
ParseInternalHeaders	Tells the component whether or not to parse the message part headers when decrypting a message.
RecipientCert	Used to specify the public certificate when using a PEM key to decrypt.
RecipientCertFile	Used to specify the public certificate file when using a PEM key to decrypt.
RecipientInfoType	The type of signer information to include in the signed message.
SignerInfoType	The type of signer information to include in the signed message.
UseAlgorithmOIDs	Whether OIDs are used when providing information about the algorithms.
UseCryptoAPI	Whether to use the Microsoft Crypto API for cryptographic message generation.
VerifyCertChain	Whether to verify the certificate chain of the certificate used to sign the message.
BuildInfo	Information about the product's build.
GUIAvailable	Whether or not a message loop is available for processing events.
LicenseInfo	Information about the current license.
MaskSensitiveData	Whether sensitive data is masked in log messages.
UseInternalSecurityAPI	Whether or not to use the system security libraries or an internal implementation.

Certificate Property (SMIME Component)

This property includes the current selected certificate.

public Certificate Certificate { get; set; }

Public Property Certificate As Certificate

Remarks

This property is populated when a specified certificate is found or loaded by the component. This property is used to specify private keys. Set this property to a valid Certificate object to perform different operations, such as Sign, Decrypt, SignAndEncrypt, or DecryptAndVerifySignature.

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

DetachedSignature Property (SMIME Component)

This property specifies whether to include a detached signature when signing a message.

Syntax

C#
VB.NET

public bool DetachedSignature { get; set; }

Public Property DetachedSignature As Boolean

Default Value

True

Remarks

This property specifies whether to include a detached signature when signing a message. If the value of this property is True, Message will be encoded as a multipart/signed MIME message with a detached signature when calling Sign. This will create a message with two MIME parts, one with the contents of Message, and another with the detached signature.

If this property is False, the current contents of Message will be PKCS encoded and included with the signature in Message. This will create a single-part message with no MIME boundaries.

EncryptingAlgorithm Property (SMIME Component)

The property includes textual description of the encrypting algorithm.

Syntax

C#
VB.NET

public string EncryptingAlgorithm { get; set; }

Public Property EncryptingAlgorithm As String

Default Value

"3DES"

Remarks

This property contains either the name of the algorithm (such as 3DES or AES), or an object identifier (OID) string representing the algorithm.

Possible values are as follows:

"3DES"
"DES"
"RC2CBC40"
"RC2CBC64"
"RC2CBC128" or "RC2"
"AESCBC128" or "AES"
"AESCBC192"
"AESCBC256"
"AESGCM128" or "AESGCM"
"AESGCM192"
"AESGCM256"

IncludeCertificate Property (SMIME Component)

This property specifies whether to include the signer's certificate with the signed message.

Syntax

C#
VB.NET

public bool IncludeCertificate { get; set; }

Public Property IncludeCertificate As Boolean

Default Value

True

Remarks

If this property is set to True, the certificate used to sign the message will be encoded and included in a message signature when calling Sign or SignAndEncrypt.

Including a certificate is the preferred method of building signed messages. If you do not include a certificate, the message recipient may not be able to verify the sender's signature.

IncludeChain Property (SMIME Component)

This property specifies whether to include the signer's certificate chain with the signed message.

Syntax

C#
VB.NET

public bool IncludeChain { get; set; }

Public Property IncludeChain As Boolean

Default Value

False

Remarks

If this property is set to True, the entire certificate's chain that was used to sign the message will be encoded and included in the message signature when calling Sign or SignAndEncrypt.

Note: To include the chain, the IncludeCertificate property must also be set to true.

IncludeHeaders Property (SMIME Component)

This property tells the component whether to include the headers when encoding the message.

Syntax

C#
VB.NET

public bool IncludeHeaders { get; set; }

Public Property IncludeHeaders As Boolean

Default Value

False

Remarks

If True, the component will include the headers when Sign, Encrypt, or SignAndEncrypt are called. If False, only the message will be encoded.

The default value for IncludeHeaders is False.

InputFile Property (SMIME Component)

This property includes the file to process.

Syntax

C#
VB.NET

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 that will be processed.

Encrypt and/or Sign

When encrypting or signing, this may be set to a file containing content that will be encrypted and/or signed.

Decrypt and/or Verify

When decrypting or verifying a signature, this may be set to a file containing the fully encoded S/MIME message.

