RsaProtectedConfigurationProvider Class (System.Configuration)

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RsaProtectedConfigurationProvider Class

Provides a ProtectedConfigurationProvider instance that uses RSA encryption to encrypt and decrypt configuration data.

Inheritance Hierarchy
System.Object
  System.Configuration.Provider.ProviderBase
    System.Configuration.ProtectedConfigurationProvider
      System.Configuration.RsaProtectedConfigurationProvider

Namespace:  System.Configuration
Assembly:  System.Configuration (in System.Configuration.dll)
Syntax
Visual Basic
<PermissionSetAttribute(SecurityAction.Demand, Name := "FullTrust")> _
Public NotInheritable Class RsaProtectedConfigurationProvider _
	Inherits ProtectedConfigurationProvider
C#
[PermissionSetAttribute(SecurityAction.Demand, Name = "FullTrust")]
public sealed class RsaProtectedConfigurationProvider : ProtectedConfigurationProvider
Visual C++
[PermissionSetAttribute(SecurityAction::Demand, Name = L"FullTrust")]
public ref class RsaProtectedConfigurationProvider sealed : public ProtectedConfigurationProvider
F#
[<Sealed>]
[<PermissionSetAttribute(SecurityAction.Demand, Name = "FullTrust")>]
type RsaProtectedConfigurationProvider =  
    class
        inherit ProtectedConfigurationProvider
    end

The RsaProtectedConfigurationProvider type exposes the following members.

Constructors
  Name Description
Public method RsaProtectedConfigurationProvider Initializes a new instance of the RsaProtectedConfigurationProvider class.
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Properties
  Name Description
Public property CspProviderName Gets the name of the Windows cryptography API (crypto API) cryptographic service provider (CSP).
Public property Description Gets a brief, friendly description suitable for display in administrative tools or other user interfaces (UIs). (Inherited from ProviderBase.)
Public property KeyContainerName Gets the name of the key container.
Public property Name Gets the friendly name used to refer to the provider during configuration. (Inherited from ProviderBase.)
Public property RsaPublicKey Gets the public key used by the provider.
Public property UseMachineContainer Gets a value that indicates whether the RsaProtectedConfigurationProvider object is using the machine key container.
Public property UseOAEP Gets a value that indicates whether the provider is using Optimal Asymmetric Encryption Padding (OAEP) key exchange data.
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Methods
  Name Description
Public method AddKey Adds a key to the RSA key container.
Public method Decrypt Decrypts the XML node passed to it. (Overrides ProtectedConfigurationProvider.Decrypt(XmlNode).)
Public method DeleteKey Removes a key from the RSA key container.
Public method Encrypt Encrypts the XML node passed to it. (Overrides ProtectedConfigurationProvider.Encrypt(XmlNode).)
Public method Equals(Object) Determines whether the specified Object is equal to the current Object. (Inherited from Object.)
Public method ExportKey Exports an RSA key from the key container.
Protected method Finalize Allows an object to try to free resources and perform other cleanup operations before it is reclaimed by garbage collection. (Inherited from Object.)
Public method GetHashCode Serves as a hash function for a particular type. (Inherited from Object.)
Public method GetType Gets the Type of the current instance. (Inherited from Object.)
Public method ImportKey Imports an RSA key into the key container.
Public method Initialize Initializes the provider with default settings. (Overrides ProviderBase.Initialize(String, NameValueCollection).)
Protected method MemberwiseClone Creates a shallow copy of the current Object. (Inherited from Object.)
Public method ToString Returns a string that represents the current object. (Inherited from Object.)
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Remarks

The RsaProtectedConfigurationProvider class gives you a way to encrypt sensitive information stored in a configuration file, which helps protect it from unauthorized access. You use the built-in RsaProtectedConfigurationProvider instance by declaring the provider and making appropriate settings in the configuration file instead of creating an instance of this class, as shown in the example later in this topic.

The RsaProtectedConfigurationProvider object uses the cryptography functions provided by RSA class to encrypt and decrypt configuration sections.

Note Note

Before ASP.NET can decrypt encrypted information in your configuration file, the identity of your ASP.NET application must have read access to the encryption key used to encrypt and decrypt the configuration data. For more information, see Walkthrough: Encrypting Configuration Information Using Protected Configuration.
Examples

The following code example shows how to use the standard RsaProtectedConfigurationProvider to protect or unprotect a configuration section.

