PGPKeyManager Component

Properties   Methods   Events   Config Settings   Errors  

The PGPKeyManager component manages PGP keys.

Syntax

nsoftware.SecureBlackbox.Pgpkeymanager

Remarks

PGPKeyManager allows you to load, save, generate, import, and export PGP keys.

Property List

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

Method List

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

Event List

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

Config Settings

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

FIPSMode Property (PGPKeyManager Component)

Reserved.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public bool FIPSMode { get; set; }

Public Property FIPSMode As Boolean

Default Value

False

Remarks

This property is reserved for future use.

Key Property (PGPKeyManager Component)

The key to manipulate on.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public PGPKey Key { get; set; }

Public Property Key As PGPKey

Remarks

Use this property to specify the key to perform operations on.

This property is not available at design time.

AddSubkey Method (PGPKeyManager Component)

Adds a new subkey to the Key.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void AddSubkey(int bits, string algorithm, int expires);

Public Sub AddSubkey(ByVal Bits As Integer, ByVal Algorithm As String, ByVal Expires As Integer)

Remarks

Use this method to add a subkey to a key. Note that the key you are adding the subkey to needs to contain its secret counterpart to be able to sign the new subkey.

Bits specifies the number of bits in the new subkey, Expires is the new subkey's expiration time and date, and Algorithm specifies its public key algorithm:

BindUser Method (PGPKeyManager Component)

Binds a new UserID to the Key.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void BindUser(string username);

Public Sub BindUser(ByVal Username As String)

Remarks

Use this method to add a new Username as an owner of the Key.

Note that the key needs to contain its secret counterpart to be able to sign the new user ID.

ChangePassphrase Method (PGPKeyManager Component)

Changes the password of the secret key.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void ChangePassphrase(string oldPassphrase, string newPassphrase);

Public Sub ChangePassphrase(ByVal OldPassphrase As String, ByVal NewPassphrase As String)

Remarks

Call this method to change the password that protects the secret key.

ChangeProtection Method (PGPKeyManager Component)

Changes the protection level of the secret key.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void ChangeProtection(string oldPassphrase, string newPassphrase, int protType, string encAlgorithm, string hashAlgorithm);

Public Sub ChangeProtection(ByVal OldPassphrase As String, ByVal NewPassphrase As String, ByVal ProtType As Integer, ByVal EncAlgorithm As String, ByVal HashAlgorithm As String)

Remarks

Use this method to change the protection level of the Key.

OldPassphrase specifies the current password to decrypt the key, NewPassphrase is the new password for the key, ProtType is the new protection type (see Protection for more details), EncAlgorithm is the key encryption algorithm, and

CheckPassphrase Method (PGPKeyManager Component)

Checks if the password matches the secret key.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public bool CheckPassphrase(string passphrase);

Public Function CheckPassphrase(ByVal Passphrase As String) As Boolean

Remarks

Use this method to check if a password can decrypt the Key.

Config Method (PGPKeyManager Component)

Sets or retrieves a configuration setting.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public string Config(string configurationString);

Public Function Config(ByVal ConfigurationString As String) As String

Remarks

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

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

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

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

DoAction Method (PGPKeyManager Component)

Performs an additional action.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public string DoAction(string actionID, string actionParams);

Public Function DoAction(ByVal ActionID As String, ByVal ActionParams As String) As String

Remarks

DoAction is a generic method available in every component. It is used to perform an additional action introduced after the product major release. The list of actions is not fixed, and may be flexibly extended over time.

The unique identifier (case insensitive) of the action is provided in the ActionID parameter.

ActionParams contains the value of a single parameter, or a list of multiple parameters for the action in the form of PARAM1=VALUE1;PARAM2=VALUE2;....

ExportKey Method (PGPKeyManager Component)

Serializes the key to a byte array.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public byte[] ExportKey();

Public Function ExportKey() As Byte()

Remarks

Use this method to save the Key (both the public and secret parts) to a byte array.

