MessageSigner Component

Properties   Methods   Events   Config Settings   Errors  

The MessageSigner component digitally signs data and stores it in the PKCS#7 format.

Syntax

nsoftware.SecureBlackbox.MessageSigner

Remarks

PKCS#7 (Public Key Cryptography Standard #7) is a common format used to store encrypted and signed data. It is used by a variety of protocols, including S/MIME and CMS.

MessageSigner can sign binary data into PKCS#7 SignedData and AuthenticatedData subformats. RSA, ECDSA, and EdDSA algorithms are supported.

Setting up and using MessageSigner is easy:

• Set up your source and destination via InputFile (InputBytes) and OutputFile (OutputBytes) properties.
• Set SignatureType as per the desired signature type (PKCS#7 SignedData or AuthenticatedData, or PKCS#1) and the detached option.
• Set signature properties, such as ClaimedSigningTime and attributes (AddAttribute).
• For the SignedData-type signature (most commonly used), assign the signing certificate with its private key to the SigningCertificate property.
• For the AuthenticatedData-type signature, assign the recipient's certificate to RecipientCertificate property.
• Optionally provide the timestamping server URL to TimestampServer.
• Call Sign to execute the operation.

Note that MessageSigner always produces binary PKCS#7-compliant signed messages. For S/MIME email signing, see MailWriter. For PGP signing, see PGPWriter. For XML-SIG encryption, see XMLSigner.

MessageSigner is a simplified form of CAdESSigner. Both classes work with PKCS#7 signed messages. CAdESSigner, however, provides support for advanced (CAdES) signatures, including long-term validity, archival, and full chain validation capabilities. These advanced capabilities are absent from MessageSigner, which is only capable of creating basic PKCS#7 signatures. MessageSigner signer = new MessageSigner(); signer.setHashAlgorithm("SHA256"); // Default hashing algorithm SHA256 // Select the file which contains the message that will be signed signer.setInputFile("message.txt"); // Select the file where the signed message will be written signer.setOutputFile("signedMessage.bin"); // Specify the certificate that shall be used for signing the data signer.setSigningCertificate(new Certificate("cert.pfx","password")); // Provide the address of the Time Stamping Authority (TSA) server to be used for timestamping the signature signer.setTimestampServer("http://..."); signer.sign(); // Sign

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.

ClaimedSigningTime Property (MessageSigner Component)

The signing time from the signer's computer.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public string ClaimedSigningTime { get; set; }

Public Property ClaimedSigningTime As String

Default Value

""

Remarks

Use this property to provide the signature production time. The claimed time is not supported by a trusted source; it may be inaccurate, forfeited, or wrong, and as such is usually taken for informational purposes only by verifiers. Use timestamp servers to embed verifiable trusted timestamps. The time is in UTC.

ExternalCrypto Property (MessageSigner Component)

Provides access to external signing and DC parameters.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public ExternalCrypto ExternalCrypto { get; }

Public ReadOnly Property ExternalCrypto As ExternalCrypto

Remarks

Use this property to tune-up remote cryptography settings. SecureBlackbox supports two independent types of external cryptography: synchronous (based on the ExternalSign event) and asynchronous (based on the DC protocol and the DCAuth signing component).

This property is read-only.

FIPSMode Property (MessageSigner 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.

HashAlgorithm Property (MessageSigner Component)

Specifies the hash algorithm to be used.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public string HashAlgorithm { get; set; }

Public Property HashAlgorithm As String

Default Value

"SHA256"

Remarks

This property specifies the hash algorithm to used for calculating the signature.

InputBytes Property (MessageSigner Component)

Use this property to pass the input to component in byte array form.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public byte[] InputBytes { get; set; }

Public Property InputBytes As Byte()

Remarks

Assign a byte array containing the data to be processed to this property.

This property is not available at design time.

InputFile Property (MessageSigner Component)

A path to the source file.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public string InputFile { get; set; }

Public Property InputFile As String

Default Value

""

Remarks

Use this property to provide a path to the file containing the data to be signed.

