CertMgr Class

Properties   Methods   Events   Config Settings   Errors  

The CertMgr class is used to create, read, and manage certificates.

Syntax

ipworksssl.Certmgr

Remarks

The class methods, such as ListCertificateStores or ListStoreCertificates, are used to list certificate stores and certificates. The corresponding lists are returned through the StoreList and CertList events. Encoded certificates are provided through the events.

You can load a certificate by setting the Cert property of the class. Then you can get information about the certificate through the corresponding fields of the Cert property (described below).

The Subject, SerialNumber, and Issuer fields identify the certificate. The EffectiveDate and ExpirationDate show the time boundaries of the certificate.

PublicKey, PublicKeyAlgorithm, PublicKeyLength, and Version provide information about the certificate keys and the certificate format (version).

UsageFlags specifies the intended usage of the certificate. The Usage field provides a text description of these flags.

Property List


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

CertThis is the currently selected certificate.
CertExtensionsThis is a list of extensions used by the currently selected certificate.
CertStoreThis is the certificate store to search for certificates.
CertStorePasswordThis is the password for the certificate store (if any).
CertStoreTypeThis is the type of certificate store for CertStore .
ExportedCertThis is the exported certificate string.
ExportFormatThis is the format to which the certificate is exported.
ExportPrivateKeyThis controls whether to export the private key.

Method List


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

ConfigSets or retrieves a configuration setting.
CreateCertificateThis method creates a new self-signed certificate in the current store.
CreateKeyThis method creates a new keyset associated with the provided name.
DeleteCertificateThis method deletes the currently selected certificate from the store.
DeleteKeyThis method deletes the keyset associated with the provided name.
ExportCertificateThis method exports the currently selected certificate.
GenerateCSRThis method generates a new Certificate Signing Request (CSR) to be sent to a signing authority.
ImportCertificateThis method imports a certificate from a file into the current certificate store.
ImportSignedCSRThis method mports a signed Certificate Signing Request (CSR).
IssueCertificateThis creates a new certificate in the current store and is signed by the selected certificate.
ListCertificateStoresThis lists the certificate stores.
ListKeysThis lists the keysets in a Cryptographic Service Provider (CSP).
ListMachineStoresThis lists the machine certificate stores.
ListStoreCertificatesThis lists the certificates in a store.
ReadCertificateThis loads a certificate from a file.
ReadCSRThis reads a Certificate Signing Request (CSR).
ResetThis resets all certificate properties to their default values.
SaveCertificateThis method saves the currently selected public certificate to a file.
ShowCertificateChainThis shows the certificate chain.
SignCSRThis creates a signed certificate from a Certificate Signing Request (CSR).

Event List


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

CertChainThis event shows the certificate chain for the certificate (see the ShowCertificateChain method).
CertListThis event lists the certificates in a store (see the ListStoreCertificates method).
ErrorInformation about errors during data delivery.
KeyListThis lists the keysets in a Cryptographic Service Provider (CSP); see the ListKeys method.
LogThis event fires once for each log message.
StoreListThis lists the system certificate stores (see the ListCertificateStores and ListMachineStores methods).

Config Settings


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

CertCommentA comment to include in a saved certificate.
CertExtendedKeyUsageThe extended key usage of the certificate.
CertKeyLengthThe public key length for created certificates and keys.
CertKeyTypeThe types of keys created for new certificates.
CertPublicKeyAlgorithmThe public key algorithm used when a certificate is created.
CertSignatureAlgorithmThe signature algorithm used when creating certificates.
CertSubjectAltNamesSubject Alternative Names for creating or issuing certificates.
CertUsageFlagsSets the flags indicating the usage of the created certificate.
CertValidityOffsetThe number of days until the certificate becomes valid.
CertValidityTimeThe validity period for the certificate.
CheckCRLChecks the Certificate Revocation List for the selected certificate.
CheckOCSPUses OCSP to check the status of the selected certificate.
CreatedKeyThe PKCS8 formatted private and public key pair created after calling CreateKey.
CSPThe Cryptographic Service Provider.
CSRKeyThe PKCS8 formatted private key to use when generating a CSR.
EncodeExportedCertWhether the certificate being exported to a string is encoded.
HasCRLWhether the certificate supports the CRL extension.
HasOCSPWhether the certificate supports the OCSP extension.
ImportCertActionSpecified the action to take if a matching certificate or a link to a matching certificate already exists.
ImportCertStoreTypeThe type of certificate store being specified for import.
JWKAlgorithmThe JWK algorithm.
JWKExportX5CWhether to export a certificate chain to the x5c parameter.
JWKKeyIdThe JWK key Id.
JWKKeyOpsThe JWK intended key operations list.
JWKUseThe JWK use parameter value.
KeyFormatHow the public and private key are formatted.
LogLevelThe level of detail that is logged.
ReplaceKeyWhether or not to replace an existing key when creating a new key.
RequestExtendedKeyUsageThe extended key usage of the Certificate Signing Request.
RequestSubjectAltNamesSubject Alternative Names for a Certificate Signing Request.
RequestUsageFlagsSets the flags indicating the usage of the created Certificate Signing Request.
X509AlgorithmPublic Key Algorithm OID.
X509SignatureAlgorithmSignature Algorithm OID.
BuildInfoInformation about the product's build.
GUIAvailableTells the class whether or not a message loop is available for processing events.
LicenseInfoInformation about the current license.
MaskSensitiveWhether sensitive data is masked in log messages.
UseDaemonThreadsWhether threads created by the class are daemon threads.
UseFIPSCompliantAPITells the class whether or not to use FIPS certified APIs.
UseInternalSecurityAPITells the class whether or not to use the system security libraries or an internal implementation.

Cert Property (CertMgr Class)

This is the currently selected certificate.

Syntax


public Certificate getCert();


public void setCert(Certificate cert);

Remarks

This property is populated when a specified certificate is found or loaded by the class. It is used to specify private or public keys. Set this property to a valid Certificate object to load a certificate and perform different operations, such as DeleteCertificate or ExportCertificate.

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

CertExtensions Property (CertMgr Class)

This is a list of extensions used by the currently selected certificate.

Syntax


public CertExtensionList getCertExtensions();


public void setCertExtensions(CertExtensionList certExtensions);

Remarks

This property contains a list of extensions used by the currently selected certificate. When Cert is set, the class will read out any CertExtension and populate this list. This list also may be populated by the user before a call to CreateCertificate to add certificate extensions to the certificate to be created.

This property is not available at design time.

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

CertStore Property (CertMgr Class)

This is the certificate store to search for certificates.

Syntax


public byte[] getCertStore();


public void setCertStore(byte[] certStore);

Default Value

"MY"

Remarks

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

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.

In Java, the certificate store normally is a file containing certificates and optional private keys.

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

CertStorePassword Property (CertMgr Class)

This is the password for the certificate store (if any).

Syntax


public String getCertStorePassword();


public void setCertStorePassword(String certStorePassword);

Default Value

""

Remarks

The value of this property is used to open the certificate store if the certificate store requires a password.

CertStoreType Property (CertMgr Class)

This is the type of certificate store for CertStore .

Syntax


public int getCertStoreType();


public void setCertStoreType(int certStoreType);


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

Default Value

0

Remarks

The class supports both public and private keys in a variety of formats. When the cstAuto value is used, the class 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 class. 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.

ExportedCert Property (CertMgr Class)

This is the exported certificate string.

Syntax


public byte[] getExportedCert();


Default Value

""

Remarks

This property holds the exported certificate if it was not exported to a file.

When calling ExportCertificate if the CertFile parameter is an empty string, the certificate will be exported as a string and available in this property. This allows certificate data to be exported without writing any data to disk.

When ExportFormat is set to PFX or P7B, the EncodeExportedCert setting controls whether the value is binary or Base64 encoded.

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

ExportFormat Property (CertMgr Class)

This is the format to which the certificate is exported.

Syntax


public String getExportFormat();


public void setExportFormat(String exportFormat);

Default Value

"PFX"

Remarks

ExportFormat is applicable when ExportCertificate is called and may be used to specify the output format. The applicability of each format depends on whether ExportPrivateKey is set. Some formats are applicable only when exporting to a private key and some values are applicable only when exporting to a public key.

ExportFormatApplicabilityDescription
"PFX" or "PKCS12" (default) Private Keys A PFX file (PKCS12).
"PEM" Public and Private Keys

A PEM-formatted public certificate (X509/PKCS1/PKCS8), or PEM formatted private key (PKCS1/PKCS8).

When ExportPrivateKey is False the exported certificate will be a PEM formatted X509 public certificate if the certificate being exported includes X509 data. If no X509 information is present, the public key will be exported in PKCS1 public key format for RSA/DSA keys and PKCS8 public key format for ECDSA/EdDSA keys.

When ExportPrivateKey is True the exported certificate will be a PEM-formatted PKCS1 private key for RSA/DSA keys and a PEM-formatted PKCS8 private key for ECDSA/EdDSA keys.

