Example C Program: Deriving a Session Key from a Password

The following example demonstrates creating a session cryptographic key from the hash of a password as well as the use of the function CryptDeriveKey and related functions.

This example illustrates the following tasks and CryptoAPI functions:

• Calling CryptAcquireContext to acquiring a handle for the default CSP and the default key container.
• Using CryptCreateHash to create an empty hash object.
• Hashing the text of a password using CryptHashData.
• Deriving a session key from the hashed password using CryptDeriveKey.
• Destroying the hash and the password.
• Using CryptReleaseContext to release the CSP.

This example uses the function MyHandleError. Code for this function is included with the sample.

Code for this and other auxiliary functions is also listed under General Purpose Functions.

#pragma comment(lib, "crypt32.lib")

#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <conio.h>
#include <windows.h>
#include <Wincrypt.h>

#define MY_ENCODING_TYPE  (PKCS_7_ASN_ENCODING | X509_ASN_ENCODING)
void MyHandleError(char *s);
void GetConsoleInput(char*, UINT);
#define PASSWORD_LENGTH 512

void main()
{
    //----------------------------------------------------------------
    // Copyright (C) Microsoft.  All rights reserved.
    // Declare and initialize variables.

    HCRYPTPROV hCryptProv;
    HCRYPTKEY hKey;
    HCRYPTHASH hHash;
    CHAR szPassword[PASSWORD_LENGTH] = "";
    DWORD dwLength;

    //----------------------------------------------------------------
    // Get the password from the user.

    fprintf(stderr,"Enter a password to be used to create a key:");

    // Get a password while printing only asterisks to the screen.
    GetConsoleInput(szPassword, PASSWORD_LENGTH);
    printf("The password has been stored.\n");
    dwLength = (DWORD) strlen(szPassword);

    //----------------------------------------------------------------
    // Acquire a cryptographic provider context handle.

    if(CryptAcquireContext(
       &hCryptProv,
       NULL,
       NULL,
       PROV_RSA_FULL,
       0))
    {
        printf("A context has been acquired. \n");
    }
    else
    {
         MyHandleError("Error during CryptAcquireContext!");
    }
    //----------------------------------------------------------------
    // Create an empty hash object.

    if(CryptCreateHash(
       hCryptProv,
       CALG_MD5,
       0,
       0,
       &hHash))
    {
        printf("An empty hash object has been created. \n");
    }
    else
    {
        MyHandleError("Error during CryptCreateHash!");
    }
    //----------------------------------------------------------------
    // Hash the password string.

    if(CryptHashData(
       hHash,
       (BYTE *)szPassword,
       dwLength,
       0))
    {
         printf("The password has been hashed. \n");
    }
    else
    {
         MyHandleError("Error during CryptHashData!");
    }
    //----------------------------------------------------------------
    // Create a session key based on the hash of the password.

    if(CryptDeriveKey(
       hCryptProv,
       CALG_RC2,
       hHash,
       CRYPT_EXPORTABLE,
       &hKey))
    {
        printf("The key has been derived. \n");
    }
    else
    {
        MyHandleError("Error during CryptDeriveKey!");
    }
    //----------------------------------------------------------------
    // Use hKey as appropriate to encrypt or decrypt a message.

    //----------------------------------------------------------------
    // Clean up.

    // Destroy the hash object.

    if(hHash)
    {
       if(!(CryptDestroyHash(hHash)))
           MyHandleError("Error during CryptDestroyHash");
    }

    // Destroy the session key.
    if(hKey)
    {
        if(!(CryptDestroyKey(hKey)))
            MyHandleError("Error during CryptDestroyKey");
    }

    // Release the provider handle.
    if(hCryptProv)
    {
       if(!(CryptReleaseContext(hCryptProv, 0)))
           MyHandleError("Error during CryptReleaseContext");
    }
    printf("The program to derive a key completed without error. \n");
} // end main

//--------------------------------------------------------------------
// This example uses the function MyHandleError, a simple error
// handling function to print an error message and exit
// the program.
// For most applications, replace this function with one
// that does more extensive error reporting.

void MyHandleError(char *s)
{
    printf("An error occurred in running the program.\n");
    printf("%s\n",s);
    printf("Error number %x\n.",GetLastError());
    printf("Program terminating.\n");
    exit(1);
}

//--------------------------------------------------------------------
// The GetConsoleInput function gets an array of characters from the
// keyboard, while printing only asterisks to the screen.

void GetConsoleInput(char* strInput,
                    UINT  intMaxChars)
{
    char ch;
    char minChar = ' ';
    minChar++;

    ch = (char)_getch();
    while (ch != '\r')
    {
        if (ch == '\b' && strlen(strInput) > 0)
        {
            strInput[strlen(strInput)-1]   = '\0';
            printf("\b \b");
        }
        else if ((ch >= minChar) && (strlen(strInput) < intMaxChars))
        {
            strInput[strlen(strInput)+1] = '\0';
            strInput[strlen(strInput)]   = ch;
            _putch('*');
        }
        ch = (char)_getch();
    }
    _putch('\n');
}