CryptoAPI and CAPICOM provide services that enable application developers to add encryption/decryption of data, authentication using digital certificates, and encoding to and decoding from Abstract Syntax Notation One (ASN.1) to their Windows-based applications. Application developers can use the functions in CryptoAPI without knowing details of the underlying implementation, in much the same way as they can use a graphics library without knowing anything about the particular graphics hardware configuration. CryptoAPI works with a number of Cryptographic Service Providers that perform the actual cryptographic functions.

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Build date: 6/26/2009