For example, when ExportPrivateKey is False:

-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
MIIBkTCB+6ADAgECAgEBMA0GCSqGSIb3DQEBBQUAMA4xDDAKBgNVBAMTAzEwMDAgFw0wNzAx
...
Pg49SpQ+HcUibIpum2O0hmnySH7BPGfXD8Lu
-----END CERTIFICATE-----
Example when ExportPrivateKey is True:
-----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY-----
MIICWwIBAAKBgQD5/STHUd7YkN1JyoyYnUvCf+Fyx1+ZleBJxvwDcm3yaZ98bvry
...
91y8ydb3mQ9l1hZudo2sj8tHnvEgph0r7B8hMM6Qaw==
-----END RSA PRIVATE KEY-----

"PKCS1" Public and Private KeysA PEM-formatted PKCS1 key file.

For example, when ExportPrivateKey is False:

-----BEGIN RSA PUBLIC KEY-----
MIGJAoGBALAyxV5assz+9v7aHbj93NYN5uGB/1z7kb2Nx4hj02QyRYbcD4htkhK4Qcq2GCsG
...
MxW4+pdeN4oEZ6rbMZt01bvMwNRX2GDEyQBhAgMBAAE=
-----END RSA PUBLIC KEY-----
Example when ExportPrivateKey is True:
-----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY-----
MIICWwIBAAKBgQD5/STHUd7YkN1JyoyYnUvCf+Fyx1+ZleBJxvwDcm3yaZ98bvry
...
91y8ydb3mQ9l1hZudo2sj8tHnvEgph0r7B8hMM6Qaw==
-----END RSA PRIVATE KEY-----

"PKCS8" Public and Private KeysA PEM-formatted PKCS8 key file.

Example when ExportPrivateKey is False:

-----BEGIN PUBLIC KEY-----
MIGfMA0GCSqGSIb3DQEBAQUAA4GNADCBiQKBgQCxdTNtpJQbw90cq6aJEx5vRIBrAiCAB9/F
...
8UdUliXeU8UGYjVcMhGy5oPsVeBXGcPAqF2mjXdBKNnzlSlctOLnYRBS5jwRuNfTQQIDAQAB
-----END PUBLIC KEY-----
Example when ExportPrivateKey is True:
-----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY-----
MIICdQIBADANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQEFAASCAl8wggJbAgEAAoGBAPn9JMdR3tiQ3UnK
...
HSvsHyEwzpBr
-----END PRIVATE KEY-----

"OpenSSH" Public and Private KeysAn OpenSSH public or private key file.

For example, when ExportPrivateKey is False:

ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1y...
Example when ExportPrivateKey is True:
-----BEGIN OPENSSH PRIVATE KEY-----
b3BlbnNzaC1rZXktdjEAAAAABG5vbmUAAAAEbm9uZQAAAAAAAAABAAAAlwAAAAdzc2gtcnNh
...
AwQFBgcICQo=
-----END OPENSSH PRIVATE KEY-----

"PPK" Private KeysA PuTTY private key file.

For example,

PuTTY-User-Key-File-2: ssh-rsa
Encryption: none
Comment: rsa-key-20180822
Public-Lines: 4
AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAADAQABAAAAgQCmz5j5kWUKxfwiv6J0LQ4wN9ekpeORXVaP
...
8pSSWejQ5Q==
Private-Lines: 8
AAAAgH87Sp/YcSw1dKoAZuWb0/2dKkKwMRIYEkS15caRpzAteay6WWX7l1sgBTU7
...
Oa0=
Private-MAC: d53e24f44bde8d1d3844a142fbb1fa7c88ea3585

"SSH2PublicKey"Public KeysAn SSH2 public key.

For example,

---- BEGIN SSH2 PUBLIC KEY ----
AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAADAQABAAAAgQD5/STHUd7YkN1JyoyYnUvCf+Fyx1+ZleBJxvwDcm3y
...
6bVPTODELil1PVWJDlfdwoLZZKY2ACFHzxBqaOlYv1rbd2JIYAuqGca2ow==
---- END SSH2 PUBLIC KEY ----

"SSH2PrivateKey"Private KeysAn SSH2 private key.

For example,

---- BEGIN SSH2 ENCRYPTED PRIVATE KEY ----
AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAADAQABAAAAgQD5/STHUd7YkN1JyoyYnUvCf+Fyx1+ZleBJxvwDcm3y
...
6bVPTODELil1PVWJDlfdwoLZZKY2ACFHzxBqaOlYv1rbd2JIYAuqGca2ow==
---- END SSH2 ENCRYPTED PRIVATE KEY ----

"JWK"Private and Public KeysA JSON Web Key (JWK).

For example, when ExportPrivateKey is False:

{
	"kty": "EC",
	"crv": "P-256",
	"x": "M_P_uqzP43FYW-kXWlpEDlX3nPZUr1QaMllAxUnao7w",
	"y": "zRFhp7iCXYIoTgerQ4LjGPTujodlimrwIMk-3enj_1Q"
}
For example, when ExportPrivateKey is True:
{
	"kty": "EC",
	"crv": "P-256",
	"x": "M_P_uqzP43FYW-kXWlpEDlX3nPZUr1QaMllAxUnao7w",
	"y": "zRFhp7iCXYIoTgerQ4LjGPTujodlimrwIMk-3enj_1Q",
	"d": "eFBtl-uaB9Y4b-CIav5IYX4gGRFBvpBmrMOOQ7L-euI"
}

"XML"Private and Public KeysAn XML file holding the key or X509 data.

For example, when ExportPrivateKey is False:

<X509Data>
	<X509Certificate>MIIB...D8Lu</X509Certificate>
</X509Data>
For example, when ExportPrivateKey is True:
<RSAKeyValue>
	<Modulus>+f0k...tqM=</Modulus>
	<Exponent>AQAB</Exponent>
	<P>/cOnF...tGw==</P>
	<Q>/DD5...dGQ==</Q>
	<DP>d75...N0w==</DP>
	<DQ>Cyv...rKQ==</DQ>
	<InverseQ>fsB...Qaw==</InverseQ>
	<D>J7p...YJE=</D>
</RSAKeyValue>

ExportPrivateKey Property (CertMgr Class)

This controls whether to export the private key.

Syntax


public boolean isExportPrivateKey();


public void setExportPrivateKey(boolean exportPrivateKey);

Default Value

True

Remarks

This property controls whether the private key is exported when ExportCertificate is called.

If set to True (default), the private key is exported. If set to False, only the public key is exported.

Config Method (Certmgr Class)

Sets or retrieves a configuration setting.

Syntax

public String config(String configurationString);

Remarks

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

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

CreateCertificate Method (Certmgr Class)

This method creates a new self-signed certificate in the current store.

Syntax

public void createCertificate(String certSubject, int serialNumber);

Remarks

This method creates a new self-signed certificate in the current store, which contains the following:

CertSubject specifies the subject of the new certificate. A new keyset (public/private key pair) is generated and associated with the new certificate.

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.

SerialNumber specifies the certificate serial number. All certificates signed by the same issuer must have different (unique) serial numbers.

The time validity of the new certificate is determined by the CertValidityTime configuration setting, and the key size by the CertKeyLength configuration setting.

CreateKey Method (Certmgr Class)

This method creates a new keyset associated with the provided name.

Syntax

public void createKey(String keyName);

Remarks

This method will create a new keyset (public/private key pair) within the Cryptographic Service Provider (CSP) used by the class. The CSP can be set using the CSP configuration setting.

NOTE: This functionality is only available in Windows.

DeleteCertificate Method (Certmgr Class)

This method deletes the currently selected certificate from the store.

Syntax

public void deleteCertificate();

Remarks

This method will delete the selected certificate from the store. If the certificate cannot be deleted, an error is returned.

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

DeleteKey Method (Certmgr Class)

This method deletes the keyset associated with the provided name.

Syntax

public void deleteKey(String keyName);

Remarks

This method will delete the keyset (public/private key pair) associated with KeyName from the Cryptographic Service Provider (CSP). The CSP can be set using the CSP configuration setting.

NOTE: This functionality is only available in Windows.

ExportCertificate Method (Certmgr Class)

This method exports the currently selected certificate.

Syntax

public void exportCertificate(String certFile, String password);

Remarks

This method exports the certificate currently selected by Cert to the file specified by the CertFile parameter in the format specified by ExportFormat. This method may be used effectively to convert between a variety of formats.

The Password parameter specifies a password for the private key when ExportPrivateKey is set to True. Password is not applicable when ExportPrivateKey is set to False.

If CertFile is set to an empty string, the exported certificate will not be written to disk and instead will be held as a string by the ExportedCert property.

ExportFormat is applicable when ExportCertificate is called and may be used to specify the output format. The applicability of each format depends on whether ExportPrivateKey is set. Some formats are applicable only when exporting to a private key and some values are applicable only when exporting to a public key.