Visual Basic


Imports System
Imports System.Configuration


Public Class UsingRsaProtectedConfigurationProvider


   ' Protect the connectionStrings section.
   Private Shared Sub ProtectConfiguration()

      ' Get the application configuration file.
        Dim config As System.Configuration.Configuration = _
        ConfigurationManager.OpenExeConfiguration(ConfigurationUserLevel.None)

      ' Define the Rsa provider name.
        Dim provider As String = _
        "RsaProtectedConfigurationProvider"

      ' Get the section to protect.
        Dim connStrings As ConfigurationSection = _
        config.ConnectionStrings

      If Not (connStrings Is Nothing) Then
         If Not connStrings.SectionInformation.IsProtected Then
            If Not connStrings.ElementInformation.IsLocked Then
                    ' Protect the section.

                    connStrings.SectionInformation.ProtectSection(provider)


                    connStrings.SectionInformation.ForceSave = True

                    config.Save(ConfigurationSaveMode.Full)

                    Console.WriteLine( _
                    "Section {0} is now protected by {1}", _
                    connStrings.SectionInformation.Name, _
                    connStrings.SectionInformation.ProtectionProvider.Name)

                Else
                    Console.WriteLine( _
                    "Can't protect, section {0} is locked", _
                    connStrings.SectionInformation.Name)
                End If
         Else
                Console.WriteLine( _
                "Section {0} is already protected by {1}", _
                connStrings.SectionInformation.Name, _
                connStrings.SectionInformation.ProtectionProvider.Name)
         End If

      Else
            Console.WriteLine( _
            "Can't get the section {0}", _
            connStrings.SectionInformation.Name)
      End If
   End Sub 'ProtectConfiguration



   ' Unprotect the connectionStrings section.
   Private Shared Sub UnProtectConfiguration()

      ' Get the application configuration file.
        Dim config As System.Configuration.Configuration = _
        ConfigurationManager.OpenExeConfiguration(ConfigurationUserLevel.None)

      ' Get the section to unprotect.
        Dim connStrings As ConfigurationSection = _
        config.ConnectionStrings

      If Not (connStrings Is Nothing) Then
         If connStrings.SectionInformation.IsProtected Then
            If Not connStrings.ElementInformation.IsLocked Then
               ' Unprotect the section.
               connStrings.SectionInformation.UnprotectSection()

               connStrings.SectionInformation.ForceSave = True
               config.Save(ConfigurationSaveMode.Full)

                    Console.WriteLine( _
                    "Section {0} is now unprotected.", _
                    connStrings.SectionInformation.Name)

            Else
                    Console.WriteLine( _
                    "Can't unprotect, section {0} is locked", _
                    connStrings.SectionInformation.Name)
            End If
         Else
                Console.WriteLine( _
                "Section {0} is already unprotected.", _
                connStrings.SectionInformation.Name)
         End If

      Else
            Console.WriteLine( _
            "Can't get the section {0}", _
            connStrings.SectionInformation.Name)
      End If
   End Sub 'UnProtectConfiguration



    Public Shared Sub Main(ByVal args() As String)

        Dim selection As String = String.Empty

        If args.Length = 0 Then
            Console.WriteLine( _
            "Select protect or unprotect")
            Return
        End If

        selection = args(0).ToLower()

        Select Case selection
            Case "protect"
                ProtectConfiguration()

            Case "unprotect"
                UnProtectConfiguration()

            Case Else
                Console.WriteLine( _
                "Unknown selection")
        End Select

        Console.Read()
    End Sub 'Main

End Class 'UsingRsaProtectedConfigurationProvider
C#

using System;
using System.Configuration;

public class UsingRsaProtectedConfigurationProvider
{

    // Protect the connectionStrings section.
    private static void ProtectConfiguration()
    {

        // Get the application configuration file.
        System.Configuration.Configuration config =
                ConfigurationManager.OpenExeConfiguration(
                ConfigurationUserLevel.None);

        // Define the Rsa provider name.
        string provider =
            "RsaProtectedConfigurationProvider";

        // Get the section to protect.
        ConfigurationSection connStrings =
            config.ConnectionStrings;

        if (connStrings != null)
        {
            if (!connStrings.SectionInformation.IsProtected)
            {
                if (!connStrings.ElementInformation.IsLocked)
                {
                    // Protect the section.
                    connStrings.SectionInformation.ProtectSection(provider);

                    connStrings.SectionInformation.ForceSave = true;
                    config.Save(ConfigurationSaveMode.Full);

                    Console.WriteLine("Section {0} is now protected by {1}",
                        connStrings.SectionInformation.Name,
                        connStrings.SectionInformation.ProtectionProvider.Name);

                }
                else
                    Console.WriteLine(
                         "Can't protect, section {0} is locked",
                         connStrings.SectionInformation.Name);
            }
            else
                Console.WriteLine(
                    "Section {0} is already protected by {1}",
                    connStrings.SectionInformation.Name,
                    connStrings.SectionInformation.ProtectionProvider.Name);

        }
        else
            Console.WriteLine("Can't get the section {0}",
                connStrings.SectionInformation.Name);

    }


    // Unprotect the connectionStrings section.
    private static void UnProtectConfiguration()
    {

        // Get the application configuration file.
        System.Configuration.Configuration config =
                ConfigurationManager.OpenExeConfiguration(
                ConfigurationUserLevel.None);