ExportPublicKey Method (PGPKeyManager Component)

Exports the public key to a byte array.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public byte[] ExportPublicKey();

Public Function ExportPublicKey() As Byte()

Remarks

Use this method to save the public key contained in Key to a byte array.

ExportPublicToFile Method (PGPKeyManager Component)

Exports the public key to a file.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void ExportPublicToFile(string filename);

Public Sub ExportPublicToFile(ByVal Filename As String)

Remarks

Use this method to save the public key stored in Key to the file specified by Filename.

ExportPublicToStream Method (PGPKeyManager Component)

Exports the public key to a stream.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void ExportPublicToStream(System.IO.Stream stream);

Public Sub ExportPublicToStream(ByVal Stream As System.IO.Stream)

Remarks

Use this method to save the public key to the stream specified by Stream.

ExportToFile Method (PGPKeyManager Component)

Exports the key to a file.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void ExportToFile(string filename);

Public Sub ExportToFile(ByVal Filename As String)

Remarks

Use this method to save the Key (both the public and secret parts) to the file specified in Filename.

ExportToStream Method (PGPKeyManager Component)

Exports the key to a stream.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void ExportToStream(System.IO.Stream stream);

Public Sub ExportToStream(ByVal Stream As System.IO.Stream)

Remarks

Use this method to save the Key (both the public and secret parts) to a stream pointed by Stream.

Generate Method (PGPKeyManager Component)

Generates a new single PGP key.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void Generate();

Public Sub Generate()

Remarks

Call this method after setting up relevant fields of Key to generate a new PGP key. This method generates a 'standalone' key without subkeys. Use GeneratePair to generate a pair of a main key and a subkey.

Most PGP implementations work with pairs of keys: the sign-only primary key and the encrypt-only (or encrypt-and-sign) subkey. If you need to generate a conformant PGP key to use with other PGP software, you likely need to use the GeneratePair method.

GenerateLegacy Method (PGPKeyManager Component)

Generates a new key in the old format.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void GenerateLegacy(string username, int bits, string password, int expires);

Public Sub GenerateLegacy(ByVal Username As String, ByVal Bits As Integer, ByVal Password As String, ByVal Expires As Integer)

Remarks

Use this method when you need to generate an RSA key in the old (PGP 2.6.x) format.

Username specifies the user of the key, Bits is the key length in bits. Provide Password for the key and its expiration date and time via Expires.

Only use this method where you want to work with very old PGP software. While still providing a decent level of protection (subject to key length, of course), legacy keys are rarely used these days, and have almost everywhere been replaced with new-style keys.

Most modern PGP implementations work with pairs of keys: the sign-only primary key and the encrypt-only (or encrypt-and-sign) subkey. If you need to generate a conformant PGP key to use with other PGP software, you likely need to use the GeneratePair method.

GeneratePair Method (PGPKeyManager Component)

Generates a new pair of PGP keys.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void GeneratePair(string username, string keyAlgorithm, int keyBits, string subKeyAlgorithm, int subKeyBits, string password, int expires);

Public Sub GeneratePair(ByVal Username As String, ByVal KeyAlgorithm As String, ByVal KeyBits As Integer, ByVal SubKeyAlgorithm As String, ByVal SubKeyBits As Integer, ByVal Password As String, ByVal Expires As Integer)

Remarks

Use this method to create a new key-subkey pair. This is the primary method for generating conformant PGP keys.

Pass the user ID of the new key via the Username property. This typically should be in the format of User Name <user@email>, for example Robert Frost <robert@frost.com>, but generally can be an arbitrary text string.

Set KeyAlgorithm and SubKeyAlgorithm to the public key algorithms that you want to use for the new key. See the full list of algorithms below. Where ECDSA or ECDH algorithm is used, you can specify a particular curve after the algorithm name, separated with the colon: ECDSA:P384 or ECDH:BRAINPOOLP256. KeyBits and SubKeyBits specify the number of bits in the key and the subkey. These parameters can be set to zero if the key length is implicitly defined by the algorithm of the key. For example, ECDSA P256 keys are always 256 bit long, so you may pass 0 as the corresponding KeyBits or SubKeyBits parameter.