ExportFormatApplicabilityDescription
"PFX" or "PKCS12" (default) Private Keys A PFX file (PKCS12).
"PEM" Public and Private Keys

A PEM-formatted public certificate (X509/PKCS1/PKCS8), or PEM formatted private key (PKCS1/PKCS8).

When ExportPrivateKey is False the exported certificate will be a PEM formatted X509 public certificate if the certificate being exported includes X509 data. If no X509 information is present, the public key will be exported in PKCS1 public key format for RSA/DSA keys and PKCS8 public key format for ECDSA/EdDSA keys.

When ExportPrivateKey is True the exported certificate will be a PEM-formatted PKCS1 private key for RSA/DSA keys and a PEM-formatted PKCS8 private key for ECDSA/EdDSA keys.

For example, when ExportPrivateKey is False:

-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
MIIBkTCB+6ADAgECAgEBMA0GCSqGSIb3DQEBBQUAMA4xDDAKBgNVBAMTAzEwMDAgFw0wNzAx
...
Pg49SpQ+HcUibIpum2O0hmnySH7BPGfXD8Lu
-----END CERTIFICATE-----
Example when ExportPrivateKey is True:
-----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY-----
MIICWwIBAAKBgQD5/STHUd7YkN1JyoyYnUvCf+Fyx1+ZleBJxvwDcm3yaZ98bvry
...
91y8ydb3mQ9l1hZudo2sj8tHnvEgph0r7B8hMM6Qaw==
-----END RSA PRIVATE KEY-----

"PKCS1" Public and Private KeysA PEM-formatted PKCS1 key file.

For example, when ExportPrivateKey is False:

-----BEGIN RSA PUBLIC KEY-----
MIGJAoGBALAyxV5assz+9v7aHbj93NYN5uGB/1z7kb2Nx4hj02QyRYbcD4htkhK4Qcq2GCsG
...
MxW4+pdeN4oEZ6rbMZt01bvMwNRX2GDEyQBhAgMBAAE=
-----END RSA PUBLIC KEY-----
Example when ExportPrivateKey is True:
-----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY-----
MIICWwIBAAKBgQD5/STHUd7YkN1JyoyYnUvCf+Fyx1+ZleBJxvwDcm3yaZ98bvry
...
91y8ydb3mQ9l1hZudo2sj8tHnvEgph0r7B8hMM6Qaw==
-----END RSA PRIVATE KEY-----

"PKCS8" Public and Private KeysA PEM-formatted PKCS8 key file.

Example when ExportPrivateKey is False:

-----BEGIN PUBLIC KEY-----
MIGfMA0GCSqGSIb3DQEBAQUAA4GNADCBiQKBgQCxdTNtpJQbw90cq6aJEx5vRIBrAiCAB9/F
...
8UdUliXeU8UGYjVcMhGy5oPsVeBXGcPAqF2mjXdBKNnzlSlctOLnYRBS5jwRuNfTQQIDAQAB
-----END PUBLIC KEY-----
Example when ExportPrivateKey is True:
-----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY-----
MIICdQIBADANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQEFAASCAl8wggJbAgEAAoGBAPn9JMdR3tiQ3UnK
...
HSvsHyEwzpBr
-----END PRIVATE KEY-----

"OpenSSH" Public and Private KeysAn OpenSSH public or private key file.

For example, when ExportPrivateKey is False:

ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1y...
Example when ExportPrivateKey is True:
-----BEGIN OPENSSH PRIVATE KEY-----
b3BlbnNzaC1rZXktdjEAAAAABG5vbmUAAAAEbm9uZQAAAAAAAAABAAAAlwAAAAdzc2gtcnNh
...
AwQFBgcICQo=
-----END OPENSSH PRIVATE KEY-----

"PPK" Private KeysA PuTTY private key file.

For example,

PuTTY-User-Key-File-2: ssh-rsa
Encryption: none
Comment: rsa-key-20180822
Public-Lines: 4
AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAADAQABAAAAgQCmz5j5kWUKxfwiv6J0LQ4wN9ekpeORXVaP
...
8pSSWejQ5Q==
Private-Lines: 8
AAAAgH87Sp/YcSw1dKoAZuWb0/2dKkKwMRIYEkS15caRpzAteay6WWX7l1sgBTU7
...
Oa0=
Private-MAC: d53e24f44bde8d1d3844a142fbb1fa7c88ea3585

"SSH2PublicKey"Public KeysAn SSH2 public key.

For example,

---- BEGIN SSH2 PUBLIC KEY ----
AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAADAQABAAAAgQD5/STHUd7YkN1JyoyYnUvCf+Fyx1+ZleBJxvwDcm3y
...
6bVPTODELil1PVWJDlfdwoLZZKY2ACFHzxBqaOlYv1rbd2JIYAuqGca2ow==
---- END SSH2 PUBLIC KEY ----

"SSH2PrivateKey"Private KeysAn SSH2 private key.

For example,

---- BEGIN SSH2 ENCRYPTED PRIVATE KEY ----
AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAADAQABAAAAgQD5/STHUd7YkN1JyoyYnUvCf+Fyx1+ZleBJxvwDcm3y
...
6bVPTODELil1PVWJDlfdwoLZZKY2ACFHzxBqaOlYv1rbd2JIYAuqGca2ow==
---- END SSH2 ENCRYPTED PRIVATE KEY ----

"JWK"Private and Public KeysA JSON Web Key (JWK).

For example, when ExportPrivateKey is False:

{
	"kty": "EC",
	"crv": "P-256",
	"x": "M_P_uqzP43FYW-kXWlpEDlX3nPZUr1QaMllAxUnao7w",
	"y": "zRFhp7iCXYIoTgerQ4LjGPTujodlimrwIMk-3enj_1Q"
}
For example, when ExportPrivateKey is True:
{
	"kty": "EC",
	"crv": "P-256",
	"x": "M_P_uqzP43FYW-kXWlpEDlX3nPZUr1QaMllAxUnao7w",
	"y": "zRFhp7iCXYIoTgerQ4LjGPTujodlimrwIMk-3enj_1Q",
	"d": "eFBtl-uaB9Y4b-CIav5IYX4gGRFBvpBmrMOOQ7L-euI"
}

"XML"Private and Public KeysAn XML file holding the key or X509 data.

For example, when ExportPrivateKey is False:

<X509Data>
	<X509Certificate>MIIB...D8Lu</X509Certificate>
</X509Data>
For example, when ExportPrivateKey is True:
<RSAKeyValue>
	<Modulus>+f0k...tqM=</Modulus>
	<Exponent>AQAB</Exponent>
	<P>/cOnF...tGw==</P>
	<Q>/DD5...dGQ==</Q>
	<DP>d75...N0w==</DP>
	<DQ>Cyv...rKQ==</DQ>
	<InverseQ>fsB...Qaw==</InverseQ>
	<D>J7p...YJE=</D>
</RSAKeyValue>

ExportCertificate Example:

//Convert from PFX to PPK certmgr.Cert = new Certificate(CertStoreTypes.cstPFXFile, "..\\test.pfx", "password", "*"); certmgr.ExportPrivateKey = true; certmgr.ExportFormat = "PPK"; certmgr.ExportCertificate("..\\test.ppk", "newpassword"); //Export public certificate from PFX certmgr.Cert = new Certificate(CertStoreTypes.cstPFXFile, "..\\test.pfx", "password", "*"); certmgr.ExportPrivateKey = false; certmgr.ExportFormat = "PEM"; certmgr.ExportCertificate("..\\exported.cer", ""); //Convert .cer file to SSH2 Public Key certmgr.Cert = new Certificate("..\\exported.cer"); certmgr.ExportPrivateKey = false; certmgr.ExportFormat = "SSH2PublicKey"; certmgr.ExportCertificate("..\\ssh2.pub", "");

GenerateCSR Method (Certmgr Class)

This method generates a new Certificate Signing Request (CSR) to be sent to a signing authority.

Syntax

public String generateCSR(String certSubject, String keyName);

Remarks

This method will generate a new CSR to be sent to the signing authority. CertSubject specifies the subject of the CSR. KeyName specifies the name of the keyset (public/private key pair) to be used. If the keyset does not already exist in the Cryptographic Service Provider (CSP), the class will automatically generate one. To set the CSP, use the CSP configuration setting.

Note: Remember the name of the keyset that is used when creating a CSR. The keyset must be re-associated with the certificate after the trust authority has signed the CSR.

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.

NOTE: This functionality is only available in Windows.

ImportCertificate Method (Certmgr Class)

This method imports a certificate from a file into the current certificate store.

Syntax

public void importCertificate(String certFile, String password, String subject);

Remarks

This method will import a certificate from a file into the current certificate store.

This method imports the PFX (PKCS12) file specified by CertFile to the Java Key Store (JKS) specified by Store.

The Password parameter specifies the certificate password (if any).

Subject is optional. If empty, the first certificate in the store is loaded instead of the matching certificate.