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:

SetInputStream
InputFile
InputMessage

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.

The headers of the input message (if any) will be read from InputMessageHeaders or InputMessageHeadersString.

InputMessage Property (SMIME Component)

This property includes the message to process.

Syntax

C#
VB.NET

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.

Encrypt and/or Sign

When encrypting or signing, this may be set to the content that will be encrypted and/or signed.

Decrypt and/or Verify

When decrypting or verifying a signature, this may be set to the fully encoded S/MIME message.

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:

SetInputStream
InputFile
InputMessage

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.

The headers of the input message (if any) will be read from InputMessageHeaders or InputMessageHeadersString.

InputMessageHeaders Property (SMIME Component)

This property includes a collection of headers from the S/MIME message.

Syntax

C#
VB.NET

public HeaderList InputMessageHeaders { get; }

Public Property InputMessageHeaders As HeaderList

Remarks

This property contains a collection of headers from the S/MIME message.

This property may be set to the headers of the message that will be decrypted/verified.

This property is not available at design time.

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

InputMessageHeadersString Property (SMIME Component)

This property includes the string version of headers from the S/MIME message.

Syntax

C#
VB.NET

public string InputMessageHeadersString { get; set; }

Public Property InputMessageHeadersString As String

Default Value

Remarks

This property contains the string version of headers from the S/MIME message.

This property may be set to the headers of the message that will be decrypted/verified.

InternalHeaders Property (SMIME Component)

This property includes the headers of the MIME entity inside the encrypted or signed message.

Syntax

C#
VB.NET

public string InternalHeaders { get; set; }

Public Property InternalHeaders As String

Default Value

Remarks

After an encryption, decryption, signing, or verification operation is completed, this property shows the headers of the encrypted or signed message part.

This property is not available at design time.

OutputFile Property (SMIME Component)

This property specifies the output file.

Syntax

C#
VB.NET

public string OutputFile { get; set; }

Public Property OutputFile As String

Default Value

Remarks

This property specifies the file to which the output will be written. This may be set to an absolute or relative path.

Encrypt and/or Sign

When encrypting or signing, this specifies a file where the fully encoded S/MIME message will be written.

Decrypt and/or Verify

When decrypting or verifying a signature, this specifies a file where the decrypted/verified content will be written.

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:

SetInputStream
InputFile
InputMessage

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.

The headers of the resulting message will be available in the OutputMessageHeaders and OutputMessageHeadersString properties.

OutputMessage Property (SMIME Component)

This property includes the output message after processing.

Syntax

C#
VB.NET

public string OutputMessage { get; }
public byte[] OutputMessageB { get; }

Public ReadOnly Property OutputMessage As String
Public ReadOnly Property OutputMessageB As Byte()

Default Value

Remarks

This property will be populated with the output of the operation if OutputFile and SetOutputStream are not set.

Encrypt and/or Sign

When encrypting or signing, this will hold the fully encoded S/MIME message.

Decrypt and/or Verify

When decrypting or verifying a signature, this will hold the decrypted/verified content.

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:

SetInputStream
InputFile
InputMessage

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.

The headers of the resulting message will be available in the OutputMessageHeaders and OutputMessageHeadersString properties.

This property is read-only.

OutputMessageHeaders Property (SMIME Component)

This property includes a collection of headers from the S/MIME message.

Syntax

C#
VB.NET

public HeaderList OutputMessageHeaders { get; }

Public ReadOnly Property OutputMessageHeaders As HeaderList

Remarks

The component will populate this property after signing and/or encrypting.

The user should use these additional headers when emailing or sending the OutputMessage. This can be done by including these headers in the OtherHeaders property of the component that you wish to send the message with.

After the decryption or verification, this property contains the headers of the verified or decrypted message.

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

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

OutputMessageHeadersString Property (SMIME Component)

This property includes a string version of headers from the S/MIME message.

Syntax

C#
VB.NET

public string OutputMessageHeadersString { get; }

Public ReadOnly Property OutputMessageHeadersString As String

Default Value

Remarks

This property contains the string version of headers from the S/MIME message. The component will populate this property after signing and/or encrypting.

After the decryption or verification, this property contains the headers of the verified or decrypted message.

This property is read-only.

Overwrite Property (SMIME Component)

This property indicates whether or not the component should overwrite files.