InputIsHash Property (MessageSigner Component)

Specifies whether the input source contains the hash of the data or the actual data.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public bool InputIsHash { get; set; }

Public Property InputIsHash As Boolean

Default Value

False

Remarks

Use this property to tell the component whether the input source contains the actual data or its hash.

This property is not available at design time.

InputStream Property (MessageSigner Component)

A stream containing the data to be signed.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public System.IO.Stream InputStream { get; set; }

Public Property InputStream As System.IO.Stream

Default Value

null

Remarks

Use this property to provide the data to be signed from a stream.

This property is not available at design time.

MACAlgorithm Property (MessageSigner Component)

Specifies the keyed MAC algorithm to use.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public string MACAlgorithm { get; set; }

Public Property MACAlgorithm As String

Default Value

"SHA256"

Remarks

This property specifies the MAC algorithm to use for calculating the MAC signature.

OutputBytes Property (MessageSigner Component)

Use this property to read the output the component object has produced.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public byte[] OutputBytes { get; }

Public ReadOnly Property OutputBytes As Byte()

Remarks

Read the contents of this property after the operation has completed to read the produced output. This property will only be set if the OutputFile and OutputStream properties had not been assigned.

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

OutputFile Property (MessageSigner Component)

A path to the output file.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public string OutputFile { get; set; }

Public Property OutputFile As String

Default Value

""

Remarks

Use this property to specify the file to save the signed message to.

OutputStream Property (MessageSigner Component)

A stream where the signed data should be written.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public System.IO.Stream OutputStream { get; set; }

Public Property OutputStream As System.IO.Stream

Default Value

null

Remarks

Use this property to specify the stream to save the signed message to.

This property is not available at design time.

Proxy Property (MessageSigner Component)

The proxy server settings.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public ProxySettings Proxy { get; }

Public ReadOnly Property Proxy As ProxySettings

Remarks

Use this property to tune up the proxy server settings.

This property is read-only.

RecipientCertificate Property (MessageSigner Component)

The recipient certificate for HMAC-based signing.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public Certificate RecipientCertificate { get; set; }

Public Property RecipientCertificate As Certificate

Remarks

Use this property to specify the certificate to be used for encryption of the HMAC key. This is a "recipient's" certificate, and as such it does not need to have an associated private key.

The certificate is used with SignatureType set to one of the MAC options to generate an encrypted session key block. Upon receiving the signed message, the recipient decrypts the HMAC key and uses that to verify the integrity of the message.

This property is not available at design time.

SignatureType Property (MessageSigner Component)

Specifies the kind of signature to create.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public MessageSignerSignatureTypes SignatureType { get; set; }

enum MessageSignerSignatureTypes {
  stUnknown,
  stPKCS1Detached,
  stPKCS7Detached,
  stPKCS7Enveloping,
  stPKCS7MACDetached,
  stPKCS7MACEnveloping
}

Public Property SignatureType As MessagesignerSignatureTypes

Enum MessageSignerSignatureTypes
  stUnknown
  stPKCS1Detached
  stPKCS7Detached
  stPKCS7Enveloping
  stPKCS7MACDetached
  stPKCS7MACEnveloping
End Enum

Default Value

2

Remarks

Possible values:

SignedAttributes Property (MessageSigner Component)

Custom signature attributes to be covered by the electronic signature.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public SignatureAttributeList SignedAttributes { get; }

Public ReadOnly Property SignedAttributes As SignatureAttributeList

Remarks

Signature attributes are used to store auxiliary information in the signature. Values included as signed attributes are covered by the signature.

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

SigningCertificate Property (MessageSigner Component)

The certificate to be used for signing.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public Certificate SigningCertificate { get; set; }

Public Property SigningCertificate As Certificate

Remarks

Use this property to specify the certificate that shall be used for signing the data. Note that this certificate should have a private key associated with it. Use SigningChain to supply the rest of the certificate chain for inclusion into the signature.

This property is not available at design time.

SigningChain Property (MessageSigner Component)

The signing certificate chain.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public CertificateList SigningChain { get; }

Public Property SigningChain As CertificateList

Remarks

Use this property to provide the chain for the signing certificate. Use the SigningCertificate property, if it is available, to provide the signing certificate itself.

This property is not available at design time.