ImportCertificate Example

//Import a PFX certmgr.ImportCertificate("..\\test.pfx", "password", "*"); //Import a public certificate (CER) certmgr.ImportCertificate("..\\test.cer", "", "*");

ImportSignedCSR Method (Certmgr Class)

This method mports a signed Certificate Signing Request (CSR).

Syntax

public void importSignedCSR(byte[] signedCSR, String keyName);

Remarks

This method will import a signed CSR. SignedCSR specifies a certificate that has been signed by a trusted authority. KeyName is the name of the keyset (public/private key pair) that was used to create the original CSR.

NOTE: This functionality is only available in Windows.

IssueCertificate Method (Certmgr Class)

This creates a new certificate in the current store and is signed by the selected certificate.

Syntax

public void issueCertificate(String certSubject, int serialNumber);

Remarks

This method creates a new certificate in the current store and is signed by the selected certificate. CertSubject specifies the subject of the new certificate. A new keyset (public/private key pair) is generated and associated with the new certificate.

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.

SerialNumber specifies the certificate serial number. All certificates signed by the same issuer must have different (unique) serial numbers.

The current certificate selected by the class will be used as the issuing certificate.

If no certificate has been selected in the current CertStore before calling this method, or if the selected certificate does not have an associated private key, the method throws an exception.

The time validity of the new certificate is determined by the CertValidityTime configuration setting, and the key size by the CertKeyLength configuration setting.

NOTE: This functionality is only available in Windows.

ListCertificateStores Method (Certmgr Class)

This lists the certificate stores.

Syntax

public String listCertificateStores();

Remarks

This method lists the system certificate stores for the current user account. The results are provided through the StoreList event.

The same information is also returned upon method completion as a set of lines and is given one per certificate store name.

NOTE: This functionality is only available in Windows.

ListKeys Method (Certmgr Class)

This lists the keysets in a Cryptographic Service Provider (CSP).

Syntax

public String listKeys();

Remarks

This method lists the keys (public/private key pairs) in a CSP. The results are provided through the KeyList event.

The same information is also returned upon method completion as a set of lines and is given one per key, with each line containing the following information separated by Tab characters: KeyContainer, KeyType, AlgId, and KeyLen.

NOTE: This functionality is only available in Windows.

ListMachineStores Method (Certmgr Class)

This lists the machine certificate stores.

Syntax

public String listMachineStores();

Remarks

This method behaves the same as the ListCertificateStores method, but it lists the certificate stores in the machine account (under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE in the registry).

NOTE: This functionality is only available in Windows.

ListStoreCertificates Method (Certmgr Class)

This lists the certificates in a store.

Syntax

public String listStoreCertificates();

Remarks

This method lists the certificates in a store. The results are provided through the CertList event.

The same information is also returned upon method completion as a set of lines and is given one per certificate, with each line containing the following information separated by Tab characters: CertSubject, CertIssuer, CertSerialNumber, and HasPrivateKey (as "1" or "0").

ReadCertificate Method (Certmgr Class)

This loads a certificate from a file.

Syntax

public void readCertificate(String fileName);

Remarks

Note: This method is present for backward compatibility. It is recommended to specify the Cert property to load a certificate.

This method will load a certificate from a file. The file contents can be encoded in Base64 PEM or ASN DER format.

ReadCSR Method (Certmgr Class)

This reads a Certificate Signing Request (CSR).

Syntax

public String readCSR(String CSR);

Remarks

This method reads a CSR and returns a string holding information about the CSR. The Cert property is also populated with relevant information about the CSR, including the following:

The method accepts the CSR parameter as either a Base64-encoded string PEM or a path to a file.

The return value will be in the following format:

Certificate Request:
    Data:
        Version: 0 (0x0)
        Subject: C=AU, S=Some-State, O=Internet Widgits Pty Ltd
        Subject Public Key Info:
            Public Key Algorithm: X957_DSA (1.2.840.10040.4.1)
                Public-Key: (0 bit)
                pub:
                    02:82:01:00:66:70:68:60:08:63:bc:ff:26:62:77:74:
                    f6:b8:a8:11:f4:2c:5d:a1:79:b9:8e:ea:30:2e:6b:5a:
                    1b:35:39:24:91:1b:c1:ba:49:a0:c5:af:47:6e:73:0a:
                    f3:f6:6b:99:94:21:32:e5:24:b3:a8:a4:85:93:84:26:
                    e8:5c:4a:5d:2e:5e:82:df:ab:cc:e5:8d:51:ac:45:c2:
                    09:e5:21:f1:ce:c9:a0:3d:1d:7a:ab:fa:dd:d6:56:a8:
                    b2:61:26:8e:27:83:36:8a:0c:9b:cb:61:1a:b5:63:95:
                    ef:a5:bd:f2:8e:a7:fc:ca:d2:81:87:a5:6a:88:03:2e:
                    ca:fb:24:fa:d0:df:8a:2e:a9:e0:31:fc:57:e1:02:ca:
                    ee:99:01:d2:a5:33:34:47:92:b3:8b:31:f5:f1:1d:bf:
                    eb:07:70:71:6f:d1:c0:4c:0a:9d:99:af:ae:7e:bc:85:
                    e4:d2:22:1c:38:4b:60:e8:31:4d:f7:10:06:10:03:55:
                    f5:af:ba:a9:53:a5:9b:ae:d1:f8:38:34:80:e4:1c:9e:
                    06:8d:cc:39:3e:b2:e9:32:82:85:d2:d0:ed:b2:8e:d6:
                    6f:96:87:08:62:cc:9e:d3:75:76:b5:85:31:c6:a4:94:
                    59:15:ec:de:70:5a:34:2c:ff:27:ad:fc:14:01:e6:39:
                    8a:c9:91:3e:
                P:
                    00:dc:a6:15:cc:1a:e1:44:16:dc:a8:68:a4:18:9a:ab:
                    bf:5d:bf:b7:d1:5e:38:5f:b6:0e:21:ef:df:83:6a:5c:
                    31:f0:c9:07:3c:13:2c:9c:32:d0:89:76:2b:80:ad:3f:
                    6b:5d:5a:1d:69:31:f5:80:d5:65:ba:b5:28:a3:38:ba:
                    93:25:c4:fc:93:99:a2:00:5d:5e:c6:1b:f2:63:f0:24:
                    72:52:b4:49:97:19:93:fe:47:bf:9e:2e:54:d1:8a:b9:
                    09:8d:54:e8:de:31:e8:0d:21:b0:81:b2:f5:bd:38:3c:
                    15:02:d6:c1:aa:ab:17:8f:a8:f8:1f:1b:34:09:85:75:
                    3d:6e:28:2d:72:af:47:fd:ae:c4:f3:78:53:d7:07:a7:
                    c4:72:35:2d:6b:9e:42:08:1d:46:c9:38:d2:53:27:63:
                    a2:1d:be:11:9f:dd:9d:5b:e4:ad:fa:71:30:61:84:60:
                    a0:bf:bd:3a:51:b4:b5:1e:48:26:36:66:9e:52:f9:70:
                    35:e3:38:53:2e:90:ed:9f:0f:9d:67:b9:57:dd:53:e6:
                    ca:92:58:40:6d:15:e4:ae:2e:16:74:33:ed:48:90:15:
                    30:b7:fd:47:58:91:d5:c5:e2:3b:1f:1d:3b:a7:59:40:
                    2e:22:1a:9a:89:1b:31:a2:6f:cf:4c:a1:3b:93:ed:8a:
                    11:
                Q:
                    00:e3:ae:12:04:80:be:0f:d4:78:ef:02:27:26:b3:64:
                    6d:2b:e0:c9:da:15:00:a9:9c:45:6d:e6:44:ef:dd:75:
                    71:
                G:
                    18:fb:52:54:fe:bc:54:9e:17:a9:51:a1:e0:b9:6a:ab:
                    48:0e:06:60:f3:cd:fd:3c:14:9a:a0:35:d1:33:d4:d8:
                    b4:ee:ce:0b:5c:c7:60:24:e8:39:17:d8:75:13:90:44:
                    f5:f6:ef:50:cd:b4:af:66:90:f7:00:13:66:2f:ea:e2:
                    29:39:cd:a4:16:20:df:00:fd:53:6d:02:8b:4f:09:a5:
                    7f:72:7c:28:c8:70:2a:85:49:a1:65:36:66:91:52:e7:
                    14:b1:b8:b9:79:39:a6:d5:f8:b9:cd:ce:af:2d:88:66:
                    b5:d9:bb:9e:60:c8:9e:82:b4:3f:ff:23:37:4b:20:e4:
                    88:b0:d4:6e:b7:b5:8c:e6:98:cb:88:c2:6e:10:46:af:
                    44:0f:53:22:c2:fb:80:d3:30:05:c0:a6:4b:f8:e0:08:
                    3e:69:b6:17:b1:7d:2f:8f:07:66:9c:e5:94:3f:fc:ea:
                    f9:6c:9d:49:7c:91:f3:5a:92:b4:a7:b9:dc:42:7d:1a:
                    b0:99:ad:6d:b8:d9:03:6e:40:13:1c:3e:e2:80:f5:a1:
                    da:75:49:29:be:36:ad:78:74:46:0d:00:e9:6d:bf:8c:
                    65:50:4c:ad:ba:a7:1c:ac:5a:13:9e:d6:6a:3a:9f:cb:
                    1f:7d:5d:e2:3e:79:22:c2:56:c8:70:74:53:9a:4e:6c:
        Attributes:

    Signature Algorithm: 2.16.840.1.101.3.4.3.2 (2.16.840.1.101.3.4.3.2)
        00:30:44:02:20:42:00:86:14:2d:70:71:1b:77:b4:f0:
        ae:32:76:7b:1d:71:98:a2:70:69:4c:a9:e6:c1:9b:ad:
        df:af:a3:30:10:02:20:12:8f:ed:0b:1e:d5:f6:84:24:
        a9:fe:bc:45:75:eb:02:62:13:07:2c:ae:3f:ce:f3:da:
        95:25:47:97:bf:a6:9e:

Reset Method (Certmgr Class)

This resets all certificate properties to their default values.

