User's Manual

CryptoIdentity User Guide – 6. Developing Applications integrated with CryptoIdentity
6. DEVELOPING APPLICATIONS INTEGRATED WITH
CRYPTOIDENTITY
The Microsoft CAPI and PKCS#11 standard allow to create an application that takes
advantage of the CryptoIdentity cryptographic functions.
More information is available in the "AR CryptoKit Developer's Guide ver 3.6"
(file " Ckit_360.pdf ").
The next sections introduce the PKCS#11 standard and Microsoft CAPI.
6. 1 MICROSOFT CAPI
The Microsoft Cryptographic Application Programming Interface (CAPI) standard supports
the development of applications that include functions such as secure certificate, key and
data storage, authentication, encryption, signature and verification.
The benefits of using CryptoAPI are significant because the developer can take advantage
of the cryptographic features integrated into the Windows platform without having to know
cryptography or how a particular cryptographic algorithm works. For example, a properly
programmed USB token CSP would use an existing CSP (such as Microsoft Base
Provider) to perform all public- and symmetric-key operations and use the token itself to
perform all private-key operations.
CAPI is used for certificate and key management by Microsoft products, such as Internet
Explorer, Outlook and Outlook Express.
CryptoIdentity fully supports the Microsoft CAPI standard.
Visual Basic programmers should consult Microsoft MSDN and search for CAPICOM.
CAPICOM is a COM client that performs cryptographic functions using Microsoft ActiveX
and COM objects.
Here is a brief excerption from MS documentation:
“CAPICOM is a Microsoft® ActiveX® control that provides a COM interface to Microsoft
CryptoAPI. It exposes a select set of CryptoAPI functions to enable application developers
to easily incorporate digital signing and encryption functionality into their applications.
Because it uses COM, application developers can access this functionality in a number of
programming environments such as Microsoft® Visual Basic®, Visual Basic Script, Active
Server Pages,
Microsoft® JScript®, C++, and others. CAPICOM is packaged as an ActiveX control,
allowing Web developers to utilize it in Web based applications as well.”
More information is available at:
www.microsoft.com/security/default.asp
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/dnsecure/html/intcapicom.asp