Syntax

C#
VB.NET

public bool Overwrite { get; set; }

Public Property Overwrite As Boolean

Default Value

True

Remarks

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

RecipientCerts Property (SMIME Component)

This property includes a collection of recipient certificates of the message.

Syntax

C#
VB.NET

public CertificateList RecipientCerts { get; }

Public Property RecipientCerts As CertificateList

Remarks

This property is used to specify the certificates of the intended recipients of the encrypted message. This property must be set before calling Encrypt or SignAndEncrypt methods.

This property's collection must be filled out with valid public key Certificate type objects. To set a certificate, you may set the Encoded field to the encoded certificate. To select a certificate, use the Store and Subject fields.

This collection is indexed from 0 to count -1.

This property is not available at design time.

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

SignerCert Property (SMIME Component)

This property contains the certificate of the message signer.

Syntax

C#
VB.NET

public Certificate SignerCert { get; set; }

Public Property SignerCert As Certificate

Remarks

This property contains the certificate of the message signer. When calling VerifySignature or DecryptAndVerifySignature, this property will contain the certificate of the sender, if attached.

To verify messages without an attached certificate, set this property before calling VerifySignature or DecryptAndVerifySignature.

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

SignerCertChain Property (SMIME Component)

This property includes the certificate chain of the signing certificate.

Syntax

C#
VB.NET

public CertificateList SignerCertChain { get; }

Public ReadOnly Property SignerCertChain As CertificateList

Remarks

This property contains the certificate chain of the signing certificate. When calling VerifySignature or DecryptAndVerifySignature, this property will be populated with the certificate chain of the sender if attached.

Note: The SignerCert property will contain the signing certificate. The certificates in the signing certificate's chain will be placed in this property's collection.

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

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

SigningAlgorithm Property (SMIME Component)

This property includes a textual description of the signature hash algorithm.

Syntax

C#
VB.NET

public string SigningAlgorithm { get; set; }

Public Property SigningAlgorithm As String

Default Value

"SHA256"

Remarks

This property specifies the hash algorithm used to prepare the message digest for signature.

This property must contain either the name of the algorithm (such as MD5 or SHA1), or an object Id (OID) string representing the hash algorithm. Possible values are as follows:

sha1
md5
sha-256 (default)
sha-384
sha-512
sha-224

When read, the value of the property always contains the OID of the algorithm, or an empty string if the algorithm is unknown.

UseOAEP Property (SMIME Component)

This property specifies whether or not to use Optimal Asymmetric Encryption Padding (OAEP).

Syntax

C#
VB.NET

public bool UseOAEP { get; set; }

Public Property UseOAEP As Boolean

Default Value

False

Remarks

This property specifies whether or not to use Optimal Asymmetric Encryption Padding (OAEP). By default, this value is False and the component will use PKCS1.

To specify nondefault OAEP options, please see OAEPRSAHashAlgorithm, OAEPMGF1HashAlgorithm, and OAEPParams

UsePSS Property (SMIME Component)

This property specifies whether or not RSA-PSS will be used during signing and verification.

Syntax

C#
VB.NET

public bool UsePSS { get; set; }

Public Property UsePSS As Boolean

Default Value

False

Remarks

This property specifies whether or not RSA-PSS will be used when signing and verifying messages. The default value is False.

AddRecipientCert Method (SMIME Component)

This method is used to add recipient certificates used to encrypt messages.

Syntax

C#
VB.NET

public void AddRecipientCert(byte[] certEncoded);

Async Version
public async Task AddRecipientCert(byte[] certEncoded);
public async Task AddRecipientCert(byte[] certEncoded, CancellationToken cancellationToken);

Public Sub AddRecipientCert(ByVal CertEncoded As String)

Async Version
Public Sub AddRecipientCert(ByVal CertEncoded As String) As Task
Public Sub AddRecipientCert(ByVal CertEncoded As String, cancellationToken As CancellationToken) As Task

Remarks

This method is used to add recipient certificates to the internal MessageRecipients collection used to encrypt the Message. The recipient certificate must be a valid PKCS-encoded certificate. If the certificate provided is Base64 encoded, it will be decoded first by the object.

The CertMgr component may be used to retrieve the appropriate certificate from the system.

CheckMessageEncrypted Method (SMIME Component)

This method checks whether or not the current message is encrypted.

