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Walkthrough: Create a Cryptographic Application

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Note

This article applies to Windows.

For information about ASP.NET Core, see ASP.NET Core Data Protection.

This walkthrough demonstrates how to encrypt and decrypt the contents of a file. The code examples are designed for a Windows Forms application. This application does not demonstrate real-world scenarios, such as using smart cards. Instead, it demonstrates the fundamentals of encryption and decryption.

This walkthrough uses the following guidelines for encryption:

  • Use the Aes class, a symmetric algorithm, to encrypt and decrypt data by using its automatically generated Key and IV.

  • Use the RSA asymmetric algorithm to encrypt and decrypt the key to the data encrypted by Aes. Asymmetric algorithms are best used for smaller amounts of data, such as a key.

    Note

    If you want to protect data on your computer instead of exchanging encrypted content with other people, consider using the ProtectedData class.

The following table summarizes the cryptographic tasks in this topic.

Task Description
Create a Windows Forms application Lists the controls that are required to run the application.
Declare global objects Declares string path variables, the CspParameters, and the RSACryptoServiceProvider to have global context of the Form class.
Create an asymmetric key Creates an asymmetric public and private key-value pair and assigns it a key container name.
Encrypt a file Displays a dialog box to select a file for encryption and encrypts the file.
Decrypt a file Displays a dialog box to select an encrypted file for decryption and decrypts the file.
Get a private key Gets the full key pair using the key container name.
Export a public key Saves the key to an XML file with only public parameters.
Import a public key Loads the key from an XML file into the key container.
Test the application Lists procedures for testing this application.

Prerequisites

You need the following components to complete this walkthrough:

Create a Windows Forms application

Most of the code examples in this walkthrough are designed to be event handlers for button controls. The following table lists the controls required for the sample application and their required names to match the code examples.

Control Name Text property (as needed)
Button buttonEncryptFile Encrypt File
Button buttonDecryptFile Decrypt File
Button buttonCreateAsmKeys Create Keys
Button buttonExportPublicKey Export Public Key
Button buttonImportPublicKey Import Public Key
Button buttonGetPrivateKey Get Private Key
Label label1 Key not set
OpenFileDialog _encryptOpenFileDialog
OpenFileDialog _decryptOpenFileDialog

Double-click the buttons in the Visual Studio designer to create their event handlers.

Declare global objects

Add the following code as part of the declaration of the class Form1. Edit the string variables for your environment and preferences.

// Declare CspParameters and RsaCryptoServiceProvider
// objects with global scope of your Form class.
readonly CspParameters _cspp = new CspParameters();
RSACryptoServiceProvider _rsa;

// Path variables for source, encryption, and
// decryption folders. Must end with a backslash.
const string EncrFolder = @"c:\Encrypt\";
const string DecrFolder = @"c:\Decrypt\";
const string SrcFolder = @"c:\docs\";

// Public key file
const string PubKeyFile = @"c:\encrypt\rsaPublicKey.txt";

// Key container name for
// private/public key value pair.
const string KeyName = "Key01";

' Declare CspParameters and RsaCryptoServiceProvider
' objects with global scope of your Form class.
ReadOnly _cspp As New CspParameters
Dim _rsa As RSACryptoServiceProvider

' Path variables for source, encryption, and
' decryption folders. Must end with a backslash.
Const EncrFolder As String = "c:\Encrypt\"
Const DecrFolder As String = "c:\Decrypt\"
Const SrcFolder As String = "c:\docs\"

' Public key file
Const PubKeyFile As String = "c:\encrypt\rsaPublicKey.txt"

' Key container name for
' private/public key value pair.
Const KeyName As String = "Key01"

Create an asymmetric key

This task creates an asymmetric key that encrypts and decrypts the Aes key. This key was used to encrypt the content and it displays the key container name on the label control.