Syntax

public void reset();

Remarks

This method will reset all certificate properties to their default values. If a certificate and a private key are selected or a certificate store is opened, both are released upon calling this method.

SaveCertificate Method (Certmgr Class)

This method saves the currently selected public certificate to a file.

Syntax

public void saveCertificate(String fileName);

Remarks

Note: This method is present for backward compatibility. It is recommended to use ExportCertificate to export both public and private certificates and keys.

This method saves the public certificate of the currently selected certificate in Base64 PEM format to the location specified by the FileName parameter.

If the destination file exists, it is overwritten.

ShowCertificateChain Method (Certmgr Class)

This shows the certificate chain.

Syntax

public String showCertificateChain();

Remarks

This method shows the certificate chain for the certificate. The results are provided through the CertChain event.

The same information is also returned upon method completion as a set of lines and is given one per key, with each line containing the following information separated by Tab characters: CertSubject, CertIssuer, CertSerialNumber, TrustStatus, and TrustInfo.

NOTE: This functionality is only available in Windows.

SignCSR Method (Certmgr Class)

This creates a signed certificate from a Certificate Signing Request (CSR).

Syntax

public String signCSR(byte[] CSR, int serialNumber);

Remarks

This method will create a signed certificate from a CSR. CSR specifies the CSR to be signed.

SerialNumber specifies the certificate serial number. All certificates signed by the same issuer must have different (unique) serial numbers.

The time validity of the new certificate is determined by the CertValidityTime configuration setting, and the key size is determined by the CertKeyLength configuration setting.

NOTE: This functionality is only available in Windows.

CertChain Event (Certmgr Class)

This event shows the certificate chain for the certificate (see the ShowCertificateChain method).

Syntax

public class DefaultCertmgrEventListener implements CertmgrEventListener {
  ...
  public void certChain(CertmgrCertChainEvent e) {}
  ...
}

public class CertmgrCertChainEvent {
  public byte[] certEncoded;
  public String certSubject;
  public String certIssuer;
  public String certSerialNumber;
  public int trustStatus;
  public int trustInfo;
}

Remarks

This event is fired for every certificate in the certificate chain of the certificate assigned to the class.

The TrustStatus parameter contains information about the trust status of the entire certificate chain. A value of 0 signifies that the security subsystem has verified the certificate. Other values are combinations of one or more of the following flags:

0x00000001This certificate or one of the certificates in the certificate chain is not time valid.
0x00000002Certificates in the chain are not properly time nested.
0x00000004Trust for this certificate or one of the certificates in the certificate chain has been revoked.
0x00000008This certificate or one of the certificates in the certificate chain does not have a valid signature.
0x00000010The certificate or the certificate chain is not valid for its proposed usage.
0x00000020The certificate or certificate chain is based on an untrusted root.
0x00000040The revocation status of the certificate or one of the certificates in the certificate chain is unknown.
0x00000080One of the certificates in the chain was issued by a certification authority that the original certificate had certified.
0x00010000The certificate chain is not complete.
0x00020000A certificate trust list (CTL) used to create this chain was not time valid.
0x00040000A CTL used to create this chain did not have a valid signature.
0x00080000A CTL used to create this chain is not valid for this usage.

The TrustInfo parameter contains additional information about the status of the entire certificate chain. It is a combination of one or more of the following flags:

0x00000001An exact match issuer certificate has been found for this certificate.
0x00000002A key match issuer certificate has been found for this certificate.
0x00000004A name match issuer certificate has been found for this certificate.
0x00000008This certificate is self-signed.
0x00010000The certificate chain created is a complex chain.

The CertSubject and CertIssuer parameters contain the distinguished names of the certificate owner and issuer, respectively.

CertList Event (Certmgr Class)

This event lists the certificates in a store (see the ListStoreCertificates method).

Syntax

public class DefaultCertmgrEventListener implements CertmgrEventListener {
  ...
  public void certList(CertmgrCertListEvent e) {}
  ...
}

public class CertmgrCertListEvent {
  public byte[] certEncoded;
  public String certSubject;
  public String certIssuer;
  public String certSerialNumber;
  public boolean hasPrivateKey;
}

Remarks

The CertSubject and CertIssuer parameters contain distinguished names of the certificate owner and issuer, respectively. The HasPrivateKey flag shows whether the private key for the certificate is available in the system.

The StoreList event and the ListCertificateStores and ListMachineStores methods are used to list the certificate stores in the system.

Error Event (Certmgr Class)

Information about errors during data delivery.

Syntax

public class DefaultCertmgrEventListener implements CertmgrEventListener {
  ...
  public void error(CertmgrErrorEvent e) {}
  ...
}

public class CertmgrErrorEvent {
  public int errorCode;
  public String description;
}

Remarks

The Error event is fired in case of exceptional conditions during message processing. Normally the class 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.

KeyList Event (Certmgr Class)

This lists the keysets in a Cryptographic Service Provider (CSP); see the ListKeys method.

Syntax

public class DefaultCertmgrEventListener implements CertmgrEventListener {
  ...
  public void keyList(CertmgrKeyListEvent e) {}
  ...
}

public class CertmgrKeyListEvent {
  public String keyContainer;
  public int keyType;
  public String algId;
  public int keyLen;
}

Remarks

The KeyContainer parameter is the name used to identify the keyset (public/private key pair) when it was first created.

KeyType shows the key type: 1 for key exchange (encryption) keys, and 2 for digital signature keys.

KeyLen shows the length of the public key (in bits).

Log Event (Certmgr Class)

This event fires once for each log message.

Syntax

public class DefaultCertmgrEventListener implements CertmgrEventListener {
  ...
  public void log(CertmgrLogEvent e) {}
  ...
}

public class CertmgrLogEvent {
  public int logLevel;
  public String message;
  public String logType;
}

Remarks

This event fires once for each log message generated by the class. The verbosity is controlled by the LogLevel setting.

LogLevel indicates the level of message. Possible values are as follows:

0 (None) No events are logged.
1 (Info - default) Informational events are logged.
2 (Verbose) Detailed data are logged.
3 (Debug) Debug data are logged.

Message is the log entry.

LogType identifies the type of log entry.

StoreList Event (Certmgr Class)

This lists the system certificate stores (see the ListCertificateStores and ListMachineStores methods).

Syntax

public class DefaultCertmgrEventListener implements CertmgrEventListener {
  ...
  public void storeList(CertmgrStoreListEvent e) {}
  ...
}

public class CertmgrStoreListEvent {
  public String certStore;
}

Remarks

The CertStore parameter contains the name of the certificate store being listed.

The CertList event and the ListStoreCertificates method are used to list the certificates in the store.

CertExtension Type

This represents an extension for a certificate.

Remarks

A CertExtension represents an extension that adds to or modifies an X509 Certificate. Certificate extensions are defined by their ASN.1 Object-Identifier (OID). The Value field contains the raw data of the extension, which is usually ASN.1 encoded.

Fields

Critical
boolean (read-only)

Default Value: False

This field specifies whether or not the extension is defined as critical.

OID
String (read-only)

Default Value: ""

This field contains the ASN.1 Object-Identifier (OID) that defines this certificate extension.

Value
String (read-only)

Default Value: ""

This field contains the raw value of the certificate extension. This value is encoded according to the extension's ASN.1 specification and should contain everything following the OID. The following example is provided for clarity.

