path: root/web/crypto

* Cryptography

	In the .NET framework cryptography can be found under a number of
	namespaces in several assemblies. Mono also has it's own assemblies
	to provide missing security functionalities from the .NET framework.

** Assembly: corlib

*** Namespace: <b>System.Security.Cryptography</b>

	Thanks to the work of many people this namespace is almost complete.

**** Status
	<ul>
		* All classes are present. Most of them have (minimal) 
		  documentation in <b>monodoc</b>.

		* Most classes have their unit tests. Some tests like <code>
		  SymmetricAlgorithmTest</code> are generated by external 
		  tools.
	</ul>

*** Namespace: <b>System.Security.Cryptography.X509Certificates</b>

**** Status
	<ul>
		* X.509 certificates are parsed using 100% managed code 
		  (using the Mono.Security.ASN1 class). 

		* Software Publisher Certificates (SPC) used by Authenticode
		  (tm) to sign assemblies are supported and <b>minimally</b>
		  validated.

		* Unit tests are generated from a set of existing certificates
		  (about a dozen) each having different properties. Another
		  set of certificates (more than 700) are used for a more 
		  complete test (but isn't part of the standard test suite for 
		  size and time consideration, i.e. a 7.5Mb C# source file).
	</ul>

**** Notes
	<ul>
		* The class Mono.Security.X509.X509Certificate (in Mono.Security 
		  assembly) is becoming a much better alternative - and will 
		  continue to evolve to support the security tools.
	</ul>

<hr>
** Assembly: System.Security

*** Namespace: <b>System.Security.Cryptography.Xml</b>

	This namespace implements the <a href="http://www.w3.org/TR/xmldsig-core/">
	XML Digital Signature</a> specification from 
	<a href="http://www.w3.org/">W3C</a>.

**** Status
	<ul>
		* We pass the fifteen tests from Merlin's xmldsig suite with
		success. Which is funny because Microsoft fails in one case 
		where both a X509Certificate and an X509CRL are present in
		an X509Data. We also pass most Phaos tests.

		* Most classes have their unit tests. Some standalone tests 
		are also in CVS to test C14N and both Merlin and Phaos test
		suites.
	</ul>

<hr>
** Assembly: Mono.Security

	<b>Rational: </b>
	This assembly provides the missing pieces to .NET security. On Windows
	CryptoAPI is often used to provide much needed functionalities (like
	some cryptographic algorithms, code signing, X.509 certificates). Mono,
	for platform independance, implements these functionalities in 100% 
	managed code.

*** Namespace: Mono.Security
	<ul>
		* Structures (ASN1, PKCS7) and primitives (PKCS1).
	</ul>
*** Namespace: Mono.Security.Authenticode
	<ul>
		* Code signing and verification.
		* Support for SPC (Software Publisher Certificate) files and 
		  PVK (Private Key) files.
	</ul>
*** Namespace: Mono.Security.Cryptography
	<ul>
		* Additional algorithms: MD2, MD4, ARCFOUR (required for SSL)
		* Convertion helpers
	</ul>
*** Namespace: Mono.Security.Protocol.*
	<ul>
		* Tls: An 100% managed SSLv3 and TLSv1 implementation from 
		Carlos Guzman Alvarez.
		* Ntlm: NTLM authentication (used for HTTP and SQL Server).
	</ul>
*** Namespace: Mono.Security.X509.*
	<ul>
		* X.509 structures (certificate, CRL...) building and decoding.
		* PKCS#12 decoding and encoding.
		* X.509 extensions (from public X.509 to private PKIX, Netsapce, 
		  Microsoft, Entrust...).
	</ul>

**** Status
	<ul>
		* A big part of this assembly is also included inside Mono's
		  corlib. The classes are duplicated in this assembly so the 
		  functionalities can be used without a dependency on Mono's 
		  corlib (which depends on Mono's runtime).

		* Unit test coverage isn't (yet) complete.

		* Most classes have minimal documentation available in
		  <b>monodoc</b>.
	</ul>

<hr>
** Assembly: Mono.Security.Win32

	<b>Rational: </b>
	This assembly goal is to provide maximum compatibility with CryptoAPI
	to application running with Mono's runtime on the Windows operating 
	system.

	<b>This assembly should NEVER be used directly by any application</b>
	(e.g. referecing the assembly from a project).
	The classes should only be used by modifying the <code>machine.config
	</code> configuration file (and then only if this increased 
	compatibility is required by an application).

	See the file <code><a href="http://cvs.hispalinux.es/cgi-bin/cvsweb/~checkout~/mcs/class/Mono.Security.Win32/README?rev=1.1&content-type=text/plain&cvsroot=mono">/mcs/class/Mono.Security.Win32/README</a></code>
	for complete instructions.

*** Namespace: Mono.Security.Cryptography

**** Status
	<ul>
		* A RNGCryptoServiceProvider built on top of CryptoAPI.

		* Wrapper classes for unmanaged versions of hash algorithms:
		  MD2, MD4, MD5 and SHA1 are supported. <b>note</b>: some 
		  algorithms shouldn't be used in new design (MD4 is broken, 
		  MD2 and MD5 aren't considered safe for some usage). They are 
		  included to preserve interoperability with older applications
		  (e.g. some old, but still valid, X.509 certificates use MD2,
		  MD4 is required for NTLM authentication ...).

		* Classes have minimal documentation available in
		  <b>monodoc</b>.
	</ul>

**** TODO
	<ul>
		* Wrapper classes for unmanaged versions of symmetric 
		  encryption algorithms (like DES, TripleDES, RC2 and others 
		  present in default CSP).