Add the following code as the Click event handler for the Create Keys button (buttonCreateAsmKeys_Click).

private void buttonCreateAsmKeys_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    // Stores a key pair in the key container.
    _cspp.KeyContainerName = KeyName;
    _rsa = new RSACryptoServiceProvider(_cspp)
    {
        PersistKeyInCsp = true
    };

    label1.Text = _rsa.PublicOnly
        ? $"Key: {_cspp.KeyContainerName} - Public Only"
        : $"Key: {_cspp.KeyContainerName} - Full Key Pair";
}

Private Sub buttonCreateAsmKeys_Click(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As EventArgs) Handles buttonCreateAsmKeys.Click
    ' Stores a key pair in the key container.
    _cspp.KeyContainerName = KeyName
    _rsa = New RSACryptoServiceProvider(_cspp) With {
        .PersistKeyInCsp = True
    }

    If _rsa.PublicOnly Then
        Label1.Text = $"Key: {_cspp.KeyContainerName} - Public Only"
    Else
        Label1.Text = $"Key: {_cspp.KeyContainerName} - Full Key Pair"
    End If

End Sub

Encrypt a file

This task involves two methods: the event handler method for the Encrypt File button (buttonEncryptFile_Click) and the EncryptFile method. The first method displays a dialog box for selecting a file and passes the file name to the second method, which performs the encryption.

The encrypted content, key, and IV are all saved to one FileStream, which is referred to as the encryption package.

The EncryptFile method does the following:

  1. Creates a Aes symmetric algorithm to encrypt the content.
  2. Creates an RSACryptoServiceProvider object to encrypt the Aes key.
  3. Uses a CryptoStream object to read and encrypt the FileStream of the source file, in blocks of bytes, into a destination FileStream object for the encrypted file.
  4. Determines the lengths of the encrypted key and IV, and creates byte arrays of their length values.
  5. Writes the Key, IV, and their length values to the encrypted package.

The encryption package uses the following format:

  • Key length, bytes 0 - 3
  • IV length, bytes 4 - 7
  • Encrypted key
  • IV
  • Cipher text

You can use the lengths of the key and IV to determine the starting points and lengths of all parts of the encryption package, which can then be used to decrypt the file.

Add the following code as the Click event handler for the Encrypt File button (buttonEncryptFile_Click).

private void buttonEncryptFile_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    if (_rsa is null)
    {
        MessageBox.Show("Key not set.");
    }
    else
    {
        // Display a dialog box to select a file to encrypt.
        _encryptOpenFileDialog.InitialDirectory = SrcFolder;
        if (_encryptOpenFileDialog.ShowDialog() == DialogResult.OK)
        {
            string fName = _encryptOpenFileDialog.FileName;
            if (fName != null)
            {
                // Pass the file name without the path.
                EncryptFile(new FileInfo(fName));
            }
        }
    }
}

Private Sub buttonEncryptFile_Click(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As EventArgs) Handles buttonEncryptFile.Click
    If _rsa Is Nothing Then
        MsgBox("Key not set.")
    Else
        ' Display a dialog box to select a file to encrypt.
        _encryptOpenFileDialog.InitialDirectory = SrcFolder
        If _encryptOpenFileDialog.ShowDialog = Windows.Forms.DialogResult.OK Then
            Try
                Dim fName As String = _encryptOpenFileDialog.FileName
                If (Not (fName) Is Nothing) Then
                    Dim fInfo As New FileInfo(fName)
                    ' Use just the file name without path.
                    Dim name As String = fInfo.FullName
                    EncryptFile(name)
                End If
            Catch ex As Exception
                MsgBox(ex.Message)
            End Try
        End If
    End If
End Sub

Add the following EncryptFile method to the form.

private void EncryptFile(FileInfo file)
{
    // Create instance of Aes for
    // symmetric encryption of the data.
    Aes aes = Aes.Create();
    ICryptoTransform transform = aes.CreateEncryptor();

    // Use RSACryptoServiceProvider to
    // encrypt the AES key.
    // rsa is previously instantiated:
    //    rsa = new RSACryptoServiceProvider(cspp);
    byte[] keyEncrypted = _rsa.Encrypt(aes.Key, false);

    // Create byte arrays to contain
    // the length values of the key and IV.
    int lKey = keyEncrypted.Length;
    byte[] LenK = BitConverter.GetBytes(lKey);
    int lIV = aes.IV.Length;
    byte[] LenIV = BitConverter.GetBytes(lIV);

    // Write the following to the FileStream
    // for the encrypted file (outFs):
    // - length of the key
    // - length of the IV
    // - encrypted key
    // - the IV
    // - the encrypted cipher content

    // Change the file's extension to ".enc"
    string outFile =
        Path.Combine(EncrFolder, Path.ChangeExtension(file.Name, ".enc"));

    using (var outFs = new FileStream(outFile, FileMode.Create))
    {
        outFs.Write(LenK, 0, 4);
        outFs.Write(LenIV, 0, 4);
        outFs.Write(keyEncrypted, 0, lKey);
        outFs.Write(aes.IV, 0, lIV);