Syntax

C#
VB.NET

public bool CheckMessageEncrypted();

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

Public Function CheckMessageEncrypted() As Boolean

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

Remarks

This method is used to check whether or not the current message is encrypted. This method will return True, if the current message appears to be encrypted, according to the value of OutputMessageHeaders.

CheckMessageSigned Method (SMIME Component)

This method checks whether or not the current message is signed.

Syntax

C#
VB.NET

public bool CheckMessageSigned();

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

Public Function CheckMessageSigned() As Boolean

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

Remarks

This method is used to check whether or not the current message is signed. This method will return True, if the current message appears to be signed, according to the value of OutputMessageHeaders.

Note: A message that is both signed and encrypted will not appear to be signed until after it is decrypted.

Config Method (SMIME Component)

Sets or retrieves a configuration setting.

Syntax

C#
VB.NET

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.

Decrypt Method (SMIME Component)

This method decrypts the current Message .

Syntax

C#
VB.NET

public void Decrypt();

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

Public Sub Decrypt()

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

Remarks

This method takes attempts to decrypt the encrypted message using the certificate in Certificate.

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:

SetInputStream
InputFile
InputMessage

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.

The headers of the input message (if any) will be read from InputMessageHeaders or InputMessageHeadersString.

The headers of the resulting message will be available in the OutputMessageHeaders and OutputMessageHeadersString properties.

DecryptAndVerifySignature Method (SMIME Component)

This method decrypts and verifies the signature of the current message.

Syntax

C#
VB.NET

public void DecryptAndVerifySignature();

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

Public Sub DecryptAndVerifySignature()

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

Remarks

This method attempts to both decrypt and verify the signature of the message. All of the properties affected by calling the Decrypt and VerifySignature methods are affected in the same manner.

Note: This function does not attempt to check the validity of the signing certificate.

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:

SetInputStream
InputFile
InputMessage

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.

The headers of the input message (if any) will be read from InputMessageHeaders or InputMessageHeadersString.

The headers of the resulting message will be available in the OutputMessageHeaders and OutputMessageHeadersString properties.

Encrypt Method (SMIME Component)

This method encrypts the message.

Syntax

C#
VB.NET

public void Encrypt();

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

Public Sub Encrypt()

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

Remarks

This method encrypts the data specified in SetInputStream, InputFile or InputMessage in a PKCS-encoded envelope with all of the recipient certificates specified in the MessageRecipients collection.

The result of the encrypted data will be written to the stream specified by SetOutputStream, OutputFile, or OutputMessage. The OutputMessageHeaders property will be filled with the required S/MIME headers.

Note: The message headers, including the Sender, Recipient(s), and Subject, are not encrypted. If this is sensitive information, consider including these headers in the message body as a MIME entity and providing other headers for the S/MIME wrapper.

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:

SetInputStream
InputFile
InputMessage

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.

The headers of the input message (if any) will be read from InputMessageHeaders or InputMessageHeadersString.

The headers of the resulting message will be available in the OutputMessageHeaders and OutputMessageHeadersString properties.

GetRecipientInfo Method (SMIME Component)

This method gets the recipient information for an encrypted message.

Syntax

C#
VB.NET

public void GetRecipientInfo();

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

Public Sub GetRecipientInfo()

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

Remarks

This method will fire a RecipientInfo event for every recipient certificate for which the Message has been encrypted. The event will contain information about the Issuer and the SerialNumber for each recipient of the message.

GetSignerCertInfo Method (SMIME Component)

This method gets the signature information for an signed message.

Syntax

C#
VB.NET

public void GetSignerCertInfo();

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

Public Sub GetSignerCertInfo()

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

Remarks

This method retrieves information about the certificate used to sign the message. This may be called before calling VerifySignature to determine which certificate should be loaded for verification.

When this method is called, the SignerCertInfo event fires once for each signer of the message. Use the parameters of the SignerCertInfo to determine which certificate to specify before calling VerifySignature.

Note: Use of this method is optional. If no certificate is specified before calling VerifySignature, the component will fire the SignerCertInfo and a certificate may be loaded from within the event at that time (if necessary).

Reset Method (SMIME Component)

This method resets the component properties.

Syntax

C#
VB.NET

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

This method resets the values of all message and certificate properties. It is an easy way to reset the component properties before starting to populate with new values.

