HMACSHA256 Class (System.Security.Cryptography) (2024)

  • Reference

Definition

Namespace:
System.Security.Cryptography
Assembly:
System.Security.Cryptography.Algorithms.dll
Assembly:
System.Security.Cryptography.dll
Assembly:
mscorlib.dll
Assembly:
netstandard.dll

Important

Some information relates to prerelease product that may be substantially modified before it’s released. Microsoft makes no warranties, express or implied, with respect to the information provided here.

public ref class HMACSHA256 : System::Security::Cryptography::HMAC
[System.Runtime.Versioning.UnsupportedOSPlatform("browser")]public class HMACSHA256 : System.Security.Cryptography.HMAC
public class HMACSHA256 : System.Security.Cryptography.HMAC
[System.Runtime.InteropServices.ComVisible(true)]public class HMACSHA256 : System.Security.Cryptography.HMAC
[<System.Runtime.Versioning.UnsupportedOSPlatform("browser")>]type HMACSHA256 = class inherit HMAC
type HMACSHA256 = class inherit HMAC
[<System.Runtime.InteropServices.ComVisible(true)>]type HMACSHA256 = class inherit HMAC
Public Class HMACSHA256Inherits HMAC
Inheritance

Object

HashAlgorithm

KeyedHashAlgorithm

HMAC

HMACSHA256

Attributes

UnsupportedOSPlatformAttributeComVisibleAttribute

Examples

The following example shows how to sign a file by using the HMACSHA256 object and then how to verify the file.

