VB.NET

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). VB.NET

Dim success As Boolean = False

Dim http As New 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.
Dim cert As New 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 = False) Then
    Debug.WriteLine(cert.LastErrorText)
    Debug.WriteLine("Certificate not loaded.")
    Exit Sub
End If


' 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 <> True) Then
    Debug.WriteLine(http.LastErrorText)
    Exit Sub
End If


' 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.