The example will

  • Add a sequence of basicConstraints indicating the holder of this certificate may not act as a CA.
  • Add a sequence of cRLDistributionPoints showing where to get CRLs.
Certmgr mgr = new Certmgr(); mgr.Cert = new Certificate(CertStoreTypes.cstPFXFile, @"C:\signingcert.pfx", "password", "*"); mgr.CertExtensions.Clear(); mgr.Config("CertUsageFlags=0xA0"); //Key Encryption and Digital Signatures mgr.Config("CertExtendedKeyUsage=1.3.6.1.5.5.7.3.1,1.3.6.1.5.5.7.3.2"); //Server and Client authentication (respectively) mgr.Config("CertValidityTime=10000"); Netcode nc = new Netcode(); nc.Format = NetcodeFormats.fmtHex; // Set basicConstraints to be an end-entity. // Below is the hex-encoded value broken down. // 30 // Tag = sequence // 03 // Length // 01 // Tag = boolean // 01 // Length // 00 // False (not a CA) // Convert hex string to byte[] nc.EncodedData = "3003010100"; nc.Decode(); string oid = "2.5.29.19"; // basicConstraints byte[] value = nc.DecodedDataB; bool critical = false; CertExtension basicConstraints = new CertExtension(oid, value, critical); mgr.CertExtensions.Add(basicConstraints); // Add one point: http://www.nsoftware.com/dummy/MyCA.crl // Below is the hex-encoded value broken down. // 30 // Tag = sequence // 2F // Length // 30 // Tag = DistributionPoint // 2D // Length // A0 // Tag = DistributionPointName // 2B // Length // A0 // Tag = GeneralNames // 29 // Length // 86 // Tag = GeneralName // 27 // Length // 687474703A2F2F7777772E6E736F6674776172652E636F6D2F64756D6D792F4D7943412E63726C // URL // Convert hex string to byte[] nc.EncodedData = "302F302DA02BA0298627687474703A2F2F7777772E6E736F6674776172652E636F6D2F64756D6D792F4D7943412E63726C"; nc.Decode(); oid = "2.5.29.31"; // cRLDistributionPoints value = nc.DecodedDataB; critical = false; CertExtension crlDistributionPoints = new CertExtension(oid, value, critical); mgr.CertExtensions.Add(crlDistributionPoints); mgr.IssueCertificate("CN=www.petsbymatilda.com", 123); Console.WriteLine(mgr.Cert.Encoded);

ValueB
byte[] (read-only)

Default Value: ""

This field contains the raw value of the certificate extension. This value is encoded according to the extension's ASN.1 specification and should contain everything following the OID. The following example is provided for clarity.

The example will

  • Add a sequence of basicConstraints indicating the holder of this certificate may not act as a CA.
  • Add a sequence of cRLDistributionPoints showing where to get CRLs.
Certmgr mgr = new Certmgr(); mgr.Cert = new Certificate(CertStoreTypes.cstPFXFile, @"C:\signingcert.pfx", "password", "*"); mgr.CertExtensions.Clear(); mgr.Config("CertUsageFlags=0xA0"); //Key Encryption and Digital Signatures mgr.Config("CertExtendedKeyUsage=1.3.6.1.5.5.7.3.1,1.3.6.1.5.5.7.3.2"); //Server and Client authentication (respectively) mgr.Config("CertValidityTime=10000"); Netcode nc = new Netcode(); nc.Format = NetcodeFormats.fmtHex; // Set basicConstraints to be an end-entity. // Below is the hex-encoded value broken down. // 30 // Tag = sequence // 03 // Length // 01 // Tag = boolean // 01 // Length // 00 // False (not a CA) // Convert hex string to byte[] nc.EncodedData = "3003010100"; nc.Decode(); string oid = "2.5.29.19"; // basicConstraints byte[] value = nc.DecodedDataB; bool critical = false; CertExtension basicConstraints = new CertExtension(oid, value, critical); mgr.CertExtensions.Add(basicConstraints); // Add one point: http://www.nsoftware.com/dummy/MyCA.crl // Below is the hex-encoded value broken down. // 30 // Tag = sequence // 2F // Length // 30 // Tag = DistributionPoint // 2D // Length // A0 // Tag = DistributionPointName // 2B // Length // A0 // Tag = GeneralNames // 29 // Length // 86 // Tag = GeneralName // 27 // Length // 687474703A2F2F7777772E6E736F6674776172652E636F6D2F64756D6D792F4D7943412E63726C // URL // Convert hex string to byte[] nc.EncodedData = "302F302DA02BA0298627687474703A2F2F7777772E6E736F6674776172652E636F6D2F64756D6D792F4D7943412E63726C"; nc.Decode(); oid = "2.5.29.31"; // cRLDistributionPoints value = nc.DecodedDataB; critical = false; CertExtension crlDistributionPoints = new CertExtension(oid, value, critical); mgr.CertExtensions.Add(crlDistributionPoints); mgr.IssueCertificate("CN=www.petsbymatilda.com", 123); Console.WriteLine(mgr.Cert.Encoded);

Constructors

public CertExtension( oid,  value,  critical);



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.

Fields

EffectiveDate
String (read-only)

Default Value: ""

This is the date on which this certificate becomes valid. Before this date, it is not valid. The following example illustrates the format of an encoded date:

23-Jan-2000 15:00:00.

Encoded
String

Default Value: ""

This is 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 Value: ""

This is 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.

ExpirationDate
String (read-only)

Default Value: ""

This is the date the certificate expires. After this date, the certificate will no longer be valid. The following example illustrates the format of an encoded date:

23-Jan-2001 15:00:00.

ExtendedKeyUsage
String

Default Value: ""

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

Fingerprint
String (read-only)

Default Value: ""

This is 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 Value: ""

This is 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 Value: ""

This is 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 Value: ""

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

KeyPassword
String

Default Value: ""

This is the password for the certificate's private key (if any).

Some certificate stores may individually protect certificates' private keys, separate from the standard protection offered by the StorePassword. KeyPassword. This field can be used to read such password-protected private keys.

Note: this property defaults to the value of StorePassword. To clear it, you must set the property to the empty string (""). It can be set at any time, but when the private key's password is different from the store's password, then it must be set before calling PrivateKey.

PrivateKey
String (read-only)

Default Value: ""

This is 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
boolean (read-only)

Default Value: False

This field shows 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 Value: ""

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

PublicKey
String (read-only)

Default Value: ""

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

PublicKeyAlgorithm
String

Default Value: ""

This field contains 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 Value: 0

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

SerialNumber
String (read-only)

Default Value: ""

This is 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 Value: ""

The field contains 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 Value: "MY"

This is 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.

In Java, the certificate store normally is a file containing certificates and optional private keys.

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

StoreB
byte[]

Default Value: "MY"

This is 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.

In Java, the certificate store normally is a file containing certificates and optional private keys.

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

StorePassword
String

Default Value: ""

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

StoreType
int

Default Value: 0

This is the type of certificate store for this certificate.

The class supports both public and private keys in a variety of formats. When the cstAuto value is used, the class 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 class. 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.

Subject
String

Default Value: ""

This is 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.

SubjectAltNames
String (read-only)

Default Value: ""

This field contains comma-separated lists of alternative subject names for the certificate.

ThumbprintMD5
String (read-only)

Default Value: ""

This field contains 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 Value: ""

This field contains 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 Value: ""

This field contains 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

Default Value: ""

This field contains the text description of UsageFlags.

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

  • Digital Signatures
  • Key Authentication
  • Key Encryption
  • Data Encryption
  • Key Agreement
  • Certificate Signing
  • Key Signing

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

UsageFlags
int

Default Value: 0

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

0x80Digital Signatures
0x40Key Authentication (Non-Repudiation)
0x20Key Encryption
0x10Data Encryption
0x08Key Agreement
0x04Certificate Signing
0x02Key Signing

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 Value: ""

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

Constructors

public Certificate();

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

public Certificate( certificateFile);

Opens CertificateFile and reads out the contents as an X509 public key.

public Certificate( certificateData);

Parses CertificateData as an X509 public key.

public Certificate( certStoreType,  store,  storePassword,  subject);

CertStoreType identifies the type of certificate store to use. See StoreType 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 class will attempt to find the certificate identified by Subject . This can be either a complete or a substring match of the X509 certificate's subject Distinguished Name (DN).

public Certificate( certStoreType,  store,  storePassword,  subject,  configurationString);

CertStoreType identifies the type of certificate store to use. See StoreType 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 CyrptoAPI option. The default value is True (the key is persisted). "Thumbprint" - a MD5, SHA1, or SHA256 thumbprint of the certificate to load. When specified, this value is used to select the certificate in the store. This is applicable to 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 class will attempt to find the certificate identified by Subject . This can be either a complete or a substring match of the X509 certificate's subject Distinguished Name (DN).

public Certificate( certStoreType,  store,  storePassword,  encoded);

CertStoreType identifies the type of certificate store to use. See StoreType 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 class will load Encoded as an X509 certificate and search the opened store for a corresponding private key.

public Certificate( certStoreType,  storeBlob,  storePassword,  subject);

CertStoreType identifies the type of certificate store to use. See StoreType for descriptions of the different certificate stores. StoreBlob is a string (binary- or base64-encoded) containing the certificate data. StorePassword is the password used to protect the store. After the store has been successfully opened, the class will attempt to find the certificate identified by Subject . This can be either a complete or a substring match of the X509 certificate's subject Distinguished Name (DN).

public Certificate( certStoreType,  storeBlob,  storePassword,  subject,  configurationString);

CertStoreType identifies the type of certificate store to use. See StoreType for descriptions of the different certificate stores. StoreBlob is a string (binary- or base64-encoded) containing the certificate data. StorePassword is the password used to protect the store. After the store has been successfully opened, the class will attempt to find the certificate identified by Subject . This can be either a complete or a substring match of the X509 certificate's subject Distinguished Name (DN).

public Certificate( certStoreType,  storeBlob,  storePassword,  encoded);

CertStoreType identifies the type of certificate store to use. See StoreType for descriptions of the different certificate stores. Store is a string (binary- or base64-encoded) containing the certificate store. StorePassword is the password used to protect the store. After the store has been successfully opened, the class will load Encoded as an X509 certificate and search the opened store for a corresponding private key.

