Get Public Key to App

[Tom]

Lets say my application has some information that we hash using the private
key (which we keep secure). Obviously, the application, when running on the
users workstation, needs the public key in order to properly decode/verify
the information produced by the developer and the private key.

Question: What is the best way to get this private key to the user program?
Include it in a file (maybe called MyApp.public.key) that gets shipped with
the application? Include it in the application config file? (which then begs
the quesiton how, since I am using the Configuration Application Block and
am not sure how to store an entire XML string in the CAB and hashtables) Or
is there a better solution?

Any advice appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Tom

 

[Ken Tucker [MVP]]

Hi,

http://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/issues/03/08/BasicInstincts/

Ken
-------------------
Lets say my application has some information that we hash using the private
key (which we keep secure). Obviously, the application, when running on the
users workstation, needs the public key in order to properly decode/verify
the information produced by the developer and the private key.

Question: What is the best way to get this private key to the user program?
Include it in a file (maybe called MyApp.public.key) that gets shipped with
the application? Include it in the application config file? (which then begs
the quesiton how, since I am using the Configuration Application Block and
am not sure how to store an entire XML string in the CAB and hashtables) Or
is there a better solution?

Any advice appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Tom

 

[Tom]

Ken: Well, this article works somewhat with what I am doing.... However, in
my case I am reading files from a server that have been signed with a
private key. I know what the signature is cause it is passed to me. In my
program, I am reading/manipulating these files - however, before I actually
do anything with them I want to verify that they match - i.e. get the public
key and then do the hashing/comparing/etc to verify the keys. If they match,
then continue; otherwise someone has tampered with the files and I want to
bomb out the program.

So my 'public' key is not really related to an assembly but rather to what
private key the files I am reading were assigned. So how would be the best
way to get this public key to my program -and- make it available for use
INSIDE the program (so that as I read the files I can verify them)?

Thanks.

Tom