SocketSettings Property (MessageSigner Component)

Manages network connection settings.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public SocketSettings SocketSettings { get; }

Public ReadOnly Property SocketSettings As SocketSettings

Remarks

Use this property to tune up network connection parameters.

This property is read-only.

TimestampServer Property (MessageSigner Component)

The address of the timestamping server.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public string TimestampServer { get; set; }

Public Property TimestampServer As String

Default Value

""

Remarks

Use this property to provide the address of the Time Stamping Authority (TSA) server to be used for timestamping the signature.

SecureBlackbox supports RFC3161-compliant timestamping servers, available via HTTP or HTTPS.

If your timestamping service enforces credential-based user authentication (basic or digest), you can provide the credentials in the same URL:

http://user:password@timestamp.server.com/TsaService

For TSAs using certificate-based TLS authentication, provide the client certificate via the TLSClientChain property.

If this property is left empty, no timestamp will be added to the signature.

Starting from summer 2021 update (Vol. 2), the virtual timestamping service is supported, which allows you to intervene in the timestamping routine and provide your own handling for the TSA exchange. This may be handy if the service that you are requesting timestamps from uses a non-standard TSP protocol or requires special authentication option.

To employ the virtual service, assign an URI of the following format to this property:

virtual://localhost?hashonly=true&includecerts=true&reqpolicy=1.2.3.4.5&halg=SHA256&ignorenonce=true

Subscribe to Notification event to get notified about the virtualized timestamping event. The EventID of the timestamping event is TimestampRequest. Inside the event handler, read the base16-encoded request from the EventParam parameter and forward it to the timestamping authority. Upon receiving the response, pass it back to the component, encoded in base16, via the TimestampResponse config property:

component.Config("TimestampResponse=308208ab...");

Note that all the exchange with your custom TSA should take place within the same invocation of the Notification event.

The hashonly parameter of the virtual URI tells the component to only return the timestamp message imprint via the EventParam parameter. If set to false, EventParam will contain the complete RFC3161 timestamping request.

The includecerts parameter specifies that the requestCertificates parameter of the timestamping request should be set to true.

The reqpolicy parameter lets you specify the request policy, and the halg parameter specifies the hash algorithm to use for timestamping.

The ignorenonce parameter allows you to switch off client nonce verification to enable compatibility with TSA services that do not support nonce mirroring.

All the parameters are optional.

TLSClientChain Property (MessageSigner Component)

The TLS client certificate chain.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public CertificateList TLSClientChain { get; }

Public Property TLSClientChain As CertificateList

Remarks

Assign a certificate chain to this property to enable TLS client authentication in the component. Note that the client's end-entity certificate should have a private key associated with it.

Use the CertificateStorage or CertificateManager components to import the certificate from a file, system store, or PKCS11 device.

This property is not available at design time.

TLSServerChain Property (MessageSigner Component)

The TLS server's certificate chain.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public CertificateList TLSServerChain { get; }

Public ReadOnly Property TLSServerChain As CertificateList

Remarks

Use this property to access the certificate chain sent by the TLS server. This property is ready to read when the TLSCertValidate event is fired by the client component.

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

TLSSettings Property (MessageSigner Component)

Manages TLS layer settings.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public TLSSettings TLSSettings { get; }

Public ReadOnly Property TLSSettings As TLSSettings

Remarks

Use this property to tune up the TLS layer parameters.

This property is read-only.

UnsignedAttributes Property (MessageSigner Component)

Custom unsigned attributes to be included in the electronic signature.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public SignatureAttributeList UnsignedAttributes { get; }

Public ReadOnly Property UnsignedAttributes As SignatureAttributeList

Remarks

Signature attributes are used to store auxiliary information in the signature. Values included as unsigned attributes are not covered by the signature and can be changed or removed without affecting the signature.

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

AddAttribute Method (MessageSigner Component)

Adds an attribute to the signature.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public int AddAttribute(string OID, byte[] value, bool signedAttribute);

Public Function AddAttribute(ByVal OID As String, ByVal Value As Byte(), ByVal SignedAttribute As Boolean) As Integer

Remarks

Use this method to add a signed or unsigned attribute to the collection of attributes included in the new signature.