        // Now write the cipher text using
        // a CryptoStream for encrypting.
        using (var outStreamEncrypted =
            new CryptoStream(outFs, transform, CryptoStreamMode.Write))
        {
            // By encrypting a chunk at
            // a time, you can save memory
            // and accommodate large files.
            int count = 0;
            int offset = 0;

            // blockSizeBytes can be any arbitrary size.
            int blockSizeBytes = aes.BlockSize / 8;
            byte[] data = new byte[blockSizeBytes];
            int bytesRead = 0;

            using (var inFs = new FileStream(file.FullName, FileMode.Open))
            {
                do
                {
                    count = inFs.Read(data, 0, blockSizeBytes);
                    offset += count;
                    outStreamEncrypted.Write(data, 0, count);
                    bytesRead += blockSizeBytes;
                } while (count > 0);
            }
            outStreamEncrypted.FlushFinalBlock();
        }
    }
}

Private Sub EncryptFile(ByVal inFile As String)
    ' Create instance of Aes for
    ' symmetric encryption of the data.
    Dim aes As Aes = Aes.Create()
    Dim transform As ICryptoTransform = aes.CreateEncryptor

    ' Use RSACryptoServiceProvider to
    ' encrypt the AES key.
    Dim keyEncrypted() As Byte = _rsa.Encrypt(aes.Key, False)

    ' Create byte arrays to contain
    ' the length values of the key and IV.
    Dim LenK() As Byte = New Byte((4) - 1) {}
    Dim LenIV() As Byte = New Byte((4) - 1) {}
    Dim lKey As Integer = keyEncrypted.Length
    LenK = BitConverter.GetBytes(lKey)
    Dim lIV As Integer = aes.IV.Length
    LenIV = BitConverter.GetBytes(lIV)

    ' Write the following to the FileStream
    ' for the encrypted file (outFs):
    ' - length of the key
    ' - length of the IV
    ' - encrypted key
    ' - the IV
    ' - the encrypted cipher content
    ' Change the file's extension to ".enc"
    Dim startFileName As Integer = inFile.LastIndexOf("\") + 1
    Dim outFile As String = (EncrFolder _
                + (inFile.Substring(startFileName, inFile.LastIndexOf(".") - startFileName) + ".enc"))

    Using outFs As New FileStream(outFile, FileMode.Create)
        outFs.Write(LenK, 0, 4)
        outFs.Write(LenIV, 0, 4)
        outFs.Write(keyEncrypted, 0, lKey)
        outFs.Write(aes.IV, 0, lIV)

        ' Now write the cipher text using
        ' a CryptoStream for encrypting.
        Using outStreamEncrypted As New CryptoStream(outFs, transform, CryptoStreamMode.Write)
            ' By encrypting a chunk at
            ' a time, you can save memory
            ' and accommodate large files.
            Dim count As Integer = 0
            Dim offset As Integer = 0

            ' blockSizeBytes can be any arbitrary size.
            Dim blockSizeBytes As Integer = (aes.BlockSize / 8)
            Dim data() As Byte = New Byte((blockSizeBytes) - 1) {}
            Dim bytesRead As Integer = 0
            Using inFs As New FileStream(inFile, FileMode.Open)
                Do
                    count = inFs.Read(data, 0, blockSizeBytes)
                    offset = (offset + count)
                    outStreamEncrypted.Write(data, 0, count)
                    bytesRead = (bytesRead + blockSizeBytes)
                Loop Until (count = 0)

                outStreamEncrypted.FlushFinalBlock()
                inFs.Close()
            End Using
            outStreamEncrypted.Close()
        End Using
        outFs.Close()
    End Using
End Sub

Decrypt a file

This task involves two methods, the event handler method for the Decrypt File button (buttonDecryptFile_Click), and the DecryptFile method. The first method displays a dialog box for selecting a file and passes its file name to the second method, which performs the decryption.

The Decrypt method does the following:

  1. Creates an Aes symmetric algorithm to decrypt the content.
  2. Reads the first eight bytes of the FileStream of the encrypted package into byte arrays to obtain the lengths of the encrypted key and the IV.
  3. Extracts the key and IV from the encryption package into byte arrays.
  4. Creates an RSACryptoServiceProvider object to decrypt the Aes key.
  5. Uses a CryptoStream object to read and decrypt the cipher text section of the FileStream encryption package, in blocks of bytes, into the FileStream object for the decrypted file. When this is finished, the decryption is completed.

