Class Cipher
dw.crypto
Class Cipher
Object
dw.crypto.Cipher
This class allows access to encryption services offered through the Java Cryptography Architecture (JCA). At this time the implementation of the encryption/decryption methods is based on the default JCE provider of the JDK. See the Java documentation for a reference guide to the underlying security provider and information about the Secure Sockets Extension.

You can find a good overview of the essential purposes of cryptography and some common implementations in the Wikipedia article on cryptography. Also see the website of the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The format of various files used to hold keys, certificate signing requests, and the like, as well as some related algorithms, are defined in the PKCS series of documents published by RSALabs (the research arm of RSA Security).

Many internet standards documenting security protocols and concepts are described in documents originally described as "Request For Comment" and thus widely known as RFCs. Many of them are available on the Internet FAQ Archives website.

dw.crypto.Cipher is intentionally an Adapter to the full cryptography power supplied in the security provider implementation.

Note: this class handles sensitive security-related data. Pay special attention to PCI DSS v3 requirements 2, 4, and 12.

Constants
CHAR_ENCODING  :  String = "UTF8"
Strings containing keys, plain texts, cipher texts etc. are internally converted into byte arrays using this encoding (currently UTF8).
Properties
Constructor Summary
Cipher()
Method Summary
decrypt(base64Msg : String, key : String, transformation : String, saltOrIV : String, iterations : Number) : String
Decrypts the passed Base-64 encoded message using the passed key and applying the transformations described by the passed parameters.
decrypt(base64Msg : String, privateKey : KeyRef, transformation : String, saltOrIV : String, iterations : Number) : String
Alternative method to decrypt(String, String, String, String, Number), which allows to use a key in the keystore for the decryption.
decrypt(base64Msg : String, key : String, transformation : String, saltOrIV : String, iterations : Number) : String
Decrypts the passed Base-64 encoded message using the passed key and applying the transformations described by the passed parameters.
decrypt(base64Msg : String, privateKey : KeyRef, transformation : String, saltOrIV : String, iterations : Number) : String
Alternative method to decrypt_3(String, String, String, String, Number), which allows to use a key in the keystore for the decryption.
decryptBytes(encryptedBytes : Bytes, key : String, transformation : String, saltOrIV : String, iterations : Number) : Bytes
Lower-level decryption API.
decryptBytes(encryptedBytes : Bytes, privateKey : KeyRef, transformation : String, saltOrIV : String, iterations : Number) : Bytes
Alternative method to decryptBytes(Bytes, String, String, String, Number), which allows to use a key in the keystore for the decryption.
decryptBytes(encryptedBytes : Bytes, key : String, transformation : String, saltOrIV : String, iterations : Number) : Bytes
Lower-level decryption API.
decryptBytes(encryptedBytes : Bytes, privateKey : KeyRef, transformation : String, saltOrIV : String, iterations : Number) : Bytes
Alternative method to decryptBytes_3(Bytes, String, String, String, Number), which allows to use a key in the keystore for the decryption.
encrypt(message : String, key : String, transformation : String, saltOrIV : String, iterations : Number) : String
Encrypt the passed message by using the specified key and applying the transformations described by the specified parameters.
encrypt(message : String, publicKey : CertificateRef, transformation : String, saltOrIV : String, iterations : Number) : String
Alternative method to encrypt(String, String, String, String, Number), which allows you to use a key in the keystore for encryption.
encrypt(message : String, key : String, transformation : String, saltOrIV : String, iterations : Number) : String
Encrypt the passed message by using the specified key and applying the transformations described by the specified parameters.
encrypt(message : String, publicKey : CertificateRef, transformation : String, saltOrIV : String, iterations : Number) : String
Alternative method to encrypt_3(String, String, String, String, Number), which allows you to use a key in the keystore for encryption.
encryptBytes(messageBytes : Bytes, key : String, transformation : String, saltOrIV : String, iterations : Number) : Bytes
Lower-level encryption API.
encryptBytes(messageBytes : Bytes, publicKey : CertificateRef, transformation : String, saltOrIV : String, iterations : Number) : Bytes
Alternative method to encryptBytes(Bytes, String, String, String, Number), which allows to use a key in the keystore for the encryption.
encryptBytes(messageBytes : Bytes, key : String, transformation : String, saltOrIV : String, iterations : Number) : Bytes
Lower-level encryption API.
encryptBytes(messageBytes : Bytes, publicKey : CertificateRef, transformation : String, saltOrIV : String, iterations : Number) : Bytes
Alternative method to encryptBytes_3(Bytes, String, String, String, Number), which allows to use a key in the keystore for the encryption.
Methods inherited from class Object
assign, create, create, defineProperties, defineProperty, entries, freeze, fromEntries, getOwnPropertyDescriptor, getOwnPropertyNames, getOwnPropertySymbols, getPrototypeOf, hasOwnProperty, is, isExtensible, isFrozen, isPrototypeOf, isSealed, keys, preventExtensions, propertyIsEnumerable, seal, setPrototypeOf, toLocaleString, toString, valueOf, values
Constructor Detail
Cipher
public Cipher()
Method Detail
decrypt
decrypt(base64Msg : String, key : String, transformation : String, saltOrIV : String, iterations : Number) : String
Decrypts the passed Base-64 encoded message using the passed key and applying the transformations described by the passed parameters.

Decryption is the process of getting back the original data from the cipher-text using a decryption key.