Note that CAdESSigner creates certain mandatory and/or widely used attributes automatically in accordance with requirements for a specific signing profile. For example, attributes such as SigningCertificateV2 or SigningTime are always added. Policy attributes are added if specified via the PolicyID or PolicyURI properties of the signature object.

Use the OID parameter to provide the object identifier of the attribute, in string form. For example, the OID for the SigningCertificateV2 attribute is 1.2.840.113549.1.9.16.2.47. The Value parameter should contain a well-formed, DER-encoded representation of the attribute value, in accordance with its specification.

Config Method (MessageSigner 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.

Countersign Method (MessageSigner Component)

Countersigns an existing signature.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void Countersign();

Public Sub Countersign()

Remarks

Use this method to certify an existing document signature. Countersigning doesn't alter the existing signatures or the signed document itself.

DoAction Method (MessageSigner 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:

ExtractAsyncData Method (MessageSigner Component)

Extracts user data from the DC signing service response.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public string ExtractAsyncData(string asyncReply);

Public Function ExtractAsyncData(ByVal AsyncReply As String) As String

Remarks

Call this method before finalizing the asynchronous signing process to extract the data passed to the ExternalCrypto.Data property on the pre-signing stage.

The Data parameter can be used to pass some state or document identifier along with the signing request from the pre-signing to the completion async stage.

Reset Method (MessageSigner 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.

Sign Method (MessageSigner Component)

Signs the data.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void Sign();

Public Sub Sign()

Remarks

This method signs the data provided via InputFile (or InputStream) with SigningCertificate, and saves the signature in OutputFile (OutputStream). Set the desired signature variant via SignatureType property.

The component automatically timestamps the created signature if a TimestampServer is provided.

SignAsyncBegin Method (MessageSigner Component)

Initiates the asynchronous signing operation.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public string SignAsyncBegin();

Public Function SignAsyncBegin() As String

Remarks

When using the DC framework, call this method to initiate the asynchronous signing process. Upon completion, a pre-signed copy of the document will be saved in OutputFile (or OutputStream). Keep the pre-signed copy somewhere local, and pass the returned string ('the request state') to the DC processor for handling.

Upon receiving the response state from the DC processor, assign the path to the pre-signed copy to InputFile (or InputStream), and call SignAsyncEnd to finalize the signing.

Note that depending on the signing method and DC configuration used, you may still need to provide the public part of the signing certificate via the SigningCertificate property.

Use the ExternalCrypto.AsyncDocumentID property to supply a unique document ID to include in the request. This is helpful when creating batches of multiple async requests, as it allows you to pass the whole response batch to SignAsyncEnd and expect it to recover the correct response from the batch automatically.

AsyncState is a message of the distributed cryptography (DC) protocol. The DC protocol is based on the exchange of async states between a DC client (an application that wants to sign a PDF, XML, or Office document) and a DC server (an application that controls access to the private key). An async state can carry one or more signing requests, comprised of document hashes, or one or more signatures produced over those hashes.

In a typical scenario you get a client-side async state from the SignAsyncBegin method. This state contains document hashes to be signed on the DC server side. You then send the async state to the DC server (often represented by the DCAuth component), which processes it and produces a matching signature state. The async state produced by the server is then passed to the SignAsyncEnd method.

SignAsyncEnd Method (MessageSigner Component)

Completes the asynchronous signing operation.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void SignAsyncEnd(string asyncReply);

Public Sub SignAsyncEnd(ByVal AsyncReply As String)

Remarks

When using the DC framework, call this method upon receiving the response state from the DC processor to complete the asynchronous signing process.

Before calling this method, assign the path to the pre-signed copy of the document obtained from the prior SignAsyncBegin call to InputFile (or InputStream). The method will embed the signature into the pre-signed document, and save the complete signed document to OutputFile (or OutputStream).

Note that depending on the signing method and DC configuration used, you may still need to provide the public part of the signing certificate via the SigningCertificate property.

Use the ExternalCrypto.AsyncDocumentID parameter to pass a specific document ID if using batched AsyncReply. If used, it should match the value provided on the pre-signing (SignAsyncBegin) stage.

