CA5381: Ensure certificates are not added to root store
Property | Value |
---|---|
Rule ID | CA5381 |
Title | Ensure certificates are not added to root store |
Category | Security |
Fix is breaking or non-breaking | Non-breaking |
Enabled by default in .NET 9 | No |
Cause
Adding certificates to the operating system's trusted root certificates increases the risk of legitimizing untrusted certification authority.
By default, this rule analyzes the entire codebase, but this is configurable.
Rule description
This rule detects code that potentially adds a certificate into the Trusted Root Certification Authorities certificate store. By default, the Trusted Root Certification Authorities certificate store is configured with a set of public certification authorities (CAs) that has met the requirements of the Microsoft Root Certificate Program. Since all trusted root CAs can issue certificates for any domain, an attacker can pick a weak or coercible CA that you install by yourself to target for an attack – and a single vulnerable, malicious or coercible CA undermines the security of the entire system.
How to fix violations
Do not install certificates into the Trusted Root Certification Authorities certificate store.
When to suppress warnings
It is not recommended to suppress this rule.
Configure code to analyze
Use the following options to configure which parts of your codebase to run this rule on.
You can configure these options for just this rule, for all rules it applies to, or for all rules in this category (Security) that it applies to. For more information, see Code quality rule configuration options.
Exclude specific symbols
You can exclude specific symbols, such as types and methods, from analysis. For example, to specify that the rule should not run on any code within types named MyType
, add the following key-value pair to an .editorconfig file in your project:
dotnet_code_quality.CAXXXX.excluded_symbol_names = MyType
Allowed symbol name formats in the option value (separated by |
):
- Symbol name only (includes all symbols with the name, regardless of the containing type or namespace).
- Fully qualified names in the symbol's documentation ID format. Each symbol name requires a symbol-kind prefix, such as
M:
for methods,T:
for types, andN:
for namespaces. .ctor
for constructors and.cctor
for static constructors.
Examples:
Option Value | Summary |
---|---|
dotnet_code_quality.CAXXXX.excluded_symbol_names = MyType |
Matches all symbols named MyType . |
dotnet_code_quality.CAXXXX.excluded_symbol_names = MyType1|MyType2 |
Matches all symbols named either MyType1 or MyType2 . |
dotnet_code_quality.CAXXXX.excluded_symbol_names = M:NS.MyType.MyMethod(ParamType) |
Matches specific method MyMethod with the specified fully qualified signature. |
dotnet_code_quality.CAXXXX.excluded_symbol_names = M:NS1.MyType1.MyMethod1(ParamType)|M:NS2.MyType2.MyMethod2(ParamType) |
Matches specific methods MyMethod1 and MyMethod2 with the respective fully qualified signatures. |
Exclude specific types and their derived types
You can exclude specific types and their derived types from analysis. For example, to specify that the rule should not run on any methods within types named MyType
and their derived types, add the following key-value pair to an .editorconfig file in your project:
dotnet_code_quality.CAXXXX.excluded_type_names_with_derived_types = MyType
Allowed symbol name formats in the option value (separated by |
):
- Type name only (includes all types with the name, regardless of the containing type or namespace).
- Fully qualified names in the symbol's documentation ID format, with an optional
T:
prefix.
Examples:
Option Value | Summary |
---|---|
dotnet_code_quality.CAXXXX.excluded_type_names_with_derived_types = MyType |
Matches all types named MyType and all of their derived types. |
dotnet_code_quality.CAXXXX.excluded_type_names_with_derived_types = MyType1|MyType2 |
Matches all types named either MyType1 or MyType2 and all of their derived types. |
dotnet_code_quality.CAXXXX.excluded_type_names_with_derived_types = M:NS.MyType |
Matches specific type MyType with given fully qualified name and all of its derived types. |
dotnet_code_quality.CAXXXX.excluded_type_names_with_derived_types = M:NS1.MyType1|M:NS2.MyType2 |
Matches specific types MyType1 and MyType2 with the respective fully qualified names, and all of their derived types. |
Pseudo-code examples
Violation
The following pseudo-code sample illustrates the pattern detected by this rule.
using System;
using System.Security.Cryptography.X509Certificates;
class TestClass
{
public void TestMethod()
{
var storeName = StoreName.Root;
Random r = new Random();
if (r.Next(6) == 4)
{
storeName = StoreName.My;
}
var x509Store = new X509Store(storeName);
x509Store.Add(new X509Certificate2());
}
}
Solution
using System.Security.Cryptography.X509Certificates;
class TestClass
{
public void TestMethod()
{
var storeName = StoreName.My;
var x509Store = new X509Store(storeName);
x509Store.Add(new X509Certificate2());
}
}