Add the following code as the Click event handler for the Decrypt File button.

private void buttonDecryptFile_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    if (_rsa is null)
    {
        MessageBox.Show("Key not set.");
    }
    else
    {
        // Display a dialog box to select the encrypted file.
        _decryptOpenFileDialog.InitialDirectory = EncrFolder;
        if (_decryptOpenFileDialog.ShowDialog() == DialogResult.OK)
        {
            string fName = _decryptOpenFileDialog.FileName;
            if (fName != null)
            {
                DecryptFile(new FileInfo(fName));
            }
        }
    }
}

Private Sub buttonDecryptFile_Click(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As EventArgs) Handles buttonDecryptFile.Click
    If _rsa Is Nothing Then
        MsgBox("Key not set.")
    Else
        ' Display a dialog box to select the encrypted file.
        _decryptOpenFileDialog.InitialDirectory = EncrFolder
        If (_decryptOpenFileDialog.ShowDialog = Windows.Forms.DialogResult.OK) Then
            Try
                Dim fName As String = _decryptOpenFileDialog.FileName
                If ((fName) IsNot Nothing) Then
                    Dim fi As New FileInfo(fName)
                    Dim name As String = fi.Name
                    DecryptFile(name)
                End If
            Catch ex As Exception
                MessageBox.Show(ex.Message)
            End Try
        End If
    End If
End Sub

Add the following DecryptFile method to the form.

private void DecryptFile(FileInfo file)
{
    // Create instance of Aes for
    // symmetric decryption of the data.
    Aes aes = Aes.Create();

    // Create byte arrays to get the length of
    // the encrypted key and IV.
    // These values were stored as 4 bytes each
    // at the beginning of the encrypted package.
    byte[] LenK = new byte[4];
    byte[] LenIV = new byte[4];

    // Construct the file name for the decrypted file.
    string outFile =
        Path.ChangeExtension(file.FullName.Replace("Encrypt", "Decrypt"), ".txt");

    // Use FileStream objects to read the encrypted
    // file (inFs) and save the decrypted file (outFs).
    using (var inFs = new FileStream(file.FullName, FileMode.Open))
    {
        inFs.Seek(0, SeekOrigin.Begin);
        inFs.Read(LenK, 0, 3);
        inFs.Seek(4, SeekOrigin.Begin);
        inFs.Read(LenIV, 0, 3);

        // Convert the lengths to integer values.
        int lenK = BitConverter.ToInt32(LenK, 0);
        int lenIV = BitConverter.ToInt32(LenIV, 0);

        // Determine the start position of
        // the cipher text (startC)
        // and its length(lenC).
        int startC = lenK + lenIV + 8;
        int lenC = (int)inFs.Length - startC;

        // Create the byte arrays for
        // the encrypted Aes key,
        // the IV, and the cipher text.
        byte[] KeyEncrypted = new byte[lenK];
        byte[] IV = new byte[lenIV];

        // Extract the key and IV
        // starting from index 8
        // after the length values.
        inFs.Seek(8, SeekOrigin.Begin);
        inFs.Read(KeyEncrypted, 0, lenK);
        inFs.Seek(8 + lenK, SeekOrigin.Begin);
        inFs.Read(IV, 0, lenIV);

        Directory.CreateDirectory(DecrFolder);
        // Use RSACryptoServiceProvider
        // to decrypt the AES key.
        byte[] KeyDecrypted = _rsa.Decrypt(KeyEncrypted, false);

        // Decrypt the key.
        ICryptoTransform transform = aes.CreateDecryptor(KeyDecrypted, IV);

        // Decrypt the cipher text from
        // from the FileSteam of the encrypted
        // file (inFs) into the FileStream
        // for the decrypted file (outFs).
        using (var outFs = new FileStream(outFile, FileMode.Create))
        {
            int count = 0;
            int offset = 0;

            // blockSizeBytes can be any arbitrary size.
            int blockSizeBytes = aes.BlockSize / 8;
            byte[] data = new byte[blockSizeBytes];

            // By decrypting a chunk a time,
            // you can save memory and
            // accommodate large files.