Config Settings (Certmgr Class)

The class 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 class, access to these internal properties is provided through the Config method.

CertMgr Config Settings

CertComment:   A comment to include in a saved certificate.

This settings specifies the certificate comment when calling ExportCertificate. This setting is applicable only when ExportFormat is set to one of the following values:

When ExportFormat is set to SSH2PublicKey, the value of this setting must be the full header (e.g., Comment: My Comment).
CertExtendedKeyUsage:   The extended key usage of the certificate.

This setting specifies the extended key usage flags of the certificate created by calling CreateCertificate or IssueCertificate. If specified, the value is a comma-separated list of OIDs. Common OIDs are as follows:

1.3.6.1.5.5.7.3.1 Server Authentication
1.3.6.1.5.5.7.3.2 Client Authentication
1.3.6.1.5.5.7.3.3 Code Signing
1.3.6.1.5.5.7.3.4 Secure Email
1.3.6.1.5.5.7.3.8 Time Stamping
1.3.6.1.5.5.7.3.9 OCSP Signing

For instance, the following value specified the extended key usage for Server Authentication, Client Authentication, and Code Signing: 1.3.6.1.5.5.7.3.1, 1.3.6.1.5.5.7.3.2, and 1.3.6.1.5.5.7.3.3

CertKeyLength:   The public key length for created certificates and keys.

When CreateCertificate creates a new certificate and associated key, or when CreateKey creates a key, this setting determines the length of the new public key (in bits). The default value is 2048.

CertKeyType:   The types of keys created for new certificates.

When CreateCertificate creates a new certificate and associated key, or when CreateKey creates a key, this setting determines the type of key generated: 1 for key exchange (encryption) keys, and 2 for digital signature keys. The default value is 1.

CertPublicKeyAlgorithm:   The public key algorithm used when a certificate is created.

When CreateCertificate creates a new certificate and associated key, this setting determines the public key algorithm of the generated keys. Following are the valid values:

  • RSA (default)
  • DSA
  • ECDSA_P256
  • ECDSA_P384
  • ECDSA_P521
  • ECDSA_Secp256k1
  • ECDSA_Secp224k1
  • ECDSA_Secp192k1
  • ECDSA_Secp160k1
  • ECDSA_BRAINPOOLP160R1
  • ECDSA_BRAINPOOLP192R1
  • ECDSA_BRAINPOOLP224R1
  • ECDSA_BRAINPOOLP256R1
  • ECDSA_BRAINPOOLP320R1
  • ECDSA_BRAINPOOLP384R1
  • ECDSA_BRAINPOOLP512R1
  • ECDSA_BRAINPOOLP160T1
  • ECDSA_BRAINPOOLP192T1
  • ECDSA_BRAINPOOLP224T1
  • ECDSA_BRAINPOOLP256T1
  • ECDSA_BRAINPOOLP320T1
  • ECDSA_BRAINPOOLP384T1
  • ECDSA_BRAINPOOLP512T1
  • Ed25519
  • Ed448

CertSignatureAlgorithm:   The signature algorithm used when creating certificates.

When CreateCertificate or IssueCertificate creates a new certificate, the signature algorithm used is specified by this setting. Following are the possible values:

  • MD2
  • MD5
  • SHA1
  • SHA256 (default)
  • SHA384
  • SHA512

CertSubjectAltNames:   Subject Alternative Names for creating or issuing certificates.

This allows the Subject Alternative Names extension to be specified when creating or issuing a certificate via CreateCertificate or IssueCertificate. This setting only supports email, DNS, URI, and IPv4 addresses. Separate alternative names should be separated by commas. For example:

string altNames = "email:copy,dns:domain.com,dns.1:other.domain.com,uri:http://www.domain.com,ip:192.168.1.102"

CertUsageFlags:   Sets the flags indicating the usage of the created certificate.

This setting specifies the usage flags of the certificate created by calling CreateCertificate or IssueCertificate. If specified, the value is the binary or one or more of the supported values. For instance a value of 12 or 0xC is the binary or is one of the Certificate Signing and Key Signing usage flags. Following are the supported flags:

0x80 Digital Signatures
0x40 Key Authentication
0x20 Key Encryption
0x10 Data Encryption
0x08 Key Agreement
0x04 Certificate Signing
0x02 Key Signing
CertValidityOffset:   The number of days until the certificate becomes valid.

This configuration setting can be used to change when a newly created certificate becomes valid. By default, the certificate is valid as soon as it is created. Set CertValidityOffset to the number of days that this starting period should be offset from the current day. This setting also accepts negative values for back-dating the validity of a certificate. The default value is 0.

CertValidityTime:   The validity period for the certificate.

This configuration setting determines the duration in days that a newly created certificate remains valid. The certificate becomes valid as soon as it is created, unless CertValidityOffset is set. The duration is not changed if CertValidityOffset is set; the certificate will still expire CertValidityTime days after the validity period begins. The default value is 365 days.

CheckCRL:   Checks the Certificate Revocation List for the selected certificate.

When queried, this setting will check the Certificate Revocation List specified by the currently loaded Cert. The class will first obtain the list of CRL URLs from the certificate's CRL distribution points extension. The class will then make HTTP requests to each CRL endpoint to check the validity of the certificate. If the certificate has been revoked or any other issues are found during validation the class throws an exception.

This configuration setting is only supported in the Java, C#, and C++ editions. In the C++ edition, it is only supported on Windows operating systems.

CheckOCSP:   Uses OCSP to check the status of the selected certificate.

When queried, the class will use OCSP to check the validity of the currently loaded Cert. The class will first obtain the OCSP URL from the certificate's OCSP extension. The class will then locate the issuing certificate and make an HTTP request to the OCSP endpoint to check the validity of the certificate. If the certificate has been revoked or any other issues are found during validation the class throws an exception.

This configuration setting is only supported in the Java, C#, and C++ editions. In the C++ edition, it is only supported on Windows operating systems.

CreatedKey:   The PKCS8 formatted private and public key pair created after calling CreateKey.

This setting returns the PKCS8 formatted private and public key pair of the key created when CreateKey is called. This is useful in scenarios where exporting the key for use in another environment is required.

CSP:   The Cryptographic Service Provider.

The name of the Cryptographic Service Provider used to provide access to certificate signing operations.

CSRKey:   The PKCS8 formatted private key to use when generating a CSR.

This setting optionally specifies a PKCS8 formatted private key to use when calling GenerateCSR. When set, the keyName parameter of GenerateCSR is ignored and the key specified by this setting is used instead.

EncodeExportedCert:   Whether the certificate being exported to a string is encoded.

This setting controls whether the certificate exported as a string when ExportCertificate is called is encoded. If ExportFormat is set to PFX or P7B before calling ExportCertificate the exported certificate may be binary (EncodeExportedCert is False), or base64 encoded (EncodeExportedCert is True) to allow easier handling of the certificate data.

The default value is False.

HasCRL:   Whether the certificate supports the CRL extension.

This setting returns true if the currently loaded Cert supports the CRL extension.

This configuration setting is only supported in the Java, C#, and C++ editions. In the C++ edition, it is only supported on Windows operating systems.

HasOCSP:   Whether the certificate supports the OCSP extension.

This setting returns true if the currently loaded Cert supports the OCSP extension.

This configuration setting is only supported in the Java, C#, and C++ editions. In the C++ edition, it is only supported on Windows operating systems.

ImportCertAction:   Specified the action to take if a matching certificate or a link to a matching certificate already exists.

When calling ImportCertificate if a matching certificate or a link to a matching certificate already exists in the Windows certificate store this setting governs what action will be taken. Possible values are:

1CERT_STORE_ADD_NEW - Imports a certificate only if no existing certificate is present.
2CERT_STORE_ADD_USE_EXISTING - If an existing certificate is found, it is not replaced.
3 (default)CERT_STORE_ADD_REPLACE_EXISTING - If an existing certificate is found it is replaced.
4CERT_STORE_ADD_ALWAYS - No checks are performed and a new certificate is always added to the store. This can result in duplicates.
5CERT_STORE_ADD_REPLACE_EXISTING_INHERIT_PROPERTIES - If an existing certificate is found it is replaced, and the new certificate inherits properties from the certificate it replaces.
6CERT_STORE_ADD_NEWER - Imports a certificate only if the certificate is newer than an existing matching certificate.
7CERT_STORE_ADD_NEWER_INHERIT_PROPERTIES - Imports a certificate only if the certificate is newer than an existing matching certificate, and inherits the properties of old certificate it replaces.
ImportCertStoreType:   The type of certificate store being specified for import.

