C# – Generate random RSA keys with RSACryptoServiceProvider

ccryptographyrsarsacryptoserviceprovider

How do I generate random RSA public and private keys (RSAParameters) using RSACryptoServiceProvider class?
Each time I create a new instance of RSACryptoServiceProvider, I end up exporting the same keys.

Thanks

Best Answer

I did some test on the following code, and the exported parameters are always different:

var rsaAlgo1 = new RSACryptoServiceProvider();
var rsaAlgo2 = new RSACryptoServiceProvider();

var xml1 = rsaAlgo1.ToXmlString(true);
var xml2 = rsaAlgo2.ToXmlString(true);

if (xml1 != xml2)
{
   // it always goes here...
}

Related Solutions

C# – How to create a new object instance from a Type

The Activator class within the root System namespace is pretty powerful.

There are a lot of overloads for passing parameters to the constructor and such. Check out the documentation at:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.activator.createinstance.aspx

or (new path)

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/api/system.activator.createinstance

Here are some simple examples:

ObjectType instance = (ObjectType)Activator.CreateInstance(objectType);

ObjectType instance = (ObjectType)Activator.CreateInstance("MyAssembly","MyNamespace.ObjectType");

The difference between encrypting and signing in asymmetric encryption?

When encrypting, you use their public key to write a message and they use their private key to read it.

When signing, you use your private key to write message's signature, and they use your public key to check if it's really yours.

I want to use my private key to generate messages so only I can possibly be the sender.

I want my public key to be used to read the messages and I do not care who reads them

This is signing, it is done with your private key.

I want to be able to encrypt certain information and use it as a product key for my software.

I only care that I am the only one who can generate these.

If you only need to know it to yourself, you don't need to mess with keys to do this. You may just generate random data and keep it in a database.

But if you want people to know that the keys are really yours, you need to generate random data, keep in it a database AND sign it with your key.

I would like to include my public key in my software to decrypt/read the signature of the key.

You'll probably need to purchase a certificate for your public key from a commercial provider like Verisign or Thawte, so that people may check that no one had forged your software and replaced your public key with theirs.

Best Answer

Related Solutions

C# – How to create a new object instance from a Type

The difference between encrypting and signing in asymmetric encryption?

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