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Rijndael Class

Updated: August 2010

Represents the base class from which all implementations of the Rijndael symmetric encryption algorithm must inherit.

Namespace:  System.Security.Cryptography
Assembly:  mscorlib (in mscorlib.dll)
[ComVisibleAttribute(true)]
public abstract class Rijndael : SymmetricAlgorithm

The Rijndael type exposes the following members.

  Name Description
Protected method Rijndael Initializes a new instance of Rijndael.
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  Name Description
Public property BlockSize Gets or sets the block size, in bits, of the cryptographic operation. (Inherited from SymmetricAlgorithm.)
Public property FeedbackSize Gets or sets the feedback size, in bits, of the cryptographic operation. (Inherited from SymmetricAlgorithm.)
Public property IV Gets or sets the initialization vector (IV) for the symmetric algorithm. (Inherited from SymmetricAlgorithm.)
Public property Key Gets or sets the secret key for the symmetric algorithm. (Inherited from SymmetricAlgorithm.)
Public property KeySize Gets or sets the size, in bits, of the secret key used by the symmetric algorithm. (Inherited from SymmetricAlgorithm.)
Public property LegalBlockSizes Gets the block sizes, in bits, that are supported by the symmetric algorithm. (Inherited from SymmetricAlgorithm.)
Public property LegalKeySizes Gets the key sizes, in bits, that are supported by the symmetric algorithm. (Inherited from SymmetricAlgorithm.)
Public property Mode Gets or sets the mode for operation of the symmetric algorithm. (Inherited from SymmetricAlgorithm.)
Public property Padding Gets or sets the padding mode used in the symmetric algorithm. (Inherited from SymmetricAlgorithm.)
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  Name Description
Public method Clear Releases all resources used by the SymmetricAlgorithm class. (Inherited from SymmetricAlgorithm.)
Public method Static member Create() Creates a cryptographic object to perform the Rijndael algorithm.
Public method Static member Create(String) Creates a cryptographic object to perform the specified implementation of the Rijndael algorithm.
Public method CreateDecryptor() Creates a symmetric decryptor object with the current Key property and initialization vector (IV). (Inherited from SymmetricAlgorithm.)
Public method CreateDecryptor(Byte[], Byte[]) When overridden in a derived class, creates a symmetric decryptor object with the specified Key property and initialization vector (IV). (Inherited from SymmetricAlgorithm.)
Public method CreateEncryptor() Creates a symmetric encryptor object with the current Key property and initialization vector (IV). (Inherited from SymmetricAlgorithm.)
Public method CreateEncryptor(Byte[], Byte[]) When overridden in a derived class, creates a symmetric encryptor object with the specified Key property and initialization vector (IV). (Inherited from SymmetricAlgorithm.)
Public method Dispose() Releases all resources used by the current instance of the SymmetricAlgorithm class. (Inherited from SymmetricAlgorithm.)
Protected method Dispose(Boolean) Releases the unmanaged resources used by the SymmetricAlgorithm and optionally releases the managed resources. (Inherited from SymmetricAlgorithm.)
Public method Equals(Object) Determines whether the specified Object is equal to the current Object. (Inherited from Object.)
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 GenerateIV When overridden in a derived class, generates a random initialization vector (IV) to use for the algorithm. (Inherited from SymmetricAlgorithm.)
Public method GenerateKey When overridden in a derived class, generates a random key (Key) to use for the algorithm. (Inherited from SymmetricAlgorithm.)
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.)
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.)
Public method ValidKeySize Determines whether the specified key size is valid for the current algorithm. (Inherited from SymmetricAlgorithm.)
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  Name Description
Protected field BlockSizeValue Represents the block size, in bits, of the cryptographic operation. (Inherited from SymmetricAlgorithm.)
Protected field FeedbackSizeValue Represents the feedback size, in bits, of the cryptographic operation. (Inherited from SymmetricAlgorithm.)
Protected field IVValue Represents the initialization vector (IV) for the symmetric algorithm. (Inherited from SymmetricAlgorithm.)
Protected field KeySizeValue Represents the size, in bits, of the secret key used by the symmetric algorithm. (Inherited from SymmetricAlgorithm.)
Protected field KeyValue Represents the secret key for the symmetric algorithm. (Inherited from SymmetricAlgorithm.)
Protected field LegalBlockSizesValue Specifies the block sizes, in bits, that are supported by the symmetric algorithm. (Inherited from SymmetricAlgorithm.)
Protected field LegalKeySizesValue Specifies the key sizes, in bits, that are supported by the symmetric algorithm. (Inherited from SymmetricAlgorithm.)
Protected field ModeValue Represents the cipher mode used in the symmetric algorithm. (Inherited from SymmetricAlgorithm.)
Protected field PaddingValue Represents the padding mode used in the symmetric algorithm. (Inherited from SymmetricAlgorithm.)
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This algorithm supports key lengths of 128, 192, or 256 bits.

