ProtectedMemory Class
Assembly: System.Security (in system.security.dll)
This class provides access to the Data Protection API (DPAPI) available in Microsoft Windows XP and later operating systems. This is a service that is provided by the operating system and does not require additional libraries. It provides encryption for sensitive data in memory.
The class consists of two wrappers for the unmanaged DPAPI, Protect and Unprotect. These two methods can be used to encrypt and decrypt data in memory.
| Topic | Location |
|---|---|
| How to: Use Data Protection | .NET Framework: Security |
| How to: Use Data Protection | .NET Framework: Security |
The following code example shows how to use data protection.
import System.*;
import System.Security.Cryptography.*;
public class MemoryProtectionSample
{
// Create aditional entropy for use with the Protect method.
private static ubyte sAditionalEntropy[] = { 9, 8, 7, 6, 5 };
public static void main(String args[])
{
// Create the original data to be encrypted (The data length should
// be a multiple of 16).
ubyte secret[] = { 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4 };
// Encrypt the data in memory. The result is stored in the same same
// array as the original data.
ProtectedMemory.Protect(secret, MemoryProtectionScope.SameLogon);
// Decrypt the data in memory and store in the original array.
ProtectedMemory.Unprotect(secret, MemoryProtectionScope.SameLogon);
} //main
} //MemoryProtectionSample
Windows 2000 SP4, Windows Server 2003, Windows XP Media Center Edition, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, Windows XP SP2, Windows XP Starter Edition
The .NET Framework does not support all versions of every platform. For a list of the supported versions, see System Requirements.