CryptoKeyManager Component

Properties   Methods   Events   Config Settings   Errors  

The CryptoKeyManager component provides a simple way to load, generate and manage generic cryptographic keys.

Syntax

nsoftware.SecureBlackbox.CryptoKeyManager

Remarks

CryptoKeyManager allows you to load, save, generate, import, and export low-level cryptographic keys. Two examples of such keys are raw RSA keys stored in PKCS1 format or AES256 keys. CryptoKeyManager supports asymmetric, symmetric, and HMAC keys.

CryptoKeyManager is a typical companion for low-level cryptography classes, such as PublicKeyCrypto, SymmetricCrypto, and HashFunction. It can also be used to provide external key material to certificate objects, and to derive cryptographic keys from passwords.

Use ImportBytes or ImportFromFile method to load the key material from a buffer or file. Use ImportFromCert (and remember to assign the certificate object to the Certificate property before calling it) to import a key from an X.509 certificate. Once loaded, the key will be available in the Key property. // Loading an AES key and setting its IV CryptoKeyManager.ImportBytes(Key, kffDER, "AES256", "", "", ktSecret, ""); CryptoKeyManager.Key.IV = IV; // Loading an ECDSA private key from a file CryptoKeyManager.ImportFromFile("ec-secp256k1-priv-key.pem", kffAuto, "ECDSA", "NISTP256", "", ktSecret, ""); // Loading an ECDSA public key from a file CryptoKeyManager.ImportFromFile("ec-secp256k1-pub-key.pem", kffAuto, "ECDSA", "NISTP256", "", ktPublic, ""); // Importing a private key from a certificate object CertMgr.ImportFromFile("cert.pfx", "password"); CryptoKeyManager.Certificate = CertMgr.Certificate; CryptoKeyManager.ImportFromCert();

To generate a new key or keypair use Generate method. You can export the generated key using ExportBytes or ExportToFile method. You can attach the generated or loaded key to an external certificate object using the ExportToCert method. // Generating an EdDSA Curve25519 keypair CryptoKeyManager.Generate("EDDSA", "CURVE25519", "", 256); // Generating an ECDSA NIST P256 curve keypair CryptoKeyManager.Generate("ECDSA", "NISTP256", "", 256); // Generating an RSA 2048 bit keypair CryptoKeyManager.Generate("RSA", "", "", 2048); // Generating a symmetric AES256 key CryptoKeyManager.Generate("AES256", "", "", 256);

Use DeriveKey to derive a strong cryptographic key from a password using one of supported key derivation functions (KDFs): CryptoKeyManager.DerivationAlgorithm = "PKCS5"; CryptoKeyManager.HMACAlgorithm = "SHA256"; CryptoKeyManager.DeriveIterations = 10000; CryptoKeyManager.DeriveKey(256, "password", "hex:41424344"); Key = CryptoKeyManager.Key.Key;

CryptoKeyManager supports the majority of modern cryptographic algorithms:

• Asymmetric: RSA, ECDSA, EdDSA, ElGamal, DSS, Diffie-Hellman
• Symmetric: AES, Blowfish, Camellia, CAST5, ChaCha20, DES, 3DES-EDE, IDEA, RC2, RC4, Serpent, Twofish.
• KDFs: PKCS5, PBKDF2 (an alias to PKCS5), BCrypt, SCrypt, Argon2d, Argon2i, Argon2id.

See the "Supported Algorithms" section in the FAQ for the complete list.

Note: CryptoKeyManager can only work with one cryptographic key at a time. Use CryptoKeyStorage to access media containing more than one key.

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.

Certificate Property (CryptoKeyManager Component)

A container for the certificate object.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public Certificate Certificate { get; set; }

Public Property Certificate As Certificate

Remarks

Use this property to set or access the properties of the certificate object on which an import or export action is to be performed.

This property is not available at design time.

DerivationAlgorithm Property (CryptoKeyManager Component)

Specifies the algorithm to use for key derivation.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public string DerivationAlgorithm { get; set; }

Public Property DerivationAlgorithm As String

Default Value

"PKCS5"

Remarks

Use this property to specify the key derivation algorithm to use.