AsyncState is a message of the distributed cryptography (DC) protocol. The DC protocol is based on the exchange of async states between a DC client (an application that wants to sign a PDF, XML, or Office document) and a DC server (an application that controls access to the private key). An async state can carry one or more signing requests, comprised of document hashes, or one or more signatures produced over those hashes.

In a typical scenario you get a client-side async state from the SignAsyncBegin method. This state contains document hashes to be signed on the DC server side. You then send the async state to the DC server (often represented by the DCAuth component), which processes it and produces a matching signature state. The async state produced by the server is then passed to the SignAsyncEnd method.

Timestamp Method (MessageSigner Component)

Timestamps a signature.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void Timestamp();

Public Sub Timestamp()

Remarks

This method timestamps an existing PKCS#7 signature with TimestampServer. Pass your existing signature via InputFile (or InputStream), and collect the timestamped variant from OutputFile (OutputStream).

Error Event (MessageSigner Component)

Information about errors during PKCS#7 message signing.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public event OnErrorHandler OnError;

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

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

Public Event OnError As OnErrorHandler

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

Public Class MessageSignerErrorEventArgs 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 message processing.

ErrorCode contains an error code and Description contains a textual description of the error. For a list of valid error codes and their descriptions, please refer to the Messages section.

ExternalSign Event (MessageSigner Component)

Handles remote or external signing initiated by the SignExternal method or other source.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public event OnExternalSignHandler OnExternalSign;

public delegate void OnExternalSignHandler(object sender, MessageSignerExternalSignEventArgs e);

public class MessageSignerExternalSignEventArgs : EventArgs {
  public string OperationId { get; }
  public string HashAlgorithm { get; }
  public string Pars { get; }
  public string Data { get; }
  public string SignedData { get; set; }
}

Public Event OnExternalSign As OnExternalSignHandler

Public Delegate Sub OnExternalSignHandler(sender As Object, e As MessageSignerExternalSignEventArgs)

Public Class MessageSignerExternalSignEventArgs Inherits EventArgs
  Public ReadOnly Property OperationId As String
  Public ReadOnly Property HashAlgorithm As String
  Public ReadOnly Property Pars As String
  Public ReadOnly Property Data As String
  Public Property SignedData As String
End Class

Remarks

Assign a handler to this event if you need to delegate a low-level signing operation to an external, remote, or custom signing engine. Depending on the settings, the handler will receive a hashed or unhashed value to be signed.

The event handler must pass the value of Data to the signer, obtain the signature, and pass it back to the component via the SignedData parameter.

OperationId provides a comment about the operation and its origin. It depends on the exact component being used, and may be empty. HashAlgorithm specifies the hash algorithm being used for the operation, and Pars contains algorithm-dependent parameters.

The component uses base16 (hex) encoding for the Data, SignedData, and Pars parameters. If your signing engine uses a different input and output encoding, you may need to decode and/or encode the data before and/or after the signing.

A sample MD5 hash encoded in base16: a0dee2a0382afbb09120ffa7ccd8a152 - lower case base16 A0DEE2A0382AFBB09120FFA7CCD8A152 - upper case base16

A sample event handler that uses the .NET RSACryptoServiceProvider class may look like the following: signer.OnExternalSign += (s, e) => { var cert = new X509Certificate2("cert.pfx", "", X509KeyStorageFlags.Exportable); var key = (RSACryptoServiceProvider)cert.PrivateKey; var dataToSign = e.Data.FromBase16String(); var signedData = key.SignHash(dataToSign, "2.16.840.1.101.3.4.2.1"); e.SignedData = signedData.ToBase16String(); };

Notification Event (MessageSigner 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, MessageSignerNotificationEventArgs e);

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

Public Event OnNotification As OnNotificationHandler

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

Public Class MessageSignerNotificationEventArgs 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.