API Versioned:
From version 15.5. No longer available as of version 16.2. Requires Base64-encryption for the salt parameter.
Parameters:
base64Msg - the base64 encoded cipher bytes

key - When using a symmetric cryptographic algorithm, use the same key to encrypt and decrypt.

If the cryptographic algorithm is symmetric (for example, AES) or asymmetric (for example, RSA), the key needs to be passed as a base64-encoded string. The only exception is the symmetric cryptographic algorithms Password Based Encryption (PBE). With PBE the key needs to be passed as plain string (without any encoding).

transformation - The transformation has to be in "algorithm/mode/padding" format. See the corresponding encrypt method for supported transformations.
saltOrIV - Initialization value appropriate for the algorithm, this might be a Binary Salt or AlgorithmParameter or InitializationVector (see the corresponding encrypt method for details).

Should be appropriate for the algorithm being used. If this value is null, a default initialization value will be used by the engine. The same value used to Encrypt needs to be supplied to the Decrypt function for many algorithms to successfully decrypt the data, so it is best practice to specify an appropriate value.

iterations - The number of passes to make when turning a passphrase into a key.

This is only applicable for some types of algorithm. Password Based Encryption (PBE) algorithms use this parameter, and Block Encryption algorithms do not.

If this value is relevant to the algorithm it would be best practice to supply it, as the same value would be needed to decrypt the data that was used to encrypt the data.

Returns:
the original plaintext message.
decrypt
decrypt(base64Msg : String, privateKey : KeyRef, transformation : String, saltOrIV : String, iterations : Number) : String
Alternative method to decrypt(String, String, String, String, Number), which allows to use a key in the keystore for the decryption.

Note: Only asymmetric (public/private key pair) algorithms can be used with this method, since only those keys can be added to a keystore.

API Versioned:
From version 15.5. No longer available as of version 16.2. Requires Base64-encryption for the salt parameter.
Parameters:
base64Msg - (see decrypt(String, String, String, String, Number))
privateKey - A reference to a private key in the key store.
transformation - (see decrypt(String, String, String, String, Number))
saltOrIV - (see decrypt(String, String, String, String, Number))
iterations - (see decrypt(String, String, String, String, Number))
Returns:
(see decrypt(String, String, String, String, Number))
decrypt
decrypt(base64Msg : String, key : String, transformation : String, saltOrIV : String, iterations : Number) : String
Decrypts the passed Base-64 encoded message using the passed key and applying the transformations described by the passed parameters.

Decryption is the process of getting back the original data from the cipher-text using a decryption key.

API Versioned:
From version 16.2. Does not use a default initialization vector.
Parameters:
base64Msg - the base64 encoded cipher bytes

key - When using a symmetric cryptographic algorithm, use the same key to encrypt and decrypt.

If the cryptographic algorithm is symmetric (for example, AES) or asymmetric (for example, RSA), the key needs to be passed as a base64-encoded string. The only exception is the symmetric cryptographic algorithms Password Based Encryption (PBE). With PBE the key needs to be passed as plain string (without any encoding).

transformation - The transformation has to be in "algorithm/mode/padding" format. See the corresponding encrypt method for supported transformations.
saltOrIV - Initialization value appropriate for the algorithm, this might be a Binary Salt or AlgorithmParameter or InitializationVector (see the corresponding encrypt method for details).

Should be appropriate for the algorithm being used. The same value used to Encrypt needs to be supplied to the Decrypt function for many algorithms to successfully decrypt the data, so it is best practice to specify an appropriate value.

iterations - The number of passes to make when turning a passphrase into a key.

This is only applicable for some types of algorithm. Password Based Encryption (PBE) algorithms use this parameter, and Block Encryption algorithms do not.

If this value is relevant to the algorithm it would be best practice to supply it, as the same value would be needed to decrypt the data that was used to encrypt the data.

Returns:
the original plaintext message.
decrypt
decrypt(base64Msg : String, privateKey : KeyRef, transformation : String, saltOrIV : String, iterations : Number) : String
Alternative method to decrypt_3(String, String, String, String, Number), which allows to use a key in the keystore for the decryption.

Note: Only asymmetric (public/private key pair) algorithms can be used with this method, since only those keys can be added to a keystore.

API Versioned:
From version 16.2. Does not use a default initialization vector.
Parameters:
base64Msg - (see decrypt_3(String, String, String, String, Number))
privateKey - A reference to a private key in the key store.
transformation - (see decrypt_3(String, String, String, String, Number))
saltOrIV - (see decrypt_3(String, String, String, String, Number))
iterations - (see decrypt_3(String, String, String, String, Number))
Returns:
(see decrypt_3(String, String, String, String, Number))
decryptBytes
decryptBytes(encryptedBytes : Bytes, key : String, transformation : String, saltOrIV : String, iterations : Number) : Bytes
Lower-level decryption API. Decrypts the passed bytes using the specified key and applying the transformations described by the specified parameters.