SetInputStream Method (SMIME Component)

This method sets the stream from which the component will read data to encode or decode.

Syntax

C#
VB.NET

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 encode or decode.

Encrypt and/or Sign

When encrypting or signing, this may be set to a stream with the content that will be encrypted and/or signed.

Decrypt and/or Verify

When decrypting or verifying a signature, this may be set to a stream with the fully encoded S/MIME message.

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:

SetInputStream
InputFile
InputMessage

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.

The headers of the input message (if any) will be read from InputMessageHeaders or InputMessageHeadersString.

SetOutputStream Method (SMIME Component)

This method includes the stream to which the component will write the fully encoded or decoded S/MIME data.

Syntax

C#
VB.NET

public void SetOutputStream(System.IO.Stream outputStream);

Async Version
public async Task SetOutputStream(System.IO.Stream outputStream);
public async Task SetOutputStream(System.IO.Stream outputStream, CancellationToken cancellationToken);

Public Sub SetOutputStream(ByVal OutputStream As System.IO.Stream)

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

Remarks

This method contains the stream to which the component will write the fully encoded or decoded S/MIME data.

Encrypt and/or Sign

When encrypting or signing, this may be set to a stream where the fully encoded S/MIME message will be written.

Decrypt and/or Verify

When decrypting or verifying a signature, this may be set to a stream where the decrypted/verified content will be written.

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:

SetInputStream
InputFile
InputMessage

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.

The headers of the resulting message will be available in the OutputMessageHeaders and OutputMessageHeadersString properties.

Sign Method (SMIME Component)

This method signs the current message.

Syntax

C#
VB.NET

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 digitally signs the input data with the the certificate provided. Certificates are provided by specifying the Certificate property. The IncludeCertificate and DetachedSignature properties allow you to specify addition details about what to include when signing the message.

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:

SetInputStream
InputFile
InputMessage

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.

The headers of the input message (if any) will be read from InputMessageHeaders or InputMessageHeadersString.

The headers of the resulting message will be available in the OutputMessageHeaders and OutputMessageHeadersString properties.

SignAndEncrypt Method (SMIME Component)

This method signs and encrypts the current message.

Syntax

C#
VB.NET

public void SignAndEncrypt();

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

Public Sub SignAndEncrypt()

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

Remarks

This method both signs and encrypts the input message into a single PKCS-encoded envelope. The value in DetachedSignature is ignored: the component will always generate an attached signature when calling this method. All other properties used by calling the Sign and Encrypt methods are used in the same manner.

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:

SetInputStream
InputFile
InputMessage

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.

The headers of the input message (if any) will be read from InputMessageHeaders or InputMessageHeadersString.

The headers of the resulting message will be available in the OutputMessageHeaders and OutputMessageHeadersString properties.

VerifySignature Method (SMIME Component)

This method verifies the signature of the current message.

Syntax

C#
VB.NET

public void VerifySignature();

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

Public Sub VerifySignature()

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

Remarks

This method attempts to verify the signature of the input message. If the message does not have a certificate attached, the component will attempt to verify the signature using the certificate supplied in SignerCert (if any). If no certificate is found, the component throws an exception.

If this method is successful, the SignerCert property will contain the certificate information of the message signer.

Note: This function does not attempt to check the validity of the signing certificate.

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:

SetInputStream
InputFile
InputMessage

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.

The headers of the input message (if any) will be read from InputMessageHeaders or InputMessageHeadersString.

The headers of the resulting message will be available in the OutputMessageHeaders and OutputMessageHeadersString properties.

Error Event (SMIME Component)

Fired when information is available about errors during data delivery.

Syntax

C#
VB.NET

public event OnErrorHandler OnError;

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

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

Public Event OnError As OnErrorHandler

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

Public Class SMIMEErrorEventArgs 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.

RecipientInfo Event (SMIME Component)

This event is fired for each recipient certificate of the encrypted message.