        // Get the section to unprotect.
        ConfigurationSection connStrings =
            config.ConnectionStrings;

        if (connStrings != null)
        {
            if (connStrings.SectionInformation.IsProtected)
            {
                if (!connStrings.ElementInformation.IsLocked)
                {
                    // Unprotect the section.
                    connStrings.SectionInformation.UnprotectSection();

                    connStrings.SectionInformation.ForceSave = true;
                    config.Save(ConfigurationSaveMode.Full);

                    Console.WriteLine("Section {0} is now unprotected.",
                        connStrings.SectionInformation.Name);

                }
                else
                    Console.WriteLine(
                         "Can't unprotect, section {0} is locked",
                         connStrings.SectionInformation.Name);
            }
            else
                Console.WriteLine(
                    "Section {0} is already unprotected.",
                    connStrings.SectionInformation.Name);

        }
        else
            Console.WriteLine("Can't get the section {0}",
                connStrings.SectionInformation.Name);

    }


    public static void Main(string[] args)
    {

        string selection = string.Empty;

        if (args.Length == 0)
        {
            Console.WriteLine(
                "Select protect or unprotect");
            return;
        }

        selection = args[0].ToLower();

        switch (selection)
        {
            case "protect":
                ProtectConfiguration();
                break;

            case "unprotect":
                UnProtectConfiguration();
                break;

            default:
                Console.WriteLine("Unknown selection");
                break;
        }

        Console.Read();

    }


}

The following example shows an excerpt from a configuration file after encryption.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<configuration>
  <connectionStrings configProtectionProvider="RsaProtectedConfigurationProvider">
    <EncryptedData Type="http://www.w3.org/2001/04/xmlenc#Element"
        xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2001/04/xmlenc#">
      <EncryptionMethod Algorithm="http://www.w3.org/2001/04/xmlenc#tripledes-cbc" />
      <KeyInfo xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/09/xmldsig#">
        <EncryptedKey xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2001/04/xmlenc#">
          <EncryptionMethod Algorithm="http://www.w3.org/2001/04/xmlenc#rsa-1_5" />
          <KeyInfo xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/09/xmldsig#">
            <KeyName>Rsa Key</KeyName>
          </KeyInfo>
          <CipherData>
            <CipherValue>B702tRDVHJjC3CYXt7I0ucCDjdht/Vyk/DdUhwQyt7vepSD85dwCP8ox9Y1BUdjajFeTFfFBsGypbli5HPGRYamQdrVkPo07bBBXNT5H02qxREguGUU4iDtV1Xp8BLVZjQMV4ZgP6Wbctw2xRvPC7GvKHLI4fUN/Je5LmutsijA=</CipherValue>
          </CipherData>
        </EncryptedKey>
      </KeyInfo>
      <CipherData>
        <CipherValue>ME+XJA2TAj3QN3yT4pJq3sRArC0i7Cz3Da71BkaRe9QNfuVuUjcv0jeGUN4wDdOAZ7LPq6UpVrpirY3kQcALDvPJ5nKxk++Mw75rjtIO8eh2goTY9rCK6zanfzaDshFy7IqItpvs/y2kmij25nM3ury6uO0hCf0UbEL1mbT2jXDqvcrHZUobO1Ef6bygBZ/8HpU+VfF9CTCob/BBE9zUkK37EQhcduwsnzBvDblYbF/Rd+F4lxAkZnecGLfCZjOzJB4xH1a0vvWtPR7zNwL/7I0uHzQjyMdWrkBnotMjoR70R7NELBotCogWO0MBimncKigdR3dTTdrCd72a7UJ4LMlEQaZXGIJp4PIg6qVDHII=</CipherValue>
      </CipherData>
    </EncryptedData>
  </connectionStrings>
</configuration>
Version Information

.NET Framework

Supported in: 4, 3.5, 3.0, 2.0

.NET Framework Client Profile

Supported in: 4, 3.5 SP1
.NET Framework Security
Platforms

Windows 7, Windows Vista SP1 or later, Windows XP SP3, Windows XP SP2 x64 Edition, Windows Server 2008 (Server Core not supported), Windows Server 2008 R2 (Server Core supported with SP1 or later), Windows Server 2003 SP2

The .NET Framework does not support all versions of every platform. For a list of the supported versions, see .NET Framework System Requirements.
Thread Safety
Any public static (Shared in Visual Basic) members of this type are thread safe. Any instance members are not guaranteed to be thread safe.
See Also

Reference

System.Configuration Namespace
ProtectedConfigurationProvider
DpapiProtectedConfigurationProvider
RSA

Other Resources

Cryptographic Services
Walkthrough: Encrypting Configuration Information Using Protected Configuration
Walkthrough: Creating and Exporting an RSA Key Container
Specifying a Protected Configuration Provider