            // Start at the beginning
            // of the cipher text.
            inFs.Seek(startC, SeekOrigin.Begin);
            using (var outStreamDecrypted =
                new CryptoStream(outFs, transform, CryptoStreamMode.Write))
            {
                do
                {
                    count = inFs.Read(data, 0, blockSizeBytes);
                    offset += count;
                    outStreamDecrypted.Write(data, 0, count);
                } while (count > 0);

                outStreamDecrypted.FlushFinalBlock();
            }
        }
    }
}

Private Sub DecryptFile(ByVal inFile As String)
    ' Create instance of Aes for
    ' symmetric decryption of the data.
    Dim aes As Aes = Aes.Create()

    ' Create byte arrays to get the length of
    ' the encrypted key and IV.
    ' These values were stored as 4 bytes each
    ' at the beginning of the encrypted package.
    Dim LenK() As Byte = New Byte(4 - 1) {}
    Dim LenIV() As Byte = New Byte(4 - 1) {}

    ' Construct the file name for the decrypted file.
    Dim outFile As String = (DecrFolder _
                + (inFile.Substring(0, inFile.LastIndexOf(".")) + ".txt"))

    ' Use FileStream objects to read the encrypted
    ' file (inFs) and save the decrypted file (outFs).
    Using inFs As New FileStream((EncrFolder + inFile), FileMode.Open)

        inFs.Seek(0, SeekOrigin.Begin)
        inFs.Read(LenK, 0, 3)
        inFs.Seek(4, SeekOrigin.Begin)
        inFs.Read(LenIV, 0, 3)

        Dim lengthK As Integer = BitConverter.ToInt32(LenK, 0)
        Dim lengthIV As Integer = BitConverter.ToInt32(LenIV, 0)
        Dim startC As Integer = (lengthK + lengthIV + 8)
        Dim lenC As Integer = (CType(inFs.Length, Integer) - startC)
        Dim KeyEncrypted() As Byte = New Byte(lengthK - 1) {}
        Dim IV() As Byte = New Byte(lengthIV - 1) {}

        ' Extract the key and IV
        ' starting from index 8
        ' after the length values.
        inFs.Seek(8, SeekOrigin.Begin)
        inFs.Read(KeyEncrypted, 0, lengthK)
        inFs.Seek(8 + lengthK, SeekOrigin.Begin)
        inFs.Read(IV, 0, lengthIV)
        Directory.CreateDirectory(DecrFolder)
        ' User RSACryptoServiceProvider
        ' to decrypt the AES key
        Dim KeyDecrypted() As Byte = _rsa.Decrypt(KeyEncrypted, False)

        ' Decrypt the key.
        Dim transform As ICryptoTransform = aes.CreateDecryptor(KeyDecrypted, IV)
        ' Decrypt the cipher text from
        ' from the FileSteam of the encrypted
        ' file (inFs) into the FileStream
        ' for the decrypted file (outFs).
        Using outFs As New FileStream(outFile, FileMode.Create)
            Dim count As Integer = 0
            Dim offset As Integer = 0

            ' blockSizeBytes can be any arbitrary size.
            Dim blockSizeBytes As Integer = (aes.BlockSize / 8)
            Dim data() As Byte = New Byte(blockSizeBytes - 1) {}
            ' By decrypting a chunk a time,
            ' you can save memory and
            ' accommodate large files.
            ' Start at the beginning
            ' of the cipher text.
            inFs.Seek(startC, SeekOrigin.Begin)
            Using outStreamDecrypted As New CryptoStream(outFs, transform, CryptoStreamMode.Write)
                Do
                    count = inFs.Read(data, 0, blockSizeBytes)
                    offset += count
                    outStreamDecrypted.Write(data, 0, count)
                Loop Until (count = 0)

                outStreamDecrypted.FlushFinalBlock()
            End Using
        End Using
    End Using
End Sub

Export a public key

This task saves the key created by the Create Keys button to a file. It exports only the public parameters.

This task simulates the scenario of Alice giving Bob her public key so that he can encrypt files for her. He and others who have that public key will not be able to decrypt them because they do not have the full key pair with private parameters.