Component supports the following algorithms: PKCS5, PBKDF2 (an alias to PKCS5), BCrypt, SCrypt, Argon2d, Argon2i, Argon2id.

DeriveIterations Property (CryptoKeyManager Component)

Specifies the number of iterations to use as part of key derivation routine.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public int DeriveIterations { get; set; }

Public Property DeriveIterations As Integer

Default Value

2048

Remarks

Use this property to adjust the number of hash algorithm iterations to employ as part of key derivation function.

FIPSMode Property (CryptoKeyManager 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.

HMACAlgorithm Property (CryptoKeyManager Component)

Specifies the HMAC algorithm to use with the key derivation algorithm.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public string HMACAlgorithm { get; set; }

Public Property HMACAlgorithm As String

Default Value

"SHA1"

Remarks

Use this property to specify the HMAC algorithm to use with the chosen key derivation algorithm.

Component supports the following algorithms: SHA1, SHA224, SHA256, SHA384, SHA512, MD5, RIPEMD, HMAC.

Key Property (CryptoKeyManager Component)

The key object that the manager is currently working with.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public CryptoKey Key { get; set; }

Public Property Key As CryptoKey

Remarks

Use this property to pass a key to the manager (for example, for serialization), or to obtain a key from the manager (e.g., after generating or importing it).

This property is not available at design time.

Config Method (CryptoKeyManager 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.

CreateNew Method (CryptoKeyManager Component)

Creates a template for a new keypair.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void CreateNew();

Public Sub CreateNew()

Remarks

This method pre-generates a template for a new key.

Adjust the properties of the Key object and call Generate to complete the generation.

DeriveKey Method (CryptoKeyManager Component)

Generates a strong cryptographic key from a password.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void DeriveKey(int keyBits, string password, string salt);

Public Sub DeriveKey(ByVal KeyBits As Integer, ByVal Password As String, ByVal Salt As String)

Remarks

Use this method to generate a cryptographically strong key of a needed length from a password.

This method uses the key derivation function specified in DerivationAlgorithm, the HMAC algorithm provided in HMACAlgorithm, over DeriveIterations iterations, to generate a cryptographic key of the needed length from a password and salt.

Salt is expected to contain a human-readable text string. To provide a binary salt, use the hex prefix with base16-encoded salt value: hex:01AB8F20004F10FE. CryptoKeyManager.DerivationAlgorithm = "PKCS5"; CryptoKeyManager.HMACAlgorithm = "SHA256"; CryptoKeyManager.DeriveIterations = 10000; CryptoKeyManager.DeriveKey(256, "password", "hex:41424344"); Key = CryptoKeyManager.Key.Key;

DoAction Method (CryptoKeyManager 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;....

Common ActionIDs:

ExportBytes Method (CryptoKeyManager Component)

Exports the key to a byte array.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public byte[] ExportBytes(int format, int keyType, string password);

Public Function ExportBytes(ByVal Format As Integer, ByVal KeyType As Integer, ByVal Password As String) As Byte()

Remarks

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

ExportToCert Method (CryptoKeyManager Component)

Exports the key to a certificate.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void ExportToCert();

Public Sub ExportToCert()

Remarks

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

ExportToFile Method (CryptoKeyManager Component)

Exports the key to a file.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void ExportToFile(string fileName, int format, int keyType, string password);

Public Sub ExportToFile(ByVal FileName As String, ByVal Format As Integer, ByVal KeyType As Integer, ByVal Password As String)

Remarks

Use this method to save the Key (both the public and secret parts) to the file passed via the FileName parameter.