This component can fire this event with the following EventID values:

TimestampRequest Event (MessageSigner Component)

Fires when the component is ready to request a timestamp from an external TSA.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public event OnTimestampRequestHandler OnTimestampRequest;

public delegate void OnTimestampRequestHandler(object sender, MessageSignerTimestampRequestEventArgs e);

public class MessageSignerTimestampRequestEventArgs : EventArgs {
  public string TSA { get; }
  public string TimestampRequest { get; }
  public string TimestampResponse { get; set; }
  public bool SuppressDefault { get; set; }
}

Public Event OnTimestampRequest As OnTimestampRequestHandler

Public Delegate Sub OnTimestampRequestHandler(sender As Object, e As MessageSignerTimestampRequestEventArgs)

Public Class MessageSignerTimestampRequestEventArgs Inherits EventArgs
  Public ReadOnly Property TSA As String
  Public ReadOnly Property TimestampRequest As String
  Public Property TimestampResponse As String
  Public Property SuppressDefault As Boolean
End Class

Remarks

Subscribe to this event to intercept timestamp requests. You can use it to override timestamping requests and perform them in your code.

The TSA parameter indicates the timestamping service being used. It matches the value passed to the TimestampServer property. Set the SuppressDefault parameter to false if you would like to stop the built-in TSA request from going ahead. The built-in TSA request is also not performed if the returned TimestampResponse parameter is not empty.

TLSCertNeeded Event (MessageSigner Component)

Fires when a remote TLS party requests a client certificate.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public event OnTLSCertNeededHandler OnTLSCertNeeded;

public delegate void OnTLSCertNeededHandler(object sender, MessageSignerTLSCertNeededEventArgs e);

public class MessageSignerTLSCertNeededEventArgs : EventArgs {
  public string Host { get; }
  public string CANames { get; }
}

Public Event OnTLSCertNeeded As OnTLSCertNeededHandler

Public Delegate Sub OnTLSCertNeededHandler(sender As Object, e As MessageSignerTLSCertNeededEventArgs)

Public Class MessageSignerTLSCertNeededEventArgs Inherits EventArgs
  Public ReadOnly Property Host As String
  Public ReadOnly Property CANames As String
End Class

Remarks

This event fires to notify the implementation that a remote TLS server has requested a client certificate. The Host parameter identifies the host that makes a request, and the CANames parameter (optional, according to the TLS spec) advises on the accepted issuing CAs.

Use the TLSClientChain property in response to this event to provide the requested certificate. Please make sure the client certificate includes the associated private key. Note that you may set the certificates before the connection without waiting for this event to fire.

This event is preceded by the TLSHandshake event for the given host and, if the certificate was accepted, succeeded by the TLSEstablished event.

TLSCertValidate Event (MessageSigner Component)

This event is fired upon receipt of the TLS server's certificate, allowing the user to control its acceptance.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public event OnTLSCertValidateHandler OnTLSCertValidate;

public delegate void OnTLSCertValidateHandler(object sender, MessageSignerTLSCertValidateEventArgs e);

public class MessageSignerTLSCertValidateEventArgs : EventArgs {
  public string ServerHost { get; }
  public string ServerIP { get; }
  public bool Accept { get; set; }
}

Public Event OnTLSCertValidate As OnTLSCertValidateHandler

Public Delegate Sub OnTLSCertValidateHandler(sender As Object, e As MessageSignerTLSCertValidateEventArgs)

Public Class MessageSignerTLSCertValidateEventArgs Inherits EventArgs
  Public ReadOnly Property ServerHost As String
  Public ReadOnly Property ServerIP As String
  Public Property Accept As Boolean
End Class

Remarks

This event is fired during a TLS handshake. Use the TLSServerChain property to access the certificate chain. In general, components may contact a number of TLS endpoints during their work, depending on their configuration.

Accept is assigned in accordance with the outcome of the internal validation check performed by the component, and can be adjusted if needed.

TLSEstablished Event (MessageSigner Component)

Fires when a TLS handshake with Host successfully completes.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public event OnTLSEstablishedHandler OnTLSEstablished;

public delegate void OnTLSEstablishedHandler(object sender, MessageSignerTLSEstablishedEventArgs e);

public class MessageSignerTLSEstablishedEventArgs : EventArgs {
  public string Host { get; }
  public string Version { get; }
  public string Ciphersuite { get; }
  public byte[] ConnectionId { get; }
  public bool Abort { get; set; }
}

Public Event OnTLSEstablished As OnTLSEstablishedHandler

Public Delegate Sub OnTLSEstablishedHandler(sender As Object, e As MessageSignerTLSEstablishedEventArgs)

Public Class MessageSignerTLSEstablishedEventArgs Inherits EventArgs
  Public ReadOnly Property Host As String
  Public ReadOnly Property Version As String
  Public ReadOnly Property Ciphersuite As String
  Public ReadOnly Property ConnectionId As Byte()
  Public Property Abort As Boolean
End Class

Remarks

The component uses this event to notify the application about a successful completion of a TLS handshake.