Provide the key encryption password and the validity period in days via the Password and Expires parameters. Set Expires to zero to indicate that the key does not expire.

While you can use any combination of algorithms for your key and subkey, most implementations got used to specific hard-wired combinations. Sticking to those will help make sure your keys are understood by other implementations. Typical combinations are:

• EDDSA main key with ECDH:CURVE25519 subkey;
• ECDSA main key with ECDH subkey; both with NIST curves (P256, P384, or P512);
• ECDSA main key with ECDH subkey; both with Brainpool curves (BRAINPOOLP256 or BRAINPOOLP512);
• RSA main key with RSA subkey.

 
 Copy
    Pgpkeymanager mgr = new Pgpkeymanager();

    // generating a pair
    mgr.GeneratePair("Michel Legrand <ml@email.com>", "EDDSA", 0, "ECDH:CURVE25519", 0, "password", 0);

    // creating a keyring object and adding the new pair to the keyring
    Pgpkeyring keyring = new Pgpkeyring();

    keyring.CreateNew();

    keyring.PinnedKey = mgr.Key;
    keyring.AddPinned();

    // exporting the keyring to a file
    keyring.Save("pubkey.pkr", "seckey.skr");

 
 Copy
    mgr.GeneratePair("Michel Legrand <ml@email.com>", "ECDSA:P384", 0, "ECDH", 0, "password", 0);

    mgr.GeneratePair("Michel Legrand <ml@email.com>", "ECDSA:BRAINPOOLP256", 0, "ECDH:BRAINPOOLP256", 0, "password", 0);

    mgr.GeneratePair("Michel Legrand <ml@email.com>", "RSA", 4096, "RSA", 2048, "password", 0);

ImportFromFile Method (PGPKeyManager Component)

Loads a key from a file.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void ImportFromFile(string filename);

Public Sub ImportFromFile(ByVal Filename As String)

Remarks

Use this method to load a key, either public or secret, from a file.

ImportFromStream Method (PGPKeyManager Component)

Loads a key from a stream.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void ImportFromStream(System.IO.Stream stream);

Public Sub ImportFromStream(ByVal Stream As System.IO.Stream)

Remarks

Use this method to load a key, either public or secret, from a stream.

ImportKey Method (PGPKeyManager Component)

Loads a key from a byte array.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void ImportKey(byte[] data);

Public Sub ImportKey(ByVal Data As Byte())

Remarks

Use this method to load a key, either public or secret, from a byte array.

RemoveSubkey Method (PGPKeyManager Component)

Removes the specified subkey from the key.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void RemoveSubkey(int index);

Public Sub RemoveSubkey(ByVal Index As Integer)

Remarks

Use this method to remove the subkey referred by its Index from the key.

RemoveUser Method (PGPKeyManager Component)

Unbinds the specified user from the key.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void RemoveUser(int index);

Public Sub RemoveUser(ByVal Index As Integer)

Remarks

Use this method to remove the specified user from the list of UserIDs bound to the key.

RevokeKey Method (PGPKeyManager Component)

Revokes the key.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void RevokeKey();

Public Sub RevokeKey()

Remarks

Use this method to revoke the key by adding a revocation signature.

RevokeSubkey Method (PGPKeyManager Component)

Revokes the key's subkey.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void RevokeSubkey(int index);

Public Sub RevokeSubkey(ByVal Index As Integer)

Remarks

Use this method to revoke the subkey with a given Index by adding a revocation signature.

RevokeSubkeybyID Method (PGPKeyManager Component)

Revokes the key's subkey.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void RevokeSubkeybyID(string keyId);

Public Sub RevokeSubkeybyID(ByVal KeyId As String)

Remarks

Use this method to revoke the subkey with a given KeyID by adding a revocation signature.