Add the following code as the Click event handler for the Export Public Key button (buttonExportPublicKey_Click).

void buttonExportPublicKey_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    // Save the public key created by the RSA
    // to a file. Caution, persisting the
    // key to a file is a security risk.
    Directory.CreateDirectory(EncrFolder);
    using (var sw = new StreamWriter(PubKeyFile, false))
    {
        sw.Write(_rsa.ToXmlString(false));
    }
}

Private Sub buttonExportPublicKey_Click(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As EventArgs) Handles buttonExportPublicKey.Click
    ' Save the public key created by the RSA
    ' to a file. Caution, persisting the
    ' key to a file is a security risk.
    Directory.CreateDirectory(EncrFolder)
    Using sw As New StreamWriter(PubKeyFile)
        sw.Write(_rsa.ToXmlString(False))
    End Using
End Sub

Import a public key

This task loads the key with only public parameters, as created by the Export Public Key button, and sets it as the key container name.

This task simulates the scenario of Bob loading Alice's key with only public parameters so he can encrypt files for her.

Add the following code as the Click event handler for the Import Public Key button (buttonImportPublicKey_Click).

void buttonImportPublicKey_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    using (var sr = new StreamReader(PubKeyFile))
    {
        _cspp.KeyContainerName = KeyName;
        _rsa = new RSACryptoServiceProvider(_cspp);

        string keytxt = sr.ReadToEnd();
        _rsa.FromXmlString(keytxt);
        _rsa.PersistKeyInCsp = true;

        label1.Text = _rsa.PublicOnly
            ? $"Key: {_cspp.KeyContainerName} - Public Only"
            : $"Key: {_cspp.KeyContainerName} - Full Key Pair";
    }
}

Private Sub buttonImportPublicKey_Click(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As EventArgs) Handles buttonImportPublicKey.Click
    Using sr As New StreamReader(PubKeyFile)
        _cspp.KeyContainerName = KeyName
        _rsa = New RSACryptoServiceProvider(_cspp)
        Dim keytxt As String = sr.ReadToEnd
        _rsa.FromXmlString(keytxt)
        _rsa.PersistKeyInCsp = True

        If _rsa.PublicOnly Then
            Label1.Text = $"Key: {_cspp.KeyContainerName} - Public Only"
        Else
            Label1.Text = $"Key: {_cspp.KeyContainerName} - Full Key Pair"
        End If
    End Using
End Sub

Get a private key

This task sets the key container name to the name of the key created by using the Create Keys button. The key container will contain the full key pair with private parameters.

This task simulates the scenario of Alice using her private key to decrypt files encrypted by Bob.

Add the following code as the Click event handler for the Get Private Key button (buttonGetPrivateKey_Click).

private void buttonGetPrivateKey_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    _cspp.KeyContainerName = KeyName;
    _rsa = new RSACryptoServiceProvider(_cspp)
    {
        PersistKeyInCsp = true
    };

    label1.Text = _rsa.PublicOnly
        ? $"Key: {_cspp.KeyContainerName} - Public Only"
        : $"Key: {_cspp.KeyContainerName} - Full Key Pair";
}

Private Sub buttonGetPrivateKey_Click(ByVal sender As Object,
    ByVal e As EventArgs) Handles buttonGetPrivateKey.Click
    _cspp.KeyContainerName = KeyName
    _rsa = New RSACryptoServiceProvider(_cspp) With {
        .PersistKeyInCsp = True
    }
    If _rsa.PublicOnly Then
        Label1.Text = $"Key: {_cspp.KeyContainerName} - Public Only"
    Else
        Label1.Text = $"Key: {_cspp.KeyContainerName} - Full Key Pair"
    End If
End Sub

Test the application

After you have built the application, perform the following testing scenarios.

To create keys, encrypt, and decrypt

  1. Click the Create Keys button. The label displays the key name and shows that it is a full key pair.
  2. Click the Export Public Key button. Note that exporting the public key parameters does not change the current key.
  3. Click the Encrypt File button and select a file.
  4. Click the Decrypt File button and select the file just encrypted.
  5. Examine the file just decrypted.
  6. Close the application and restart it to test retrieving persisted key containers in the next scenario.

To encrypt using the public key

  1. Click the Import Public Key button. The label displays the key name and shows that it is public only.
  2. Click the Encrypt File button and select a file.
  3. Click the Decrypt File button and select the file just encrypted. This will fail because you must have the private key to decrypt.

This scenario demonstrates having only the public key to encrypt a file for another person. Typically that person would give you only the public key and withhold the private key for decryption.

To decrypt using the private key

  1. Click the Get Private Key button. The label displays the key name and shows whether it is the full key pair.
  2. Click the Decrypt File button and select the file just encrypted. This will be successful because you have the full key pair to decrypt.

See also