Typical usage: 

 var base64Msg : String = "some_encoded_encrypted_message";
 var charset : String = "UTF8";  // or "windows-1252", etc.

 var encryptedBytes : Bytes = Encoding.fromBase64(base64Msg);
 var messageBytes : Bytes = Cipher.decryptBytes(encryptedBytes, key, transformation, salt, iterations);
 var message : String = messageBytes.toString(charset);
API Versioned:
From version 15.5. No longer available as of version 16.2. Requires Base64-encryption for the salt parameter.
Parameters:
encryptedBytes - The bytes to decrypt.
key - The key to use for decryption.
transformation - The transformation used to originally encrypt.
saltOrIV - the salt or IV to use.
iterations - the iterations to use.
Returns:
The decrypted bytes.
See Also:
decrypt(String, String, String, String, Number)
decryptBytes
decryptBytes(encryptedBytes : Bytes, privateKey : KeyRef, transformation : String, saltOrIV : String, iterations : Number) : Bytes
Alternative method to decryptBytes(Bytes, String, String, String, Number), which allows to use a key in the keystore for the decryption.
API Versioned:
From version 15.5. No longer available as of version 16.2. Requires Base64-encryption for the salt parameter.
Parameters:
encryptedBytes - (see decryptBytes(Bytes, String, String, String, Number))
privateKey - A reference to a private key in the key store.
transformation - (see decryptBytes(Bytes, String, String, String, Number))
saltOrIV - (see decryptBytes(Bytes, String, String, String, Number))
iterations - (see decryptBytes(Bytes, String, String, String, Number))
Returns:
(see decryptBytes(Bytes, String, String, String, Number))
decryptBytes
decryptBytes(encryptedBytes : Bytes, key : String, transformation : String, saltOrIV : String, iterations : Number) : Bytes
Lower-level decryption API. Decrypts the passed bytes using the specified key and applying the transformations described by the specified parameters.

Typical usage: 

 var base64Msg : String = "some_encoded_encrypted_message";
 var charset : String = "UTF8";  // or "windows-1252", etc.

 var encryptedBytes : Bytes = Encoding.fromBase64(base64Msg);
 var messageBytes : Bytes = Cipher.decryptBytes(encryptedBytes, key, transformation, salt, iterations);
 var message : String = messageBytes.toString(charset);
API Versioned:
From version 16.2. Does not use a default initialization vector.
Parameters:
encryptedBytes - The bytes to decrypt.
key - The key to use for decryption.
transformation - The transformation used to originally encrypt.
saltOrIV - the salt or IV to use.
iterations - the iterations to use.
Returns:
The decrypted bytes.
See Also:
decrypt_3(String, String, String, String, Number)
decryptBytes
decryptBytes(encryptedBytes : Bytes, privateKey : KeyRef, transformation : String, saltOrIV : String, iterations : Number) : Bytes
Alternative method to decryptBytes_3(Bytes, String, String, String, Number), which allows to use a key in the keystore for the decryption.
API Versioned:
From version 16.2. Does not use a default initialization vector.
Parameters:
encryptedBytes - (see decryptBytes_3(Bytes, String, String, String, Number))
privateKey - A reference to a private key in the key store.
transformation - (see decryptBytes_3(Bytes, String, String, String, Number))
saltOrIV - (see decryptBytes_3(Bytes, String, String, String, Number))
iterations - (see decryptBytes_3(Bytes, String, String, String, Number))
Returns:
(see decryptBytes_3(Bytes, String, String, String, Number))
encrypt
encrypt(message : String, key : String, transformation : String, saltOrIV : String, iterations : Number) : String
Encrypt the passed message by using the specified key and applying the transformations described by the specified parameters.

Encryption is the process of converting normal data or plain text to something incomprehensible or cipher-text by applying transformations, which are the operation (or set of operations) to be performed on given input to produce some output. A transformation always includes the name of a cryptographic algorithm (for example, RSA) and may be followed by a mode and padding scheme. The supported algorithms are listed in the parameter description below.

The cryptographic algorithms can be partitioned into symmetric and asymmetric (or public key/private key).

Symmetric or "secret key" algorithms use the same key to encrypt and to decrypt the data. Symmetric algorithms are what most people think of as codes: using a well-known algorithm and a secret key to encode information, which can be decoded using the same algorithm and the same key. The algorithm is not secret, the secrecy is inherent to guarding the key. A significant problem with symmetric ciphers is that it is difficult to transfer the keys themselves securely. Symmetric algorithms include password-based algorithms.

AES with key length of 256 bits is the preferred choice for symmetric encryption going forward. Please consider switching to it if you are using any other scheme or if using AES with a shorter key length. The rest of the symmetric algorithms will be deprecated in the future.

Asymmetric or "public key" cryptography uses a public/private key pair, and then publishes the public key. Only the holder of the private key will be able to decrypt. The public key and private key together are also called a "key pair". Data encrypted with one key can only be decrypted using the other key from the pair, and it is not possible to deduce one key from the other. This helps to solve the key distribution problem since it is possible to publicise one of the keys widely (the "public key") and keep the other a closely guarded secret (the "private key"). Many partners can then send data encrypted with the public key, but only the holder of the corresponding private key can decrypt it.

Key pairs for asymmetric ciphers can be generated with an arbitrary tool. One of the most popular options is the open source tool OpenSSL. OpenSSL has a command-line syntax and is available on major platforms.

