CERT_CHAIN_PARA structure (wincrypt.h)

The CERT_CHAIN_PARA structure establishes the searching and matching criteria to be used in building a certificate chain.

Syntax

typedef struct _CERT_CHAIN_PARA {
  DWORD                   cbSize;
  CERT_USAGE_MATCH        RequestedUsage;
  CERT_USAGE_MATCH        RequestedIssuancePolicy;
  DWORD                   dwUrlRetrievalTimeout;
  BOOL                    fCheckRevocationFreshnessTime;
  DWORD                   dwRevocationFreshnessTime;
  LPFILETIME              pftCacheResync;
  PCCERT_STRONG_SIGN_PARA pStrongSignPara;
  DWORD                   dwStrongSignFlags;
} CERT_CHAIN_PARA, *PCERT_CHAIN_PARA;

Members

cbSize

The size, in bytes, of this structure.

RequestedUsage

Structure indicating the kind of matching necessary to find issuer certificates for building a certificate chain. The structure pointed to indicates whether AND or OR logic is to be used in the matching process. The structure also includes an array of OIDs to be matched.

RequestedIssuancePolicy

Optional structure that indicates the kind of issuance policy constraint matching that applies when building a certificate chain. The structure pointed to indicates whether AND or OR logic is to be used in the matching process. The structure also includes an array of OIDs to be matched.

Note  This member can be used only if CERT_CHAIN_PARA_HAS_EXTRA_FIELDS is defined by using the #define directive before including Wincrypt.h. If this value is defined, the application must zero all unused fields.

 

dwUrlRetrievalTimeout

Optional time, in milliseconds, before revocation checking times out. This member is optional.

Note  This member can be used only if CERT_CHAIN_PARA_HAS_EXTRA_FIELDS is defined by using the #define directive before including Wincrypt.h. If this value is defined, the application must zero all unused fields.

 

fCheckRevocationFreshnessTime

Optional member. When this flag is TRUE, an attempt is made to retrieve a new CRL if this update is greater than or equal to the current system time minus the dwRevocationFreshnessTime value. If this flag is not set, the CRL's next update time is used.

Note  This member can be used only if CERT_CHAIN_PARA_HAS_EXTRA_FIELDS is defined by using the #define directive before including Wincrypt.h. If this value is defined, the application must zero all unused fields.

 

dwRevocationFreshnessTime

The current time, in seconds, minus the CRL's update time of all elements checked.

Note  This member can be used only if CERT_CHAIN_PARA_HAS_EXTRA_FIELDS is defined by using the #define directive before including Wincrypt.h. If this value is defined, the application must zero all unused fields.

 

pftCacheResync

Optional member. When set to a non-NULL value, information cached before the time specified is considered to be not valid and cache resynchronization is performed.

Windows Vista:  Support for this member begins.

Note  This member can be used only if CERT_CHAIN_PARA_HAS_EXTRA_FIELDS is defined by using the #define directive before including Wincrypt.h. If this value is defined, the application must zero all unused fields.

 

pStrongSignPara

Optional. Specify a pointer to a CERT_STRONG_SIGN_PARA structure to enable strong signature checking.

Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012:  Support for this member begins.

Note  This member can be used only if CERT_CHAIN_PARA_HAS_EXTRA_FIELDS is defined by using the #define directive before including Wincrypt.h. If this value is defined, the application must zero all unused fields.

 

dwStrongSignFlags

Optional flags that modify chain retrieval behavior. This can be zero or the following value.

Value	Meaning
CERT_CHAIN_STRONG_SIGN_DISABLE_END_CHECK_FLAG 0x00000001	If the chain is strong signed, the public key in the end certificate will be checked to verify whether it satisfies the minimum public key length requirements for a strong signature. You can specify CERT_CHAIN_STRONG_SIGN_DISABLE_END_CHECK_FLAG to disable default checking.

 

Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012:  Support for this property begins.

Note  This member can be used only if CERT_CHAIN_PARA_HAS_EXTRA_FIELDS is defined by using the #define directive before including Wincrypt.h. If this value is defined, the application must zero all unused fields.

 

Remarks

The following remarks apply when checking for strong signatures.

• Set the pStrongSignPara member to check for strong signatures when using the CertGetCertificateChain or CertSelectCertificateChains function.
• If a certificate without a strong signature is found in the chain, the CERT_TRUST_HAS_WEAK_SIGNATURE and CERT_TRUST_IS_NOT_SIGNATURE_VALID errors are set in the dwErrorStatus field of the CERT_TRUST_STATUS structure. The ppChainContext parameter of the CertGetCertificateChain function and the pprgpSelection parameter of the CertSelectCertificateChains function point to a CERT_CHAIN_CONTEXT structure which, in turn, points to the CERT_TRUST_STATUS structure.
• If the chain is strong signed, the public key in the end certificate is checked to determine whether it satisfies the minimum public key length requirements for a strong signature. If the condition is not satisfied, the CERT_TRUST_HAS_WEAK_SIGNATURE and CERT_TRUST_IS_NOT_SIGNATURE_VALID errors are set in the dwErrorStatus field of the CERT_TRUST_STATUS structure. Set the CERT_CHAIN_STRONG_SIGN_DISABLE_END_CHECK_FLAG value in the dwStrongSignFlags member to disable this check.
• If the CERT_STRONG_SIGN_ENABLE_CRL_CHECK or CERT_STRONG_SIGN_ENABLE_OCSP_CHECK flags are set in the CERT_STRONG_SIGN_SERIALIZED_INFO structure referenced by the CERT_STRONG_SIGN_PARA structure pointed to by the pStrongSignPara member, and a CRL or OCSP response is found without a strong signature, the CRL or OCSP response will be treated as being offline. That is, the CERT_TRUST_IS_OFFLINE_REVOCATION and CERT_TRUST_REVOCATION_STATUS_UNKNOWN errors are set in the dwErrorStatus field of the CERT_TRUST_STATUS structure. Also, the dwRevocationResult member of the CERT_REVOCATION_INFO structure is set to NTE_BAD_ALGID.

Requirements

Requirement	Value
Minimum supported client	Windows XP [desktop apps only]
Minimum supported server	Windows Server 2003 [desktop apps only]
Header	wincrypt.h

See also

CERT_USAGE_MATCH