CryptoKeyManager Component

Properties   Methods   Events   Config Settings   Errors  

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

Syntax

TsbxCryptoKeyManager

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

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

Method List

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

Event List

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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

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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

property Certificate: TsbxCertificate read get_Certificate write set_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.

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

DerivationAlgorithm Property (CryptoKeyManager Component)

Specifies the algorithm to use for key derivation.

Syntax

property DerivationAlgorithm: String read get_DerivationAlgorithm write set_DerivationAlgorithm;

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

property DeriveIterations: Integer read get_DeriveIterations write set_DeriveIterations;

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

property FIPSMode: Boolean read get_FIPSMode write set_FIPSMode;

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

property HMACAlgorithm: String read get_HMACAlgorithm write set_HMACAlgorithm;

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

property Key: TsbxCryptoKey read get_Key write set_Key;

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.

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

Config Method (CryptoKeyManager Component)

Sets or retrieves a configuration setting.

Syntax

function Config(ConfigurationString: String): 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

procedure 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

procedure DeriveKey(KeyBits: Integer; Password: String; Salt: 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

function DoAction(ActionID: String; ActionParams: String): 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

function ExportBytes(Format: Integer; KeyType: Integer; Password: String): TBytes;

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

procedure 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

procedure ExportToFile(FileName: String; Format: Integer; KeyType: Integer; Password: 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

procedure ExportToStream(Stream: TStream; Format: Integer; KeyType: Integer; Password: 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

procedure Generate(KeyAlgorithm: String; Scheme: String; SchemeParams: String; KeyBits: 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

function GetKeyParam(Name: String): TBytes;

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

function GetKeyParamStr(Name: String): 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

procedure ImportBytes(Value: TBytes; Format: Integer; KeyAlgorithm: String; Scheme: String; SchemeParams: String; KeyType: Integer; Password: String);

Remarks

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

Example using Custom Property arrays: Mgr.ImportBytes(ThirtyTwoKeyBytes, kffDER, "AES256", "", "", ktSecret)

ImportFromCert Method (CryptoKeyManager Component)

Loads a key from a certificate.

Syntax

procedure 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

procedure ImportFromFile(FileName: String; Format: Integer; KeyAlgorithm: String; Scheme: String; SchemeParams: String; KeyType: Integer; Password: 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

procedure ImportFromStream(Stream: TStream; Format: Integer; KeyAlgorithm: String; Scheme: String; SchemeParams: String; KeyType: Integer; Password: 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

procedure Reset();

Remarks

Reset is a generic method available in every component.

SetKeyParam Method (CryptoKeyManager Component)

Sets an algorithm-specific key parameter.

Syntax

procedure SetKeyParam(Name: String; Value: TBytes);

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

procedure SetKeyParamStr(Name: String; ValueStr: 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

type TErrorEvent = procedure (
  Sender: TObject;
  ErrorCode: Integer;
  const Description: String
) of Object;

property OnError: TErrorEvent read FOnError write FOnError;

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

type TNotificationEvent = procedure (
  Sender: TObject;
  const EventID: String;
  const EventParam: String
) of Object;

property OnNotification: TNotificationEvent read FOnNotification write FOnNotification;

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

type TPasswordNeededEvent = procedure (
  Sender: TObject;
  const NeededFor: String;
  var Password: String;
  var Cancel: Boolean
) of Object;

property OnPasswordNeeded: TPasswordNeededEvent read FOnPasswordNeeded write FOnPasswordNeeded;

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

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constructor Create();

CryptoKey Type

This container represents a cryptographic key.

Remarks

This type is a universal placeholder for cryptographic keys.

Fields

Constructors

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constructor Create();

Config Settings (CryptoKeyManager Component)

The component accepts one or more of the following configuration settings. Configuration settings are similar in functionality to properties, but they are rarely used. In order to avoid "polluting" the property namespace of the component, access to these internal properties is provided through the Config method.

CryptoKeyManager Config Settings

Base Config Settings

Trappable Errors (CryptoKeyManager Component)

CryptoKeyManager Errors