Syntax

C#
VB.NET

public event OnRecipientInfoHandler OnRecipientInfo;

public delegate void OnRecipientInfoHandler(object sender, SMIMERecipientInfoEventArgs e);

public class SMIMERecipientInfoEventArgs : EventArgs {
  public string Issuer { get; }
  public string SerialNumber { get; }
  public string SubjectKeyIdentifier { get; }
  public string EncryptionAlgorithm { get; }
}

Public Event OnRecipientInfo As OnRecipientInfoHandler

Public Delegate Sub OnRecipientInfoHandler(sender As Object, e As SMIMERecipientInfoEventArgs)

Public Class SMIMERecipientInfoEventArgs Inherits EventArgs
  Public ReadOnly Property Issuer As String
  Public ReadOnly Property SerialNumber As String
  Public ReadOnly Property SubjectKeyIdentifier As String
  Public ReadOnly Property EncryptionAlgorithm As String
End Class

Remarks

When GetRecipientInfo is called on a valid encrypted message, this event will fire once for each recipient certificate that the message has been encrypted for. This may be used to identify the certificate to load.

Issuer is the subject of the issuer certificate.

SerialNumber is the serial number of the encryption certificate.

SubjectKeyIdentifier is the X.509 subjectKeyIdentifier extension value of the certificate used to sign the message encoded as a hex string.

EncryptionAlgorithm is the encryption algorithm used to encrypt the message. Possible values are as follows:

"3DES"
"DES"
"RC2CBC40"
"RC2CBC64"
"RC2CBC128" or "RC2"
"AESCBC128" or "AES"
"AESCBC192"
"AESCBC256"
"AESGCM128" or "AESGCM"
"AESGCM192"
"AESGCM256"

SignerCertInfo Event (SMIME Component)

This event is fired during verification of the signed message.

Syntax

C#
VB.NET

public event OnSignerCertInfoHandler OnSignerCertInfo;

public delegate void OnSignerCertInfoHandler(object sender, SMIMESignerCertInfoEventArgs e);

public class SMIMESignerCertInfoEventArgs : EventArgs {
  public string Issuer { get; }
  public string SerialNumber { get; }
  public string SubjectKeyIdentifier { get; }
  public string CertEncoded { get; }
  public byte[] CertEncodedB { get; }
}

Public Event OnSignerCertInfo As OnSignerCertInfoHandler

Public Delegate Sub OnSignerCertInfoHandler(sender As Object, e As SMIMESignerCertInfoEventArgs)

Public Class SMIMESignerCertInfoEventArgs Inherits EventArgs
  Public ReadOnly Property Issuer As String
  Public ReadOnly Property SerialNumber As String
  Public ReadOnly Property SubjectKeyIdentifier As String
  Public ReadOnly Property CertEncoded As String
  Public ReadOnly Property CertEncodedB As Byte()
End Class

Remarks

During verification, this event will be raised while parsing the signer's certificate information. The parameters that are populated depend on the options used when the message was originally signed. This information may be used to select the correct certificate for SignerCert to verify the signature. The following parameters may be populated:

Issuer specifies the subject of the issuer of the certificate used to sign the message.

SerialNumber is the serial number of the certificate used to sign the message.

SubjectKeyIdentifier is the X.509 subjectKeyIdentifier extension value of the certificate used to sign the message encoded as a hex string.

CertEncoded is the PEM (Base64 encoded) public certificate needed to verify the signature.

Note: When this value is present, the component will automatically use this value to perform signature verification.

The SignerCert property may be set from within this event. In this manner, the decision of which signer certificate to load may be delayed until the parameters of this event are inspected and the correct certificate can be located and loaded.

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:

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:


MY	A certificate store holding personal certificates with their associated private keys.
CA	Certifying authority certificates.
ROOT	Root 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.

Designations of certificate stores are platform dependent.

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


MY	A certificate store holding personal certificates with their associated private keys.
CA	Certifying authority certificates.
ROOT	Root certificates.

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:


0x80	Digital Signature
0x40	Non-Repudiation
0x20	Key Encipherment
0x10	Data Encipherment
0x08	Key Agreement
0x04	Certificate Signing
0x02	CRL Signing
0x01	Encipher 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:


Field	Meaning
CN	Common Name. This is commonly a hostname like www.server.com.
O	Organization
OU	Organizational Unit
L	Locality
S	State
C	Country
E	Email 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.

Constructors

C#
VB.NET

public Certificate();

Public Certificate()

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

C#
VB.NET

public Certificate(string certificateFile);

Public Certificate(ByVal CertificateFile As String)

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

C#
VB.NET

public Certificate(byte[] encoded);

Public Certificate(ByVal Encoded As Byte())

Parses Encoded as an X.509 public key.

C#
VB.NET

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.

C#
VB.NET

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)

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.

C#
VB.NET

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())

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.