RevokeUser Method (PGPKeyManager Component)

Revokes a user certification.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void RevokeUser(int index);

Public Sub RevokeUser(ByVal Index As Integer)

Remarks

Use this method to revoke the user with the specified Index by adding a revocation signature to the key.

RevokeUserByName Method (PGPKeyManager Component)

Revokes a user certification.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void RevokeUserByName(string username);

Public Sub RevokeUserByName(ByVal Username As String)

Remarks

Use this method to revoke the certification of the user specified by Username by adding a revocation signature.

Validate Method (PGPKeyManager Component)

Validates the key.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public int Validate();

Public Function Validate() As Integer

Remarks

Call this method to validate signatures over the PGP key and all the subkeys.

Possible result:

Error Event (PGPKeyManager Component)

Information about errors during PGP key management.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public event OnErrorHandler OnError;

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

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

Public Event OnError As OnErrorHandler

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

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

Remarks

The event is fired in case of exceptional conditions during key management.

ErrorCode contains an error code and Description contains a textual description of the error.

Notification Event (PGPKeyManager Component)

This event notifies the application about an underlying control flow event.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public event OnNotificationHandler OnNotification;

public delegate void OnNotificationHandler(object sender, PgpkeymanagerNotificationEventArgs e);

public class PgpkeymanagerNotificationEventArgs : EventArgs {
  public string EventID { get; }
  public string EventParam { get; }
}

Public Event OnNotification As OnNotificationHandler

Public Delegate Sub OnNotificationHandler(sender As Object, e As PgpkeymanagerNotificationEventArgs)

Public Class PgpkeymanagerNotificationEventArgs Inherits EventArgs
  Public ReadOnly Property EventID As String
  Public ReadOnly Property EventParam As String
End Class

Remarks

The component fires this event to let the application know about some event, occurrence, or milestone in the component. For example, it may fire to report completion of the document processing. The list of events being reported is not fixed, and may be flexibly extended over time.

The unique identifier of the event is provided in the EventID parameter. EventParam contains any parameters accompanying the occurrence. Depending on the type of the component, the exact action it is performing, or the document being processed, one or both may be omitted.

PGPKey Type

This container represents a PGP key.

Remarks

OpenPGP standard supports several types of keys. In our days, a typical OpenPGP keypair actually consists of two cryptographic keys: a primary key and a subkey. The primary key is normally used for signing, while the subkey is used for encryption.

While it is typical for PGP environments to use a primary key/subkey bundle, this is not a must. Sometimes you may come across standalone keys (mainly when dealing with older implementations), as well as whole key trees, each of those carrying a bunch of differently-purposed subkeys bound to the same primary key.

Algorithm-wise, OpenPGP keys also differ. Generally speaking, OpenPGP supports the following public key algorithms: RSA, Elgamal (often incorrectly referred to as DH), DSA, ECDH and ECDSA. When it comes to primary key/subkey bundles, DSA/Elgamal, RSA/RSA and ECDSA/ECDH pairs are typically used. Although there's no restriction on algorithm bundles, and, e.g. a ECDSA/Elgamal key bundle is perfectly possible, such combination is rarely used in practice.

A typical OpenPGP key is associated with some kind of user ID (Username). It is normally represented with a user's e-mail address, while in theory can be any piece of text. The secret part of the OpenPGP keypair is protected with a password (Passphrase).

Fields

Constructors

• C#
• VB.NET

public PGPKey();

Public PGPKey()

Creates an empty PGP key object.

• C#
• VB.NET

public PGPKey(string filename);

Public PGPKey(ByVal Filename As String)

Create a PGP key object from a key file.

Config Settings (PGPKeyManager Component)

PGPKeyManager Config Settings

Base Config Settings

Trappable Errors (PGPKeyManager Component)

PGPKeyManager Errors