The Version, Ciphersuite, and ConnectionId parameters indicate the security parameters of the new connection. Use the Abort parameter if you need to terminate the connection at this stage.

TLSHandshake Event (MessageSigner Component)

Fires when a new TLS handshake is initiated, before the handshake commences.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public event OnTLSHandshakeHandler OnTLSHandshake;

public delegate void OnTLSHandshakeHandler(object sender, MessageSignerTLSHandshakeEventArgs e);

public class MessageSignerTLSHandshakeEventArgs : EventArgs {
  public string Host { get; }
  public bool Abort { get; set; }
}

Public Event OnTLSHandshake As OnTLSHandshakeHandler

Public Delegate Sub OnTLSHandshakeHandler(sender As Object, e As MessageSignerTLSHandshakeEventArgs)

Public Class MessageSignerTLSHandshakeEventArgs Inherits EventArgs
  Public ReadOnly Property Host As String
  Public Property Abort As Boolean
End Class

Remarks

The component uses this event to notify the application about the start of a new TLS handshake to Host. If the handshake is successful, this event will be followed by the TLSEstablished event. If the server chooses to request a client certificate, the TLSCertNeeded event will also be fired.

TLSShutdown Event (MessageSigner Component)

Reports the graceful closure of a TLS connection.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public event OnTLSShutdownHandler OnTLSShutdown;

public delegate void OnTLSShutdownHandler(object sender, MessageSignerTLSShutdownEventArgs e);

public class MessageSignerTLSShutdownEventArgs : EventArgs {
  public string Host { get; }
}

Public Event OnTLSShutdown As OnTLSShutdownHandler

Public Delegate Sub OnTLSShutdownHandler(sender As Object, e As MessageSignerTLSShutdownEventArgs)

Public Class MessageSignerTLSShutdownEventArgs Inherits EventArgs
  Public ReadOnly Property Host As String
End Class

Remarks

This event notifies the application about the closure of an earlier established TLS connection. Note that only graceful connection closures are reported.

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()

ExternalCrypto Type

Specifies the parameters of external cryptographic calls.

Remarks

External cryptocalls are used in a Distributed Cryptography (DC) subsystem, which allows the delegation of security operations to the remote agent. For instance, it can be used to compute the signature value on the server, while retaining the client's private key locally.

Fields

Constructors

• C#
• VB.NET

public ExternalCrypto();

Public ExternalCrypto()

ProxySettings Type

A container for proxy server settings.

Remarks

This type exposes a collection of properties for tuning up the proxy server configuration.

Fields

Constructors

• C#
• VB.NET

public ProxySettings();

Public ProxySettings()

SignatureAttribute Type

Represents an attribute of a digital PKCS#7/CMS signature.

Remarks

Attributes store auxiliary information about the signed message, the signature, or the owner. Each attribute is a OID=Value pair.

Common attributes are signing time, a content type, a policy identifier, and a signature timestamp.

Fields

Constructors

• C#
• VB.NET

public SignatureAttribute();

Public SignatureAttribute()

SocketSettings Type

A container for the socket settings.

Remarks

This type is a container for socket-layer parameters.

Fields

Constructors

• C#
• VB.NET

public SocketSettings();

Public SocketSettings()

TLSSettings Type

A container for TLS connection settings.

Remarks

The TLS (Transport Layer Security) protocol provides security for information exchanged over insecure connections such as TCP/IP.

Fields

Constructors

• C#
• VB.NET

public TLSSettings();

Public TLSSettings()

Config Settings (MessageSigner Component)

MessageSigner Config Settings

Base Config Settings

Trappable Errors (MessageSigner Component)

MessageSigner Errors