The following steps are involved in creating an RSA key pair:

  1. Generate an RSA private key with keylength of 2048 bits. Store this key in a safe place.
    openssl genrsa -out rsaprivatekey.pem 2048
  2. Generate a public key from the private key. You use the public key to encrypt messages with Cipher.encrypt. OpenSSL saves the key PEM-encoded; this means the key is saved with a base64 encoding. After you removed the header and footer lines you can pass the content directly to the API method.
    openssl rsa -in rsaprivatekey.pem -out publickey.pem -pubout
  3. Generate a private key in PKCS#8 format. You use that key to decrypt messages with Cipher.decrypt. OpenSSL saves the key PEM-encoded; this means the key is saved with a base64 encoding. After you removed the header and footer lines you can pass the content directly to the API method.
    openssl pkcs8 -topk8 -in rsaprivatekey.pem -out privatekey.pem -nocrypt

Modes
The following modes of operation are block cipher operations that are used with some algorithms.

  • "NONE" no mode
  • "CBC" Cipher Block Chaining (defined in FIPS PUB 81)
  • "CTR" Counter mode or Segmented Integer Counter mode (defined in FIPS PUB 81)
  • "CTS" CipherText Streaming mode
  • "CFB" Cipher Feedback Mode, can be referred to with key length referenced as "CFB8","CFB16","CFB24".."CFB64" (defined in FIPS PUB 81)
  • "ECB" Electronic Cook book as defined in: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) PUB 81, "DES Modes of Operation," U.S. Department of Commerce, Dec 1980.
  • "OFB" Output Feedback Mode, can be referred to with key length referenced as "OFB8","OFB16","OFB24".."OFB64" (defined in FIPS PUB 81)
  • "PCBC" Propagating Cipher Block Chaining (defined in Kerberos V4)

Paddings

  • "NoPadding": No padding.
  • OAEPWith<digest>And<mgf>Padding:

    Optimal Asymmetric Encryption Padding scheme defined in PKCS#1, where <digest> should be replaced by the message digest and <mgf> by the mask generation function.

    Examples: OAEPWITHSHA-256ANDMGF1PADDING, OAEPWITHSHA-384ANDMGF1PADDING, OAEPWITHSHA-512ANDMGF1PADDING

  • ISO10126PADDING: the ISO10126-2:1991 DEA padding scheme
  • PKCS1Padding: Public Key Cryptography Standard #1, a standard for padding from RSA Laboratories that can encrypt messages up to 11 bytes smaller than the modulus size in bytes.
  • PKCS5Padding: Public Key Cryptography Standard #1, a standard for padding from RSA Laboratories, "PKCS#5: Password-Based Encryption Standard," version 1.5, November 1993.
  • SSL3Padding: The padding scheme defined in the SSL Protocol Version 3.0, November 18, 1996, section 5.2.3.2 (CBC block cipher)
API Versioned:
From version 15.5. No longer available as of version 16.2. Requires Base64-encryption for the salt parameter.
Parameters:
message - A string to encrypt (will be first converted with UTF-8 encoding into a byte stream)
key - A string ready for use with the algorithm. The key's format depends on the algorithm specified and the keys are assumed to be correctly formulated for the algorithm used, for example that the lengths are correct. Keys are not checked for validity.

The cryptographic algorithms can be partitioned into symmetric and asymmetric (or public key/private key). Symmetric algorithms include password-based algorithms.

Symmetric keys are usually a base64-encoded array of bytes. Asymmetric keys are "key pairs" with a public key and a private key. To encrypt using asymmetric algorithms, provide the public key. To decrypt using asymmetric algorithms, provide the private key from the same pair in PKCS#8 format, base64-encoded. See class documentation on how to generate a key pair.

If the cryptographic algorithm is symmetric (for example, AES) or asymmetric (for example, RSA), the key needs to be passed as a base64-encoded string. The only exception is the symmetric cryptographic algorithms Password Based Encryption (PBE). With PBE the key needs to be passed as plain string (without any encoding).

transformation - The transformation has to be in "algorithm/mode/padding" format. Symmetric or "secret key" algorithms use the same key to encrypt and to decrypt the data. Asymmetric or "public key" cryptography uses a public/private key pair, and then publishes the public key. Only the holder of the private key will be able to decrypt. The public key and private key are also known as a "key pair".

Supported Symmetric transformations include:

  • "AES" or Rijndael, Advanced Encryption Standard as specified by NIST
    AES with key length of 256 is the preferred choice for symmetric encryption

    Keysizes: 128, 192, or 256

    Modes: "ECB","CBC","PCBC","CTR","CTS","CFB","CFB8","CFB16","CFB24".."CFB64", "OFB","OFB8","OFB16","OFB24".."OFB64"

    Padding: "PKCS5Padding"

Note that ARCFOUR, Blowfish, DES, RC2, DESede, DESedeWrap, PBEWithMD5AndDES, PBEWithMD5AndTripleDES1, PBEWithSHA1AndDESede and PBEWithSHA1AndRC2_40 transformations have been deprecated. Also, PKCS5Padding is the only supported Padding. NOPADDING and ISO10126PADDING have been deprecated.

Supported Asymmetric transformations include:

  • "RSA"

    Mode: "ECB"

    Padding: "OAEPWITHSHA-256ANDMGF1PADDING", "OAEPWITHSHA-384ANDMGF1PADDING", "OAEPWITHSHA-512ANDMGF1PADDING"

Note that for RSA the key length should be at least 2048 bits. Also, the following Padding options have been deprecated: NOPADDING, PKCS1PADDING, OAEPWITHMD5ANDMGF1PADDING, OAEPWITHSHA1ANDMGF1PADDING and OAEPWITHSHA-1ANDMGF1PADDING.

saltOrIV - Initialization value appropriate for the algorithm, this might be a Binary Salt or AlgorithmParameter or InitializationVector. (As binary values cannot be passed, the equivalent Base64 String should be passed for any binary salt value).

