Cryptography Support

4/8/2010

In the digital world, Cryptography helps provide privacy and authentication. Windows Mobile offers the following cryptographic services:

  • Encryption, to help provide privacy and authentication between two communicating parties who have exchanged a shared secret. For more information, see Encryption Support.
  • Hashing, to help ensure data integrity of information when sent over a nonsecure channel such as the Internet. For more information, see Hashing Support.
  • Digital Signature, to help authenticate another party, or information sent by that party, without prior exchange of a shared secret. For more information, see Digital Signature Support.

These cryptographic services are provided on Windows Mobile through the CryptoAPI abstract interface. Each of the CryptoAPI functions is performed by an independent module within CryptoAPI — called a cryptographic service provider — that uses a variety of cryptographic algorithms to perform all of the functions. Because CryptoAPI uses a modular architecture, there are several cryptographic service providers that can be used with CryptoAPI and each one uses a different combination of algorithms; however, the cryptographic service provider that is supported by Windows Mobile devices is the Microsoft Enhanced Cryptographic Provider.

See Also

Concepts

Windows Mobile Device Security Model

Other Resources

Cryptography