When calling ImportCertificate, this setting controls the type of the certificate being specified in the first parameter.

This config can take one of the following values:

2 (cstPFXFile)The certificate store is the name of a PFX (PKCS12) file containing certificates.
3 (cstPFXBlob)The certificate store is a string (binary or base64-encoded) representing a certificate store in PFX (PKCS12) format.
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.
13 (cstSSHPublicKeyFile)The certificate store is the name of a file that contains an SSH-style public key.
99 (cstAuto - default)The certificate type is automatically determined from the input.
Note that this functionality is currently for Windows platforms only.

JWKAlgorithm:   The JWK algorithm.

This setting specifies the JWK algorithm. It can be set before calling ExportCertificate (if ExportFormat is set to JWK) to control the key algorithm used to create the JWK. This setting will also be populated after loading a JWK file.

Valid values are:

  • (empty string)
  • HS256
  • HS384
  • HS512
  • RS256
  • RS384
  • RS512
  • EC256
  • EC384
  • EC512
  • EC256K

JWKExportX5C:   Whether to export a certificate chain to the x5c parameter.

When set to true, the component will attempt to build the X.509 certificate chain for the certificate currently selected by Cert. If successful, the x5c parameter will be added to the JWK. It can be set before calling ExportCertificate (if ExportFormat is set to JWK).

The default value is False.

JWKKeyId:   The JWK key Id.

This setting specifies the JWK key Id. It can be set before calling ExportCertificate (if ExportFormat is set to JWK). This setting will also be populated after loading a JWK file.

JWKKeyOps:   The JWK intended key operations list.

This setting specifies the intended key operations for the JWK. It can be set before calling ExportCertificate (if ExportFormat is set to JWK). This setting will also be populated after loading a JWK file.

This setting format is a JSON array. Examples: ["sign","verify"] or ["encrypt"].

JWKUse:   The JWK use parameter value.

This setting specifies the intended usage of the key. It can be set before calling ExportCertificate (if ExportFormat is set to JWK). This setting will also be populated after loading a JWK file.

Valid values are enc and sig.

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 class; the actual keys remain the same regardless of this setting. Possible values are:

  • 0 (PEM - default)
  • 1 (XML)
The default value is 0 (PEM).
LogLevel:   The level of detail that is logged.

This setting controls the level of detail that is logged through the Log event. Possible values are:

0 (None) No events are logged.
1 (Info - default) Informational events are logged.
2 (Verbose) Detailed data are logged.
3 (Debug) Debug data are logged.

ReplaceKey:   Whether or not to replace an existing key when creating a new key.

If this is false (default), the component will throw an error if a duplicate key exists while generating a new keyset using CreateKey. If set to true, the component will replace a key if it already exists when generating new keys.

RequestExtendedKeyUsage:   The extended key usage of the Certificate Signing Request.

This setting specifies the extended key usage flags of the certificate signing request created by calling GenerateCSR. If specified, the value is a comma separated list of OIDs. Common OIDs are:

1.3.6.1.5.5.7.3.1 Server Authentication
1.3.6.1.5.5.7.3.2 Client Authentication
1.3.6.1.5.5.7.3.3 Code Signing
1.3.6.1.5.5.7.3.4 Secure Email
1.3.6.1.5.5.7.3.8 Time Stamping
1.3.6.1.5.5.7.3.9 OCSP Signing

For instance, the following value specified the extended key usage for Server Authentication, Client Authentication, and Code Signing: 1.3.6.1.5.5.7.3.1, 1.3.6.1.5.5.7.3.2, 1.3.6.1.5.5.7.3.3

RequestSubjectAltNames:   Subject Alternative Names for a Certificate Signing Request.

This allows Subject Alternative Names to be added to a Certificate Signing request. The setting only supports email, DNS, URI, and IPv4 addresses. Separate alternative names should be separated by commas. For example:

string altNames = "email:copy,dns:domain.com,dns.1:other.domain.com,uri:http://www.domain.com,ip:192.168.1.102"

RequestUsageFlags:   Sets the flags indicating the usage of the created Certificate Signing Request.

This setting specifies the usage flags of the certificate signing request created by calling GenerateCSR. If specified, the value is the binary or of one or more supported values. For instance a value of 12 or 0xC is the binary or of the Certificate Signing and Key Signing usage flags. Supported flags are:

0x80 Digital Signatures
0x40 Key Authentication
0x20 Key Encryption
0x10 Data Encryption
0x08 Key Agreement
0x04 Certificate Signing
0x02 Key Signing
X509Algorithm:   Public Key Algorithm OID.

This setting exposes the Public Key Algorithm object identifier (OID) value for the currently loaded Cert.

X509SignatureAlgorithm:   Signature Algorithm OID.

This setting exposes the Signature Algorithm object identifier (OID) value for the currently loaded Cert.

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 class 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 class 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 class 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.
MaskSensitive:   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 classes: AS3Receiver, AS3Sender, Atom, Client(3DS), FTP, FTPServer, IMAP, OFTPClient, SSHClient, SCP, Server(3DS), Sexec, SFTP, SFTPServer, SSHServer, TCPClient, TCPServer.

UseDaemonThreads:   Whether threads created by the class are daemon threads.

If set to True (default), when the class creates a thread, the thread's Daemon property will be explicitly set to True. When set to False, the class will not set the Daemon property on the created thread. The default value is True.

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

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

The Java edition requires installation of the FIPS certified Bouncy Castle library regardless of the target operating system. This can be downloaded from https://www.bouncycastle.org/fips-java/. Only the "Provider" library is needed. The jar file should then be installed in a JRE search path.

In the application where the component will be used the following classes must be imported:

import java.security.Security; import org.bouncycastle.jcajce.provider.BouncyCastleFipsProvider;

The Bouncy Castle provider must be added as a valid provider and must also be configured to operate in FIPS mode:

System.setProperty("org.bouncycastle.fips.approved_only","true"); Security.addProvider(new BouncyCastleFipsProvider());

When UseFIPSCompliantAPI is true, SSL enabled classes can optionally be configured to use the TLS Bouncy Castle library. When SSLProvider is set to sslpAutomatic (default) or sslpInternal an internal TLS implementation is used, but all cryptographic operations are offloaded to the BCFIPS provider in order to achieve FIPS compliant operation. If SSLProvider is set to sslpPlatform the Bouncy Castle JSSE will be used in place of the internal TLS implementation.

To enable the use of the Bouncy Castle JSSE take the following steps in addition to the steps above. Both the Bouncy Castle FIPS provider and the Bouncy Castle JSSE must be configured to use the Bouncy Castle TLS library in FIPS mode. Obtain the Bouncy Castle TLS library from https://www.bouncycastle.org/fips-java/. The jar file should then be installed in a JRE search path.

In the application where the component will be used the following classes must be imported:

import java.security.Security; import org.bouncycastle.jcajce.provider.BouncyCastleFipsProvider; //required to use BCJSSE when SSLProvider is set to sslpPlatform import org.bouncycastle.jsse.provider.BouncyCastleJsseProvider;

The Bouncy Castle provider must be added as a valid provider and must also be configured to operate in FIPS mode:

System.setProperty("org.bouncycastle.fips.approved_only","true"); Security.addProvider(new BouncyCastleFipsProvider()); //required to use BCJSSE when SSLProvider is set to sslpPlatform Security.addProvider(new BouncyCastleJsseProvider("fips:BCFIPS")); //optional - configure logging level of BCJSSE Logger.getLogger("org.bouncycastle.jsse").setLevel(java.util.logging.Level.OFF); //configure the class to use BCJSSE component.setSSLProvider(1); //platform component.config("UseFIPSCompliantAPI=true"); Note: TLS 1.3 support requires the Bouncy Castle TLS library version 1.0.14 or later.

FIPS mode can be enabled by setting the UseFIPSCompliantAPI configuration setting to true. This is a static setting which applies to all instances of all classes 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: 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 class will use the system security libraries by default to perform cryptographic functions where applicable.

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

This setting is set to false by default on all platforms.

Trappable Errors (Certmgr Class)

CertMgr Errors

143   Busy executing current method.
144   No certificate selected.
221   Cannot acquire CSP.
222   Cannot generate key.
270   Cannot load specified security library.
271   Cannot open certificate store.
272   Cannot find specified certificate.
274   Cannot get certificate chain.
275   Cannot verify certificate chain.
279   Error enumerating certificate stores.
280   The certificate could not be decoded.
281   Cannot find security provider.
282   Cannot add certificate to store.
283   The certificate could not be encoded.
285   Cannot create certificate signing request.
286   Cannot acquire Issuer private key.
287   Cannot delete certificate.
288   Cannot export certificate.