ExportToStream Method (CryptoKeyManager Component)

Exports the key to a stream.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void ExportToStream(System.IO.Stream stream, int format, int keyType, string password);

Public Sub ExportToStream(ByVal Stream As System.IO.Stream, ByVal Format As Integer, ByVal KeyType As Integer, ByVal Password As String)

Remarks

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

Generate Method (CryptoKeyManager Component)

Generates a new crypto key.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void Generate(string keyAlgorithm, string scheme, string schemeParams, int keyBits);

Public Sub Generate(ByVal KeyAlgorithm As String, ByVal Scheme As String, ByVal SchemeParams As String, ByVal KeyBits As Integer)

Remarks

Call this method to generate a new key or keypair with the desired KeyAlgorithm and KeyBits of length.

The generated key will be populated in the Key property. // Generating an EdDSA Curve25519 keypair CryptoKeyManager.Generate("EDDSA", "CURVE25519", "", 256); // Generating an ECDSA NIST P256 curve keypair CryptoKeyManager.Generate("ECDSA", "NISTP256", "", 256); // Generating an RSA 2048 bit keypair CryptoKeyManager.Generate("RSA", "", "", 2048); // Generating a symmetric AES256 key CryptoKeyManager.Generate("AES256", "", "", 256);

GetKeyParam Method (CryptoKeyManager Component)

Returns a binary algorithm-specific key parameter.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public byte[] GetKeyParam(string name);

Public Function GetKeyParam(ByVal Name As String) As Byte()

Remarks

Use this method to retrieve a binary algorithm-specific key parameter.

The following parameters are currently supported:

GetKeyParamStr Method (CryptoKeyManager Component)

Returns a string algorithm-specific key parameter.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public string GetKeyParamStr(string name);

Public Function GetKeyParamStr(ByVal Name As String) As String

Remarks

Use this method to get an human-readable algorithm-specific key parameter.

The following parameters are currently supported:

ImportBytes Method (CryptoKeyManager Component)

Loads a key from a byte array.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void ImportBytes(byte[] value, int format, string keyAlgorithm, string scheme, string schemeParams, int keyType, string password);

Public Sub ImportBytes(ByVal Value As Byte(), ByVal Format As Integer, ByVal KeyAlgorithm As String, ByVal Scheme As String, ByVal SchemeParams As String, ByVal KeyType As Integer, ByVal Password As String)

Remarks

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

ImportFromCert Method (CryptoKeyManager Component)

Loads a key from a certificate.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void ImportFromCert();

Public Sub ImportFromCert()

Remarks

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

ImportFromFile Method (CryptoKeyManager Component)

Loads a key from a file.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void ImportFromFile(string fileName, int format, string keyAlgorithm, string scheme, string schemeParams, int keyType, string password);

Public Sub ImportFromFile(ByVal FileName As String, ByVal Format As Integer, ByVal KeyAlgorithm As String, ByVal Scheme As String, ByVal SchemeParams As String, ByVal KeyType As Integer, ByVal Password As String)

Remarks

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

ImportFromStream Method (CryptoKeyManager Component)

Loads a key from a stream.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void ImportFromStream(System.IO.Stream stream, int format, string keyAlgorithm, string scheme, string schemeParams, int keyType, string password);

Public Sub ImportFromStream(ByVal Stream As System.IO.Stream, ByVal Format As Integer, ByVal KeyAlgorithm As String, ByVal Scheme As String, ByVal SchemeParams As String, ByVal KeyType As Integer, ByVal Password As String)

Remarks

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

Reset Method (CryptoKeyManager Component)

Resets the component settings.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void Reset();

Public Sub Reset()

Remarks

Reset is a generic method available in every component.

SetKeyParam Method (CryptoKeyManager Component)

Sets an algorithm-specific key parameter.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void SetKeyParam(string name, byte[] value);

Public Sub SetKeyParam(ByVal Name As String, ByVal Value As Byte())

Remarks

Use this method to set an algorithm-specific key parameter.

The following parameters are currently supported:

SetKeyParamStr Method (CryptoKeyManager Component)

Sets a string-based algorithm-specific key parameter.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void SetKeyParamStr(string name, string valueStr);

Public Sub SetKeyParamStr(ByVal Name As String, ByVal ValueStr As String)

Remarks

Use this method to set a string-based algorithm-specific key parameter.

