Hashes and digital signatures (Windows Store apps)
Hashes
A cryptographic hash function takes an arbitrarily long block of data and returns a fixed-size bit string. Hash functions are typically used when signing data. Because most public key signature operations are computationally intensive, it is typically more efficient to sign (encrypt) a message hash than it is to sign the original message. The following procedure represents a common, albeit simplified, scenario:
- Alice creates a key pair, keeps her private key secret and publishes her public key by using a trusted certification authority.
- Alice creates a message, hashes it, signs the hash by using her private key, and sends the (unencrypted) message and the signature to Bob.
- Bob retrieves Alice's public key and decrypts the signature to retrieve Alice's hash.
- Bob hashes the message he received from Alice and compares the hash he computed to the decrypted hash. If the hashes are the same, Bob is fairly certain that the message from Alice has not been altered.
Note that Alice sent an unencrypted message. Only the hash was encrypted. The procedure ensures only that the original message was not altered and, by using Alice's public key, that the message hash was signed by someone with access to Alice's private key, presumably Alice.
You can use the HashAlgorithmProvider class to enumerate the available hash algorithms and create a CryptographicHash value.
Digital signatures are the public key equivalent of private key message authentication codes (MACs). Whereas MACs use private keys to enable a message recipient to verify that a message has not been altered during transmission, signatures use a private/public key pair.
Digital signatures
Digital signatures are the public key equivalent of private key message authentication codes (MACs). Whereas MACs use private keys to enable a message recipient to verify that a message has not been altered during transmission, signatures use a private/public key pair.
Because most public key signature operations are computationally intensive, however, it is typically more efficient to sign (encrypt) a message hash than it is to sign the original message. The sender creates a message hash, signs it, and sends both the signature and the (unencrypted) message. The recipient calculates a hash over the message, decrypts the signature, and compares the decrypted signature to the hash value. If they match, the recipient can be fairly certain that the message did, in fact, come from the sender and was not altered during transmission.
Signing ensures only that the original message was not altered and, by using the sender's public key, that the message hash was signed by someone with access to the private key.
You can use an AsymmetricKeyAlgorithmProvider object to enumerate the available signature algorithms and generate or import a key pair. You can use static methods on the CryptographicHash class to sign a message or verify a signature.