Should be appropriate for the algorithm being used. If this value is null, a default initialization value will be used by the engine. The same value used to Encrypt needs to be supplied to the Decrypt function for many algorithms to successfully decrypt the data, so it is best practice to specify an appropriate value. Requirements for the size and generation of DES initialization vectors (IV) are derived from FIPS 74 and FIPS 81 from the National Institute of Standards and Technology. CBC mode requires an IV with length 64 bits; CFB uses 48-64 bits; OFB uses 64 bits. If the IV is to be used with DES in the OFB mode, then it is not acceptable for the IV to remain fixed for multiple encryptions, if the same key is used for those encryptions.

For Block Encryption algorithms this is the encoded Base64 String equivalent to the a random number to use as a "salt" to use with the algorithm. The algorithm must contain a Feedback Mode other than ECB. This must be a binary value that is exactly the same size as the algorithm block size.

RC5 uses an optional 8-byte initialization vector (IV), but only in feedback mode (see CFB above).

For Password Based Encryption algorithms, the salt is the encoded Base64 String equivalent to a random number value to transform the password into a key. PBE derives an encryption key from a password. In order to make the task of getting from password to key very time-consuming for an attacker, most PBE implementations will mix in a random number, known as a salt, to create the key. The salt value and the iteration count are then combined into a PBEParameterSpecification to initialize the cipher.

The PKCS#5 spec from RSA Labs defines the parameters for password-based encryption (PBE).

The RSA algorithm requires a salt with length as defined in PKCS#1.

DSA has a specific initialization that uses three integers to build a DSAParameterSpec (a prime, a sub-prime and a base). To use this algorithm you should use the JCE or another provider to supply a DSAParameterSpec and then supply the Base64 equivalent string as the "salt". Please see the documentation from the provider for additional restrictions.

iterations - The number of passes to make when turning a passphrase into a key.

This is only applicable for some types of algorithm. Password Based Encryption (PBE) algorithms use this parameter, and Block Encryption algorithms do not.

If this value is relevant to the algorithm it would be best practice to supply it, as the same value would be needed to decrypt the data.

Returns:
the encrypted message encoded as a String using base 64 encoding.
encrypt
encrypt(message : String, publicKey : CertificateRef, transformation : String, saltOrIV : String, iterations : Number) : String
Alternative method to encrypt(String, String, String, String, Number), which allows you to use a key in the keystore for encryption.

Note: Only asymmetric (public/private key pair) algorithms can be used with this method, since only those keys can be added to a keystore.

For asymmetric algorithms a private/public key pair is required. Commerce Cloud Digital only allows you to add private keys in the format *.p12 and *.pfx. You can assign private keys an extra password in Business Manager. Public keys can only be imported as trusted certificates in the format *.crt, *.pem, *.der, and *.cer.

Key pairs for asymmetric ciphers can be generated with an arbitrary tool. One of the most popular options is the open source tool OpenSSL. OpenSSL has a command-line syntax and is available on major platforms.

The following steps are involved in creating an RSA key pair:

  1. Generate a public and a non-protected private key ( *.crt and *.key ).
    openssl req -x509 -newkey rsa:2048 -keyout nopass.key -out nopass.crt -days 365 -nodes
  2. Generate a keystore that contains the public and private keys ( *.p12 ).
    openssl pkcs12 -export -out nopass.p12 -inkey nopass.key -in nopass.crt
To import a private or public key into the Digital keystore, navigate to Administration > Operations > Private Keys and Certificates Use a .p12 file to import a private key and a *.crt to import a public key.

Typical usage:

 var plain : String = "some_plain_text";
 var publicKeyRef = new CertificateRef("rsa-certificate-2048");
 var cipher : Cipher = new Cipher();
 var encrypted : String = cipher.encrypt(plain, publicKeyRef, "RSA", null, 0);
API Versioned:
From version 15.5. No longer available as of version 16.2. Requires Base64-encryption for the salt parameter.
Parameters:
message - (see encrypt(String, String, String, String, Number))
publicKey - A reference to a public key.
transformation - (see encrypt(String, String, String, String, Number))
saltOrIV - (see encrypt(String, String, String, String, Number))
iterations - (see encrypt(String, String, String, String, Number))
Returns:
(see encrypt(String, String, String, String, Number))
encrypt
encrypt(message : String, key : String, transformation : String, saltOrIV : String, iterations : Number) : String
Encrypt the passed message by using the specified key and applying the transformations described by the specified parameters.

Encryption is the process of converting normal data or plain text to something incomprehensible or cipher-text by applying transformations, which are the operation (or set of operations) to be performed on given input to produce some output. A transformation always includes the name of a cryptographic algorithm (for example, RSA) and may be followed by a mode and padding scheme. The supported algorithms are listed in the parameter description below.

The cryptographic algorithms can be partitioned into symmetric and asymmetric (or public key/private key).

Symmetric or "secret key" algorithms use the same key to encrypt and to decrypt the data. Symmetric algorithms are what most people think of as codes: using a well-known algorithm and a secret key to encode information, which can be decoded using the same algorithm and the same key. The algorithm is not secret, the secrecy is inherent to guarding the key. A significant problem with symmetric ciphers is that it is difficult to transfer the keys themselves securely. Symmetric algorithms include password-based algorithms.