C#
VB.NET

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.

C#
VB.NET

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)

C#
VB.NET

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())

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.

Header Type

This is an HTTP header as it is received from the server.

Remarks

When a header is received through a Header event, it is parsed into a Header type. This type contains a Field, and its corresponding Value.

The following fields are available:

Field

Value

Fields

Field
string
Default: ""

This field contains the name of the HTTP Header (this is the same case as it is delivered).

Value
string
Default: ""

This field contains the Header contents.

Constructors

C#
VB.NET

public Header();

Public Header()

C#
VB.NET

public Header(string field, string value);

Public Header(ByVal Field As String, ByVal Value As String)

Config Settings (SMIME 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.

SMIME Config Settings

ApplyB64Encoding: Instructs the component to base64 encode the message when signing or encrypting.

This configuration setting allows you to control the Base64 encoding of the resulting message. By default, this value is True, and the message will be Base64 encoded when signing or encrypting.

Note: When signing, this configuration setting may be used only when DetachedSignature is False.

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

This configuration setting determines whether or not the input stream set by SetInputStream is closed after processing is complete. The default value is False.

CloseOutputStreamAfterProcess: Determines whether or not the output stream is closed after processing.

This configuration setting determines whether or not the output stream set by SetOutputStream is closed after processing is complete. The default value is False.

CSP: The Cryptographic Service Provider.

For the Win32 editions, this configuration setting includes the name of the Cryptographic Service Provider used to provide access to encryption/decryption and signature operations.

Note: This configuration setting may be used only when the UseCryptoAPI is True.

GenerateSignatureTimestamp: Whether to generate timestamps in signatures.

If GenerateSignatureTimestamp is True, a timestamp will be generated and added to all signatures created by the component.

The default value is True.

IncludeHeaders: Tells the component whether to include the headers when encoding the message.

If set to True, the component will include the headers when Sign, Encrypt, or SignAndEncrypt are called. If False, only the message will be encoded.

The default value for IncludeHeaders is False.

IncludeInternalHeaders: Tells the component whether or not to include the internal headers when encoding the message.

If set to True, the component will include the internal message part headers when Sign, Encrypt, or SignAndEncrypt are called. When set to False, only the message will be encoded.

The default value for IncludeInternalHeaders is True.

InputContentTransferEncoding: Sets the Content-Transfer-Encoding for the signed message.

This configuration setting specifies the Content-Transfer-Encoding header value in signed messages. By default, the component will automatically determine the Content-Transfer-Encoding based on the file extension set in InputFile. This setting may be set to override the determined value or to specify a value if data are read from InputMessage.

If no value is specified and a value cannot be automatically determined, the default value 7bit will be used.

Note: This setting is applicable only when calling Sign or SignAndEncrypt and DetachedSignature is True.

InputContentType: Sets the Content-Type for the signed message.

This configuration setting specifies the Content-Type header value in signed messages. By default, the component will automatically determine the Content-Type based on the file extension set in InputFile. This setting may be set to override the determined value or to specify a value if data are read from InputMessage.

If no value is specified and a value cannot be automatically determined, the default value text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" will be used.

Note: This setting is applicable only when calling Sign or SignAndEncrypt and DetachedSignature is True.

InputMessageEncrypted: Whether or not the input message is encrypted.

This configuration setting will return True if the input message appears to be encrypted according to the value of InputMessageHeaders.

InputMessageSigned: Whether or not the input message is signed.

This will return true if the input message appears to be signed according to the value of InputMessageHeaders.

NormalizeCRLF: Whether or not the component will normalize line endings of the input data to CrLf.

Setting this configuration setting to True will instruct the component to normalize the line endings of the input data to CrLf prior to processing. The default value is False.

OAEPMGF1HashAlgorithm: The MGF1 hash algorithm used with OAEP.

This configuration setting specifies the MGF1 hash algorithm used when UseOAEP is set to True. The default value is SHA256. Possible values are as follows:

"SHA1"
"SHA224"
"SHA256" (default)
"SHA384"
"SHA512"
"RIPEMD160"
"MD2"
"MD5"
"MD5SHA1"

Note: This setting is not applicable when UseFIPSCompliantAPI is set to true or when the private key of the signing certificate is not exportable since the underlying system implementation does not support separate OAEPRSAHashAlgorithm and OAEPMGF1HashAlgorithm values. In this case the OAEPRSAHashAlgorithm is also used for MGF1.