Error Event (CryptoKeyManager Component)

Informs about an error during an operation.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public event OnErrorHandler OnError;

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

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

Public Event OnError As OnErrorHandler

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

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

Remarks

The event is fired when an error happens in the middle of the component's work.

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

Notification Event (CryptoKeyManager 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, CryptoKeyManagerNotificationEventArgs e);

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

Public Event OnNotification As OnNotificationHandler

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

Public Class CryptoKeyManagerNotificationEventArgs 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.

PasswordNeeded Event (CryptoKeyManager Component)

This event is fired when a decryption password is needed.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public event OnPasswordNeededHandler OnPasswordNeeded;

public delegate void OnPasswordNeededHandler(object sender, CryptoKeyManagerPasswordNeededEventArgs e);

public class CryptoKeyManagerPasswordNeededEventArgs : EventArgs {
  public string NeededFor { get; }
  public string Password { get; set; }
  public bool Cancel { get; set; }
}

Public Event OnPasswordNeeded As OnPasswordNeededHandler

Public Delegate Sub OnPasswordNeededHandler(sender As Object, e As CryptoKeyManagerPasswordNeededEventArgs)

Public Class CryptoKeyManagerPasswordNeededEventArgs Inherits EventArgs
  Public ReadOnly Property NeededFor As String
  Public Property Password As String
  Public Property Cancel As Boolean
End Class

Remarks

The component fires this event when a password is needed to decrypt a certificate or a private key.

In the handler of this event, assign the password to the Password parameter, or set Cancel to true to abort the operation.

The NeededFor parameter identifies the certificate for which the password is requested.

Certificate Type

Encapsulates an individual X.509 certificate.

Remarks

This type keeps and provides access to X.509 certificate details.

Fields

Constructors

• C#
• VB.NET

public Certificate(byte[] bytes, int startIndex, int count, string password);

Public Certificate(ByVal Bytes As Byte(), ByVal StartIndex As Integer, ByVal Count As Integer, ByVal Password As String)

• C#
• VB.NET

public Certificate(byte[] certBytes, int certStartIndex, int certCount, byte[] keyBytes, int keyStartIndex, int keyCount, string password);

Public Certificate(ByVal CertBytes As Byte(), ByVal CertStartIndex As Integer, ByVal CertCount As Integer, ByVal KeyBytes As Byte(), ByVal KeyStartIndex As Integer, ByVal KeyCount As Integer, ByVal Password As String)

• C#
• VB.NET

public Certificate(byte[] bytes, int startIndex, int count);

Public Certificate(ByVal Bytes As Byte(), ByVal StartIndex As Integer, ByVal Count As Integer)

• C#
• VB.NET

public Certificate(string path, string password);

Public Certificate(ByVal Path As String, ByVal Password As String)

• C#
• VB.NET

public Certificate(string certPath, string keyPath, string password);

Public Certificate(ByVal CertPath As String, ByVal KeyPath As String, ByVal Password As String)

• C#
• VB.NET

public Certificate(string path);

Public Certificate(ByVal Path As String)

• C#
• VB.NET

public Certificate(System.IO.Stream stream);

Public Certificate(ByVal Stream As System.IO.Stream)

• C#
• VB.NET

public Certificate(System.IO.Stream stream, string password);

Public Certificate(ByVal Stream As System.IO.Stream, ByVal Password As String)

• C#
• VB.NET

public Certificate(System.IO.Stream certStream, System.IO.Stream keyStream, string password);

Public Certificate(ByVal CertStream As System.IO.Stream, ByVal KeyStream As System.IO.Stream, ByVal Password As String)

• C#
• VB.NET

public Certificate();

Public Certificate()

CryptoKey Type

This container represents a cryptographic key.

Remarks

This type is a universal placeholder for cryptographic keys.

Fields

Constructors

• C#
• VB.NET

public CryptoKey();

Public CryptoKey()

Config Settings (CryptoKeyManager Component)

CryptoKeyManager Config Settings

Base Config Settings

Trappable Errors (CryptoKeyManager Component)

CryptoKeyManager Errors