AES with key length of 256 bits is the preferred choice for symmetric encryption going forward. Please consider switching to it if you are using any other scheme or if using AES with a shorter key length. The rest of the symmetric algorithms will be deprecated in the future.

Asymmetric or "public key" cryptography uses a public/private key pair, and then publishes the public key. Only the holder of the private key will be able to decrypt. The public key and private key together are also called a "key pair". Data encrypted with one key can only be decrypted using the other key from the pair, and it is not possible to deduce one key from the other. This helps to solve the key distribution problem since it is possible to publicise one of the keys widely (the "public key") and keep the other a closely guarded secret (the "private key"). Many partners can then send data encrypted with the public key, but only the holder of the corresponding private key can decrypt it.

Key pairs for asymmetric ciphers can be generated with an arbitrary tool. One of the most popular options is the open source tool OpenSSL. OpenSSL has a command-line syntax and is available on major platforms.

The following steps are involved in creating an RSA key pair:

  1. Generate an RSA private key with keylength of 2048 bits. Store this key in a safe place.
    openssl genrsa -out rsaprivatekey.pem 2048
  2. Generate a public key from the private key. You use the public key to encrypt messages with Cipher.encrypt. OpenSSL saves the key PEM-encoded; this means the key is saved with a base64 encoding. After you removed the header and footer lines you can pass the content directly to the API method.
    openssl rsa -in rsaprivatekey.pem -out publickey.pem -pubout
  3. Generate a private key in PKCS#8 format. You use that key to decrypt messages with Cipher.decrypt. OpenSSL saves the key PEM-encoded; this means the key is saved with a base64 encoding. After you removed the header and footer lines you can pass the content directly to the API method.
    openssl pkcs8 -topk8 -in rsaprivatekey.pem -out privatekey.pem -nocrypt

Modes
The following modes of operation are block cipher operations that are used with some algorithms.

  • "NONE" no mode
  • "CBC" Cipher Block Chaining (defined in FIPS PUB 81)
  • "CTR" Counter mode or Segmented Integer Counter mode (defined in FIPS PUB 81)
  • "CTS" CipherText Streaming mode
  • "CFB" Cipher Feedback Mode, can be referred to with key length referenced as "CFB8","CFB16","CFB24".."CFB64" (defined in FIPS PUB 81)
  • "ECB" Electronic Cook book as defined in: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) PUB 81, "DES Modes of Operation," U.S. Department of Commerce, Dec 1980.
  • "GCM" Galois/Counter Mode (defined in NIST SP 800-38D)
  • "OFB" Output Feedback Mode, can be referred to with key length referenced as "OFB8","OFB16","OFB24".."OFB64" (defined in FIPS PUB 81)
  • "PCBC" Propagating Cipher Block Chaining (defined in Kerberos V4)

Paddings

  • "NoPadding": No padding.
  • OAEPWith<digest>And<mgf>Padding:

    Optimal Asymmetric Encryption Padding scheme defined in PKCS#1, where <digest> should be replaced by the message digest and <mgf> by the mask generation function.

    Examples: OAEPWITHSHA-256ANDMGF1PADDING, OAEPWITHSHA-384ANDMGF1PADDING, OAEPWITHSHA-512ANDMGF1PADDING

  • ISO10126PADDING: the ISO10126-2:1991 DEA padding scheme
  • PKCS1Padding: Public Key Cryptography Standard #1, a standard for padding from RSA Laboratories that can encrypt messages up to 11 bytes smaller than the modulus size in bytes.
  • PKCS5Padding: Public Key Cryptography Standard #1, a standard for padding from RSA Laboratories, "PKCS#5: Password-Based Encryption Standard," version 1.5, November 1993.
  • SSL3Padding: The padding scheme defined in the SSL Protocol Version 3.0, November 18, 1996, section 5.2.3.2 (CBC block cipher)
API Versioned:
From version 16.2. Does not use a default initialization vector.
Parameters:
message - A string to encrypt (will be first converted with UTF-8 encoding into a byte stream)
key - A string ready for use with the algorithm. The key's format depends on the algorithm specified and the keys are assumed to be correctly formulated for the algorithm used, for example that the lengths are correct. Keys are not checked for validity.

The cryptographic algorithms can be partitioned into symmetric and asymmetric (or public key/private key). Symmetric algorithms include password-based algorithms.

Symmetric keys are usually a base64-encoded array of bytes. Asymmetric keys are "key pairs" with a public key and a private key. To encrypt using asymmetric algorithms, provide the public key. To decrypt using asymmetric algorithms, provide the private key from the same pair in PKCS#8 format, base64-encoded. See class documentation on how to generate a key pair.

If the cryptographic algorithm is symmetric (for example, AES) or asymmetric (for example, RSA), the key needs to be passed as a base64-encoded string. The only exception is the symmetric cryptographic algorithms Password Based Encryption (PBE). With PBE the key needs to be passed as plain string (without any encoding).

transformation - The transformation has to be in "algorithm/mode/padding" format. Symmetric or "secret key" algorithms use the same key to encrypt and to decrypt the data. Asymmetric or "public key" cryptography uses a public/private key pair, and then publishes the public key. Only the holder of the private key will be able to decrypt. The public key and private key are also known as a "key pair".

