DataProtectionScope Enum

Definition

Specifies the scope of the data protection to be applied by the Protect(Byte[], Byte[], DataProtectionScope) method.

C#
public enum DataProtectionScope
Inheritance
DataProtectionScope

Fields

Name Value Description
CurrentUser 0

The protected data is associated with the current user. Only threads running under the current user context can unprotect the data.

LocalMachine 1

The protected data is associated with the machine context. Any process running on the computer can unprotect data. This enumeration value is usually used in server-specific applications that run on a server where untrusted users are not allowed access.

Examples

The following code example shows how to use data protection.

C#
using System;
using System.Security.Cryptography;

public class DataProtectionSample
{
    // Create byte array for additional entropy when using Protect method.
    static byte [] s_additionalEntropy = { 9, 8, 7, 6, 5 };

    public static void Main()
    {
        // Create a simple byte array containing data to be encrypted.
        byte [] secret = { 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4 };

        //Encrypt the data.
        byte [] encryptedSecret = Protect( secret );
        Console.WriteLine("The encrypted byte array is:");
        PrintValues(encryptedSecret);

        // Decrypt the data and store in a byte array.
        byte [] originalData = Unprotect( encryptedSecret );
        Console.WriteLine("{0}The original data is:", Environment.NewLine);
        PrintValues(originalData);
    }

    public static byte [] Protect( byte [] data )
    {
        try
        {
            // Encrypt the data using DataProtectionScope.CurrentUser. The result can be decrypted
            // only by the same current user.
            return ProtectedData.Protect( data, s_additionalEntropy, DataProtectionScope.CurrentUser );
        }
        catch (CryptographicException e)
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Data was not encrypted. An error occurred.");
            Console.WriteLine(e.ToString());
            return null;
        }
    }

    public static byte [] Unprotect( byte [] data )
    {
        try
        {
            //Decrypt the data using DataProtectionScope.CurrentUser.
            return ProtectedData.Unprotect( data, s_additionalEntropy, DataProtectionScope.CurrentUser );
        }
        catch (CryptographicException e)
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Data was not decrypted. An error occurred.");
            Console.WriteLine(e.ToString());
            return null;
        }
    }

    public static void PrintValues( Byte[] myArr )
    {
        foreach ( Byte i in myArr )
        {
            Console.Write( "\t{0}", i );
        }
        Console.WriteLine();
    }
}

Remarks

This enumeration is used with the Protect and Unprotect methods to protect data through encryption.

Caution The LocalMachine enumeration value allows multiple accounts to unprotect data. Use this value only when you trust every account on a computer. For most situations, you should use the CurrentUser value.

Applies to

Product Versions
.NET Core 1.0, Core 1.1, 8 (package-provided), 9 (package-provided)
.NET Framework 2.0, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 4.5.1, 4.5.2, 4.6, 4.6.1, 4.6.2, 4.7 (package-provided), 4.7, 4.7.1 (package-provided), 4.7.1, 4.7.2 (package-provided), 4.7.2, 4.8 (package-provided), 4.8, 4.8.1
.NET Standard 2.0 (package-provided)
Windows Desktop 3.0, 3.1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9