The Rijndael class is the predecessor of the Aes algorithm. You should use the Aes algorithm instead of Rijndael. For more information, see the entry The Differences Between Rijndael and AES in the .NET Security blog.

The following code example uses the Rijndael class to encrypt and then decrypt data.


using System;
using System.IO;
using System.Security.Cryptography;

namespace RijndaelManaged_Example
{
    class RijndaelExample
    {
        public static void Main()
        {
            try
            {

                string original = "Here is some data to encrypt!";

                // Create a new instance of the Rijndael
                // class.  This generates a new key and initialization 
                // vector (IV).
                using (Rijndael myRijndael = Rijndael.Create())
                {
                    // Encrypt the string to an array of bytes.
                    byte[] encrypted = EncryptStringToBytes(original, myRijndael.Key, myRijndael.IV);

                    // Decrypt the bytes to a string.
                    string roundtrip = DecryptStringFromBytes(encrypted, myRijndael.Key, myRijndael.IV);

                    //Display the original data and the decrypted data.
                    Console.WriteLine("Original:   {0}", original);
                    Console.WriteLine("Round Trip: {0}", roundtrip);
                }

            }
            catch (Exception e)
            {
                Console.WriteLine("Error: {0}", e.Message);
            }
        }
        static byte[] EncryptStringToBytes(string plainText, byte[] Key, byte[] IV)
        {
            // Check arguments.
            if (plainText == null || plainText.Length <= 0)
                throw new ArgumentNullException("plainText");
            if (Key == null || Key.Length <= 0)
                throw new ArgumentNullException("Key");
            if (IV == null || IV.Length <= 0)
                throw new ArgumentNullException("Key");
            byte[] encrypted;
            // Create an Rijndael object
            // with the specified key and IV.
            using (Rijndael rijAlg = Rijndael.Create())
            {
                rijAlg.Key = Key;
                rijAlg.IV = IV;

                // Create a decrytor to perform the stream transform.
                ICryptoTransform encryptor = rijAlg.CreateEncryptor(rijAlg.Key, rijAlg.IV);

                // Create the streams used for encryption.
                using (MemoryStream msEncrypt = new MemoryStream())
                {
                    using (CryptoStream csEncrypt = new CryptoStream(msEncrypt, encryptor, CryptoStreamMode.Write))
                    {
                        using (StreamWriter swEncrypt = new StreamWriter(csEncrypt))
                        {

                            //Write all data to the stream.
                            swEncrypt.Write(plainText);
                        }
                        encrypted = msEncrypt.ToArray();
                    }
                }
            }


            // Return the encrypted bytes from the memory stream.
            return encrypted;

        }

        static string DecryptStringFromBytes(byte[] cipherText, byte[] Key, byte[] IV)
        {
            // Check arguments.
            if (cipherText == null || cipherText.Length <= 0)
                throw new ArgumentNullException("cipherText");
            if (Key == null || Key.Length <= 0)
                throw new ArgumentNullException("Key");
            if (IV == null || IV.Length <= 0)
                throw new ArgumentNullException("Key");

            // Declare the string used to hold
            // the decrypted text.
            string plaintext = null;

            // Create an Rijndael object
            // with the specified key and IV.
            using (Rijndael rijAlg = Rijndael.Create())
            {
                rijAlg.Key = Key;
                rijAlg.IV = IV;

                // Create a decrytor to perform the stream transform.
                ICryptoTransform decryptor = rijAlg.CreateDecryptor(rijAlg.Key, rijAlg.IV);

                // Create the streams used for decryption.
                using (MemoryStream msDecrypt = new MemoryStream(cipherText))
                {
                    using (CryptoStream csDecrypt = new CryptoStream(msDecrypt, decryptor, CryptoStreamMode.Read))
                    {
                        using (StreamReader srDecrypt = new StreamReader(csDecrypt))
                        {

                            // Read the decrypted bytes from the decrypting stream
                            // and place them in a string.
                            plaintext = srDecrypt.ReadToEnd();
                        }
                    }
                }

            }

            return plaintext;

        }
    }
}


.NET Framework

Supported in: 4, 3.5, 3.0, 2.0, 1.1, 1.0

.NET Framework Client Profile

Supported in: 4, 3.5 SP1

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.
Any public static (Shared in Visual Basic) members of this type are thread safe. Any instance members are not guaranteed to be thread safe.

Date

History

Reason

August 2010

Added information about the history and use of the algorithm.

Customer feedback.

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Community Content Add
Annotations FAQ
Typo in example code
if (IV == null || IV.Length <= 0)
                throw new ArgumentNullException("Key");

Typo in exception parameter should be ArgumentNullException("IV");
Bug/memory leak in sample code
Instead of:
---------------
ICryptoTransform encryptor = rijAlg.CreateEncryptor(rijAlg.Key, rijAlg.IV);
---------------
Use this:
--------------- using(ICryptoTransform encryptor = rijAlg.CreateEncryptor(rijAlg.Key, rijAlg.IV))
{
...
---------------

This applies also to decrypt function.

TomazZ