Supported Symmetric transformations include:

  • "AES" or Rijndael, Advanced Encryption Standard as specified by NIST
    AES with key length of 256 is the preferred choice for symmetric encryption

    Keysizes: 128, 192, or 256

    Modes: "GCM","ECB","CBC","PCBC","CTR","CTS","CFB","CFB8","CFB16","CFB24".."CFB64", "OFB","OFB8","OFB16","OFB24".."OFB64"

    Padding: "PKCS5Padding" or "NoPadding" (GCM only)

Note that ARCFOUR, Blowfish, DES, RC2, DESede, DESedeWrap, PBEWithMD5AndDES, PBEWithMD5AndTripleDES1, PBEWithSHA1AndDESede and PBEWithSHA1AndRC2_40 transformations have been deprecated. PKCS5Padding is the only supported Padding for most modes. NOPADDING is only supported for GCM, and ISO10126PADDING has been deprecated.

Supported Asymmetric transformations include:

  • "RSA"

    Mode: "ECB"

    Padding: "OAEPWITHSHA-256ANDMGF1PADDING", "OAEPWITHSHA-384ANDMGF1PADDING", "OAEPWITHSHA-512ANDMGF1PADDING"

Note that for RSA the key length should be at least 2048 bits. Also, the following Padding options have been deprecated: NOPADDING, PKCS1PADDING, OAEPWITHMD5ANDMGF1PADDING, OAEPWITHSHA1ANDMGF1PADDING and OAEPWITHSHA-1ANDMGF1PADDING.

saltOrIV - Initialization value appropriate for the algorithm, this might be a Binary Salt or AlgorithmParameter or InitializationVector. (As binary values cannot be passed, the equivalent Base64 String should be passed for any binary salt value).

Should be appropriate for the algorithm being used. The same value used to Encrypt needs to be supplied to the Decrypt function for many algorithms to successfully decrypt the data, so it is best practice to specify an appropriate value. Requirements for the size and generation of DES initialization vectors (IV) are derived from FIPS 74 and FIPS 81 from the National Institute of Standards and Technology. CBC mode requires an IV with length 64 bits; CFB uses 48-64 bits; OFB uses 64 bits; GCM uses 96 bits. If the IV is to be used with DES in the OFB mode, then it is not acceptable for the IV to remain fixed for multiple encryptions, if the same key is used for those encryptions.

For Block Encryption algorithms this is the encoded Base64 String equivalent to the a random number to use as a "salt" to use with the algorithm. The algorithm must contain a Feedback Mode other than ECB. This must be a binary value that is exactly the same size as the algorithm block size.

RC5 uses an optional 8-byte initialization vector (IV), but only in feedback mode (see CFB above).

For Password Based Encryption algorithms, the salt is the encoded Base64 String equivalent to a random number value to transform the password into a key. PBE derives an encryption key from a password. In order to make the task of getting from password to key very time-consuming for an attacker, most PBE implementations will mix in a random number, known as a salt, to create the key. The salt value and the iteration count are then combined into a PBEParameterSpecification to initialize the cipher.

The PKCS#5 spec from RSA Labs defines the parameters for password-based encryption (PBE).

The RSA algorithm requires a salt with length as defined in PKCS#1.

DSA has a specific initialization that uses three integers to build a DSAParameterSpec (a prime, a sub-prime and a base). To use this algorithm you should use the JCE or another provider to supply a DSAParameterSpec and then supply the Base64 equivalent string as the "salt". Please see the documentation from the provider for additional restrictions.

Extra algorithm parameters may be configured using this field. Each parameter is given as <name>=<value>, and multiple parameters may be separated by a vertical pipe. Unknown parameters will result in an error. Any parameters MUST be given after the salt, even if the salt is empty. For example, RSA does not use a salt, so to set the MGF1 digest algorithm to SHA-256, use |MGFDigest=SHA-256

Supported Parameters:

Parameter Type Description
MGFDigest String Overrides the digest algorithm used by the mask generation function when using OAEP padding. Valid values include SHA-1, SHA-224, SHA-256, SHA-384, and SHA-512. The default value is SHA-1.
TagLength Integer Overrides the tag length in bits used for GCM mode. Note if a number is given without a parameter name, it is treated as the tag length for backward compatibility. The default tag length is 128 bits.

iterations - The number of passes to make when turning a passphrase into a key.

This is only applicable for some types of algorithm. Password Based Encryption (PBE) algorithms use this parameter, and Block Encryption algorithms do not.

If this value is relevant to the algorithm it would be best practice to supply it, as the same value would be needed to decrypt the data.

Returns:
the encrypted message encoded as a String using base 64 encoding.
encrypt
encrypt(message : String, publicKey : CertificateRef, transformation : String, saltOrIV : String, iterations : Number) : String
Alternative method to encrypt_3(String, String, String, String, Number), which allows you to use a key in the keystore for encryption.

Note: Only asymmetric (public/private key pair) algorithms can be used with this method, since only those keys can be added to a keystore.

For asymmetric algorithms a private/public key pair is required. Commerce Cloud Digital only allows you to add private keys in the format *.p12 and *.pfx. You can assign private keys an extra password in Business Manager. Public keys can only be imported as trusted certificates in the format *.crt, *.pem, *.der, and *.cer.