		* Wrapper classes for unmanaged versions of asymmetric 
		  algorithms (like DSA and RSA) which persist their keypair 
		  into the specified CSP.
	</ul>

**** Ideas
	<ul>
		* Similar assemblies (e.g. <code>Mono.Security.XXX</code>) 
		  could be created for <a href="http://www.openssl.org">OpenSSL</a>,
		  <a href="http://www.mozilla.org/projects/security/pki/nss/">NSS</a>,
		  <a href="http://www.eskimo.com/~weidai/cryptlib.html">crypto++</a>,
		  <a href="http://www.cryptlib.orion.co.nz/">cryptlib</a> ... for 
		  improved performance and/or HSM (Hardware Security Module) support 
		  under Linux and/or Windows.
	</ul>
<hr>
** Assembly: Microsoft.Web.Services

	Microsoft Web Service Enhancement (WSE), known as Web Service 
	Development Kit (WSDK) in it's beta days, is an add-on the .NET
	framework that implements WS-Security (and other WS-* specifications).
	It also includes improved support for XML Signature (replacing and/or
	extending <code>System.Security.Cryptography.Xml</code>) and X.509
	certificates classes.

	Note: WSE is distributed as an add-on because some specifications,
 	like WS-Security, aren't yet completed by 
	<a href="http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/wss/">OASIS</a> or
	other committees.

*** Namespace: Microsoft.Web.Services.Security

**** Status
	<ul>
		* Most WSE 1.0 classes are implemented.
	</ul>

**** TODO
	<ul>
		* Some classes from System.Security assembly need to be 
		duplicated (and somewhat fixed) in WSE for XMLDSIG.

		* There are still missing classes and <b>many</b> missing
		unit tests.
	</ul>


*** Namespace: Microsoft.Web.Services.Timestamp

**** Status
	<ul>
		* This seems complete for WSE 1.0 but some new classes were 
		introduced in WSE 2.0.
	</ul>

*** Namespace: Microsoft.Web.Services.Security.X509

**** Status
	<ul>
		* X509Certificate support is complete for both WSE 1.0 and 2.0.
	</ul>

**** TODO
	<ul>
		* We need to define certificate stores (for both users and
		  machines). These sames stores must be linked with asymmetric
		  keypairs. This could also be used to store the SPC roots.
	</ul>

*** Notes
	<ul>
		* Microsoft has released WSE 2.
	</ul>

<hr>
** Tools

	There are many tools in the .NET framework that indirectly interacts 
	with some cryptographic classes. Unless noted the tools should work on
	any CLR (tested with both Mono and Microsoft).

**** Status

	The following tools are complete (or mostly complete):
	<ul>
		* <code>secutil</code> is a tool to extract certificates and 
		  strongnames from assemblies in a format that can be easily 
		  re-used in source code (C# or VB.NET syntax).

		* <code>cert2spc</code> is a tool to transform multiple X.509 
		   certificates and CRLs into a Software Publisher Certificate
		  (SPC) file - which is a long name for a simple PKCS#7 file.

		* <code>makecert</code> to create X.509 test certificates that 
		  can be used (once transformed in SPC) to sign assemblies. It's
		  now possible to generate SSL certificates for web servers.

		* <code>sn</code> is a clone of the <code>sn</code> to manage
		  strongnames. Current version can create, convert, sign and
		  verify strongnames signatures. Some configuration options 
		  are still missing, some will only works with Mono.

		* <code>signcode</code> and <code>chktrust</code> for signing 
		  and validating Authenticode(tm) signatures on assemblies (or 
		  any PE file) are now working (signature and timestamps) but 
		  some options aren't yet supported.

		* <code>setreg</code> can change some cryptographic parameters
		of the runtime. Currently it can add or remove two root test
		certificates (the one used by Mono's <code>makecert</code>, 
		the other used by Microsoft's <code>makecert</code>).

		* <code>certmgr</code> can add and remove certificates from 
		the stores. Most common use is to add new trusted certificates
		or remove them.
	</ul>

	Somewhat usable, somewhat incomplete:
	<ul>
		* <code>certview</code> is a certificate viewer for 
		  <code>System.Windows.Forms</code> (right now only working on 
		  Windows), while <code>gcertview</code> is the same viewer 
		  implemented for GTK# (working on both Windows and Linux).
	</ul>


**** TODO
	The following tools are still missing or largely incomplete:
	<ul>
		* Other tools like a, GUI-based, certificate manager...
	</ul>

	Note that many of the tools requires the class library and/or the
	runtime to be ready for them. E.g. StrongName and Authenticode signatures
	tools are of limited use until supported by the runtime.

<hr>
** References

	<ul>
		* RSA Laboratories' <a href="http://www.rsasecurity.com/rsalabs/faq/index.html">
		Frequently Asked Questions</a> About Today's Cryptography, Version 4.1

		* Public-Key Cryptography Standards (<a href="http://www.rsasecurity.com/rsalabs/pkcs/index.html">
		PKCS</a>)

		* National Institute of Standards and Technology - Federal 
		Information Processing Standards <a href="http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/fips/index.html">
		NIST FIPS</a>
	</ul>

<hr>
** How to Help

	<ul>
		* Complete any of the TODO (and feel good about it ;-).

		* Analyse the current coverage of the unit tests on the 
		  cryptographic classes and complete the unit tests. <b><code>
		  monocov</code> does a great job at this! Now we just need to
		  complete the missing unit tests.</b>

		* Optimization can also be done on most algorithms as crypto 
		  is never fast enough. Some have been done using the 
		  Community Edition of BoundChecker (a free VisualStudio 
		  addon) - recommanded! Just be sure to test every optimization
		  (using the unit tests) carefully - it's so fast to break an
		  algorithm ;-).

		* Write some documentation or add some sample code for the 
		  cryptographic classes in <b>monodoc</b>.
	</ul>
<hr>
Last reviewed: June 26, 2004 (mono release candidate 1)