OAEPParams: The hex encoded OAEP parameters.

This configuration setting optionally specifies Optimal Asymmetric Encryption Padding (OAEP) parameters to be used when UseOAEP is set to True. The specified value should be hex encoded.

OAEPRSAHashAlgorithm: The RSA hash algorithm used with OAEP.

This configuration setting specifies that RSA hash algorithm used when UseOAEP is set to True. The default value is SHA256. Possible values are as follows:

"SHA1"
"SHA224"
"SHA256" (default)
"SHA384"
"SHA512"
"RIPEMD160"
"MD2"
"MD5"
"MD5SHA1"

ParseInternalHeaders: Tells the component whether or not to parse the message part headers when decrypting a message.

If set to True, the component will parse the internal message part headers when Decrypt, or DecryptAndVerifySignature are called. These headers will be placed in the InternalHeaders property. If False, the entire message will be decoded.

The default value for ParseInternalHeaders is True.

RecipientCert: Used to specify the public certificate when using a PEM key to decrypt.

When decrypting, the component must search through the Recipient Information collection to find which encrypted key to use for decryption. Because PEM keys do not contain a serial number or any additional information about the key itself, the public key associated with this private key must be supplied.

This configuration setting may be set to the entire blob of the public certificate the component should use to select the correct recipient-encrypted key for decryption.

RecipientCertFile: Used to specify the public certificate file when using a PEM key to decrypt.

This configuration setting may be set to the file that contains the public certificate the component should use to select the correct recipient-encrypted key for decryption.

RecipientInfoType: The type of signer information to include in the signed message.

This configuration setting specifies which type of information about the recipient's encryption certificate is included in the encrypted message. Possible values are as follows:

0 (issuerAndSerialNumber - default)
1 (subjectKeyIdentifier)

Note: When subjectKeyIdentifier is selected, the recipient's encryption certificate must contain the subjectKeyIdentifier extension.

SignerInfoType: The type of signer information to include in the signed message.

This configuration setting specifies which type of information about the signer certificate is included in the signed message. Possible values are as follows:

0 (issuerAndSerialNumber - default)
1 (subjectKeyIdentifier)

Note: When subjectKeyIdentifier is selected, the signing certificate must contain the subjectKeyIdentifier extension.

UseAlgorithmOIDs: Whether OIDs are used when providing information about the algorithms.

This configuration setting controls whether the EncryptionAlgorithm parameter of the RecipientInfo event is populated with the name of the algorithm, such as 3DES or the corresponding OID such as 1.2.840.113549.3.7.

The default value is False, and the name of the algorithm is used. Set this to True to use the object identifiers instead.

UseCryptoAPI: Whether to use the Microsoft Crypto API for cryptographic message generation.

If UseCryptoAPI is set to True, the component will use the Microsoft Crypto API to process encrypted and/or signed data.

Note: Compression will be impossible in this case.

If set to False (the default), the component will use its internal S/MIME engine.

VerifyCertChain: Whether to verify the certificate chain of the certificate used to sign the message.

This configuration setting specifies whether the signer certificate used to sign the message is validated when VerifySignature is called.

If set to True, the component will verify that the issuer(s) of the signer certificate are valid and trusted on the system.

If set to False (default), the certificate chain is not validated.

Note: This setting does not affect whether the digital signature of the signed message is verified. This setting affects only whether the trust and validity of the signer certificate chain is evaluated.

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.

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 (SMIME Component)

SMIME Errors

10191	Invalid index (RecipientIndex).
10192	Message decoding error (code).
10193	Unexpected message type.
10194	Unsupported hashing/signing algorithm.
10195	The message does not have any signers.
10196	The message signature could not be verified.
10197	Could not locate a suitable decryption certificate.
10198	The signer certificate could not be found.
10199	No signing certificate was supplied for signing the message.
10201	The specified certificate was not the one required.
10202	The specified certificate could not be found.
10221	Could not acquire CSP.
10222	Type validation error.
10223	Unsupported key size.
10224	Unrecognized Content-Type object identifier.
10225	Unrecognized public key format.
10226	No choices specified.
10228	Must specify output stream.
10280	Invalid part index.
10281	Unknown MIME type.
10283	No MIME-boundary found.
10280	Error decoding certificate.