Key pairs for asymmetric ciphers can be generated with an arbitrary tool. One of the most popular options is the open source tool OpenSSL. OpenSSL has a command-line syntax and is available on major platforms.

The following steps are involved in creating an RSA key pair:

  1. Generate a public and a non-protected private key ( *.crt and *.key ).
    openssl req -x509 -newkey rsa:2048 -keyout nopass.key -out nopass.crt -days 365 -nodes
  2. Generate a keystore that contains the public and private keys ( *.p12 ).
    openssl pkcs12 -export -out nopass.p12 -inkey nopass.key -in nopass.crt
To import a private or public key into the Digital keystore, navigate to Administration > Operations > Private Keys and Certificates Use a .p12 file to import a private key and a *.crt to import a public key.

Typical usage:

 var plain : String = "some_plain_text";
 var publicKeyRef = new CertificateRef("rsa-certificate-2048");
 var cipher : Cipher = new Cipher();
 var encrypted : String = cipher.encrypt(plain, publicKeyRef, "RSA", null, 0);
API Versioned:
From version 16.2. Does not use a default initialization vector.
Parameters:
message - (see encrypt_3(String, String, String, String, Number))
publicKey - A reference to a public key.
transformation - (see encrypt_3(String, String, String, String, Number))
saltOrIV - (see encrypt_3(String, String, String, String, Number))
iterations - (see encrypt_3(String, String, String, String, Number))
Returns:
(see encrypt_3(String, String, String, String, Number))
encryptBytes
encryptBytes(messageBytes : Bytes, key : String, transformation : String, saltOrIV : String, iterations : Number) : Bytes
Lower-level encryption API. Encrypts the passed bytes by using the specified key and applying the transformations described by the specified parameters.

Typical usage: 

 var message : String = "some_message";
 var charset : String = "UTF8"; // or "windows-1252", etc.

 // encrypt the message
 var messageBytes : Bytes = new Bytes(message, charset);
 var encryptedBytes : Bytes = Cipher.encryptBytes(messageBytes, key, transformation, salt, iterations);
 var encrypted : String = Encoding.toBase64(encryptedBytes);
API Versioned:
From version 15.5. No longer available as of version 16.2. Requires Base64-encryption for the salt parameter.
Parameters:
messageBytes - The bytes to encrypt.
key - The key to use for encryption.
transformation - The transformation to apply.
saltOrIV - Initialization value appropriate for the algorithm.
iterations - The number of passes to make when turning a passphrase into a key.
Returns:
the encrypted bytes.
See Also:
encrypt(String, String, String, String, Number)
encryptBytes
encryptBytes(messageBytes : Bytes, publicKey : CertificateRef, transformation : String, saltOrIV : String, iterations : Number) : Bytes
Alternative method to encryptBytes(Bytes, String, String, String, Number), which allows to use a key in the keystore for the encryption.

Note: Only asymmetric (public/private key pair) algorithms can be used with this method, since only those keys can be added to a keystore.

API Versioned:
From version 15.5. No longer available as of version 16.2. Requires Base64-encryption for the salt parameter.
Parameters:
messageBytes - (see encryptBytes(Bytes, String, String, String, Number))
publicKey - A reference to a public key.
transformation - (see encryptBytes(Bytes, String, String, String, Number))
saltOrIV - (see encryptBytes(Bytes, String, String, String, Number))
iterations - (see encryptBytes(Bytes, String, String, String, Number))
Returns:
(see encryptBytes(Bytes, String, String, String, Number))
encryptBytes
encryptBytes(messageBytes : Bytes, key : String, transformation : String, saltOrIV : String, iterations : Number) : Bytes
Lower-level encryption API. Encrypts the passed bytes by using the specified key and applying the transformations described by the specified parameters.

Typical usage: 

 var message : String = "some_message";
 var charset : String = "UTF8"; // or "windows-1252", etc.

 // encrypt the message
 var messageBytes : Bytes = new Bytes(message, charset);
 var encryptedBytes : Bytes = Cipher.encryptBytes(messageBytes, key, transformation, salt, iterations);
 var encrypted : String = Encoding.toBase64(encryptedBytes);
API Versioned:
From version 16.2. Does not use a default initialization vector.
Parameters:
messageBytes - The bytes to encrypt.
key - The key to use for encryption.
transformation - The transformation to apply.
saltOrIV - Initialization value appropriate for the algorithm.
iterations - The number of passes to make when turning a passphrase into a key.
Returns:
the encrypted bytes.
See Also:
encrypt_3(String, String, String, String, Number)
encryptBytes
encryptBytes(messageBytes : Bytes, publicKey : CertificateRef, transformation : String, saltOrIV : String, iterations : Number) : Bytes
Alternative method to encryptBytes_3(Bytes, String, String, String, Number), which allows to use a key in the keystore for the encryption.

Note: Only asymmetric (public/private key pair) algorithms can be used with this method, since only those keys can be added to a keystore.

API Versioned:
From version 16.2. Does not use a default initialization vector.
Parameters:
messageBytes - (see encryptBytes_3(Bytes, String, String, String, Number))
publicKey - A reference to a public key.
transformation - (see encryptBytes_3(Bytes, String, String, String, Number))
saltOrIV - (see encryptBytes_3(Bytes, String, String, String, Number))
iterations - (see encryptBytes_3(Bytes, String, String, String, Number))
Returns:
(see encryptBytes_3(Bytes, String, String, String, Number))
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