(PowerShell) HTTPS Client Certificate using Smartcard or Token

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Explains how to use a client certificate for HTTP TLS mutual authentication where the certificate and private key exists on an HSM (Smartcard or USB Token).

Chilkat .NET Downloads Chilkat .NET Assemblies

Add-Type -Path "C:\chilkat\ChilkatDotNet47-9.5.0-x64\ChilkatDotNet47.dll"

$http = New-Object Chilkat.Http

# To do HTTPS mutual authentication where the certificate and private key are stored
# on a smartcard or token, first load the Chilkat certificate object from the smartcard/token,
# and then pass the certificate object to the Http object's SetSslClientCert method.

# Doing HTTP mutual authentication is the same regardless of the source of the cert + private key.
# The steps are to first load the certificate from the source, then pass the cert object to the HTTP object.
# Chilkat provides methods for loading the certificate from a variety of sources, such as smartcards, tokens,
# .pfx/.p12 files, Windows registry-based certificate stores, PEM files, or other file formats.
$cert = New-Object Chilkat.Cert

# The easiest way to load a certificate from an HSM is to call cert.LoadFromSmartcard with 
# an empty string argument.  Chilkat will detect the HSM and will choose the most appropriate
# underlying means for accessing and loading the default certificate + key from the HSM.
# The underlying means could be PKCS11, ScMinidriver, or MSCNG, depending on the HSM what it
# supports.

# For example:
# If you know the smart card PIN, it's good to set it prior to loading from the smartcard/USB token.
$cert.SmartCardPin = "12345678"

# To let Chilkat discover what smartcard or token is connected, pass an empty string to LoadFromSmartcard.
# When testing in this way, it's best to have only a single smartcard or token connected to the system.
$success = $cert.LoadFromSmartcard("")
if ($success -eq $false) {
    $($cert.LastErrorText)
    $("Certificate not loaded.")
    exit
}

# If there are multiple certificates stored on the smartcard/token, then 
# you can be more specific.  See these examples:

# Load a Certificate from an HSM by Common Name
# Load a Certificate from an HSM by Serial Number

# It may be that you need to code at a lower level with a specific
# supported interface, such as PKCS11.
# See these examples:

# Use PKCS11 to Find a Specific Certificate
# Use PKCS11 to Find a Certificate with a Specified Key Usage

# Once you have the desired certificate, pass it to SetSslClientCert.
# Set the certificate to be used for mutual TLS authentication
# (i.e. sets the client-side certificate for two-way TLS authentication)
$success = $http.SetSslClientCert($cert)
if ($success -ne $true) {
    $($http.LastErrorText)
    exit
}

# At this point, the HTTP object instance is setup with the client-side cert, and any SSL/TLS
# connection will automatically use it if the server demands a client-side cert.