using namespace System;using namespace System::IO;using namespace System::Security::Cryptography;// Computes a keyed hash for a source file, creates a target file with the keyed hash// prepended to the contents of the source file, then decodes the file and compares// the source and the decoded files.void EncodeFile( array<Byte>^key, String^ sourceFile, String^ destFile ){ // Initialize the keyed hash object. HMACSHA256^ myhmacsha256 = gcnew HMACSHA256( key ); FileStream^ inStream = gcnew FileStream( sourceFile,FileMode::Open ); FileStream^ outStream = gcnew FileStream( destFile,FileMode::Create ); // Compute the hash of the input file. array<Byte>^hashValue = myhmacsha256->ComputeHash( inStream ); // Reset inStream to the beginning of the file. inStream->Position = 0; // Write the computed hash value to the output file. outStream->Write( hashValue, 0, hashValue->Length ); // Copy the contents of the sourceFile to the destFile. int bytesRead; // read 1K at a time array<Byte>^buffer = gcnew array<Byte>(1024); do { // Read from the wrapping CryptoStream. bytesRead = inStream->Read( buffer, 0, 1024 ); outStream->Write( buffer, 0, bytesRead ); } while ( bytesRead > 0 ); myhmacsha256->Clear(); // Close the streams inStream->Close(); outStream->Close(); return;} // end EncodeFile// Decode the encoded file and compare to original file.bool DecodeFile( array<Byte>^key, String^ sourceFile ){ // Initialize the keyed hash object. HMACSHA256^ hmacsha256 = gcnew HMACSHA256( key ); // Create an array to hold the keyed hash value read from the file. array<Byte>^storedHash = gcnew array<Byte>(hmacsha256->HashSize / 8); // Create a FileStream for the source file. FileStream^ inStream = gcnew FileStream( sourceFile,FileMode::Open ); // Read in the storedHash. inStream->Read( storedHash, 0, storedHash->Length ); // Compute the hash of the remaining contents of the file. // The stream is properly positioned at the beginning of the content, // immediately after the stored hash value. array<Byte>^computedHash = hmacsha256->ComputeHash( inStream ); // compare the computed hash with the stored value bool err = false; for ( int i = 0; i < storedHash->Length; i++ ) { if ( computedHash[ i ] != storedHash[ i ] ) { err = true; } } if (err) { Console::WriteLine("Hash values differ! Encoded file has been tampered with!"); return false; } else { Console::WriteLine("Hash values agree -- no tampering occurred."); return true; }} //end DecodeFileint main(){ array<String^>^Fileargs = Environment::GetCommandLineArgs(); String^ usageText = "Usage: HMACSHA256 inputfile.txt encodedfile.hsh\nYou must specify the two file names. Only the first file must exist.\n"; //If no file names are specified, write usage text. if ( Fileargs->Length < 3 ) { Console::WriteLine( usageText ); } else { try { // Create a random key using a random number generator. This would be the // secret key shared by sender and receiver. array<Byte>^secretkey = gcnew array<Byte>(64); //RNGCryptoServiceProvider is an implementation of a random number generator. RNGCryptoServiceProvider^ rng = gcnew RNGCryptoServiceProvider; // The array is now filled with cryptographically strong random bytes. rng->GetBytes( secretkey ); // Use the secret key to encode the message file. EncodeFile( secretkey, Fileargs[ 1 ], Fileargs[ 2 ] ); // Take the encoded file and decode DecodeFile( secretkey, Fileargs[ 2 ] ); } catch ( IOException^ e ) { Console::WriteLine( "Error: File not found", e ); } }} //end main
using System;using System.IO;using System.Security.Cryptography;public class HMACSHA256example{ public static void Main(string[] Fileargs) { string dataFile; string signedFile; //If no file names are specified, create them. if (Fileargs.Length < 2) { dataFile = @"text.txt"; signedFile = "signedFile.enc"; if (!File.Exists(dataFile)) { // Create a file to write to. using (StreamWriter sw = File.CreateText(dataFile)) { sw.WriteLine("Here is a message to sign"); } } } else { dataFile = Fileargs[0]; signedFile = Fileargs[1]; } try { // Create a random key using a random number generator. This would be the // secret key shared by sender and receiver. byte[] secretkey = new Byte[64]; //RNGCryptoServiceProvider is an implementation of a random number generator. using (RNGCryptoServiceProvider rng = new RNGCryptoServiceProvider()) { // The array is now filled with cryptographically strong random bytes. rng.GetBytes(secretkey); // Use the secret key to sign the message file. SignFile(secretkey, dataFile, signedFile); // Verify the signed file VerifyFile(secretkey, signedFile); } } catch (IOException e) { Console.WriteLine("Error: File not found", e); } } //end main // Computes a keyed hash for a source file and creates a target file with the keyed hash // prepended to the contents of the source file. public static void SignFile(byte[] key, String sourceFile, String destFile) { // Initialize the keyed hash object. using (HMACSHA256 hmac = new HMACSHA256(key)) { using (FileStream inStream = new FileStream(sourceFile, FileMode.Open)) { using (FileStream outStream = new FileStream(destFile, FileMode.Create)) { // Compute the hash of the input file. byte[] hashValue = hmac.ComputeHash(inStream); // Reset inStream to the beginning of the file. inStream.Position = 0; // Write the computed hash value to the output file. outStream.Write(hashValue, 0, hashValue.Length); // Copy the contents of the sourceFile to the destFile. int bytesRead; // read 1K at a time byte[] buffer = new byte[1024]; do { // Read from the wrapping CryptoStream. bytesRead = inStream.Read(buffer, 0, 1024); outStream.Write(buffer, 0, bytesRead); } while (bytesRead > 0); } } } return; } // end SignFile // Compares the key in the source file with a new key created for the data portion of the file. If the keys // compare the data has not been tampered with. public static bool VerifyFile(byte[] key, String sourceFile) { bool err = false; // Initialize the keyed hash object. using (HMACSHA256 hmac = new HMACSHA256(key)) { // Create an array to hold the keyed hash value read from the file. byte[] storedHash = new byte[hmac.HashSize / 8]; // Create a FileStream for the source file. using (FileStream inStream = new FileStream(sourceFile, FileMode.Open)) { // Read in the storedHash. inStream.Read(storedHash, 0, storedHash.Length); // Compute the hash of the remaining contents of the file. // The stream is properly positioned at the beginning of the content, // immediately after the stored hash value. byte[] computedHash = hmac.ComputeHash(inStream); // compare the computed hash with the stored value for (int i = 0; i < storedHash.Length; i++) { if (computedHash[i] != storedHash[i]) { err = true; } } } } if (err) { Console.WriteLine("Hash values differ! Signed file has been tampered with!"); return false; } else { Console.WriteLine("Hash values agree -- no tampering occurred."); return true; } } //end VerifyFile} //end class
Imports System.IOImports System.Security.CryptographyPublic Class HMACSHA256example Public Shared Sub Main(ByVal Fileargs() As String) Dim dataFile As String Dim signedFile As String 'If no file names are specified, create them. If Fileargs.Length < 2 Then dataFile = "text.txt" signedFile = "signedFile.enc" If Not File.Exists(dataFile) Then ' Create a file to write to. Using sw As StreamWriter = File.CreateText(dataFile) sw.WriteLine("Here is a message to sign") End Using End If Else dataFile = Fileargs(0) signedFile = Fileargs(1) End If Try ' Create a random key using a random number generator. This would be the ' secret key shared by sender and receiver. Dim secretkey() As Byte = New [Byte](63) {} 'RNGCryptoServiceProvider is an implementation of a random number generator. Using rng As New RNGCryptoServiceProvider() ' The array is now filled with cryptographically strong random bytes. rng.GetBytes(secretkey) ' Use the secret key to encode the message file. SignFile(secretkey, dataFile, signedFile) ' Take the encoded file and decode VerifyFile(secretkey, signedFile) End Using Catch e As IOException Console.WriteLine("Error: File not found", e) End Try End Sub ' Computes a keyed hash for a source file and creates a target file with the keyed hash ' prepended to the contents of the source file. Public Shared Sub SignFile(ByVal key() As Byte, ByVal sourceFile As String, ByVal destFile As String) ' Initialize the keyed hash object. Using myhmac As New HMACSHA256(key) Using inStream As New FileStream(sourceFile, FileMode.Open) Using outStream As New FileStream(destFile, FileMode.Create) ' Compute the hash of the input file. Dim hashValue As Byte() = myhmac.ComputeHash(inStream) ' Reset inStream to the beginning of the file. inStream.Position = 0 ' Write the computed hash value to the output file. outStream.Write(hashValue, 0, hashValue.Length) ' Copy the contents of the sourceFile to the destFile. Dim bytesRead As Integer ' read 1K at a time Dim buffer(1023) As Byte Do ' Read from the wrapping CryptoStream. bytesRead = inStream.Read(buffer, 0, 1024) outStream.Write(buffer, 0, bytesRead) Loop While bytesRead > 0 End Using End Using End Using Return End Sub ' end SignFile ' Compares the key in the source file with a new key created for the data portion of the file. If the keys ' compare the data has not been tampered with. Public Shared Function VerifyFile(ByVal key() As Byte, ByVal sourceFile As String) As Boolean Dim err As Boolean = False ' Initialize the keyed hash object. Using hmac As New HMACSHA256(key) ' Create an array to hold the keyed hash value read from the file. Dim storedHash(hmac.HashSize / 8 - 1) As Byte ' Create a FileStream for the source file. Using inStream As New FileStream(sourceFile, FileMode.Open) ' Read in the storedHash. inStream.Read(storedHash, 0, storedHash.Length - 1) ' Compute the hash of the remaining contents of the file. ' The stream is properly positioned at the beginning of the content, ' immediately after the stored hash value. Dim computedHash As Byte() = hmac.ComputeHash(inStream) ' compare the computed hash with the stored value Dim i As Integer For i = 0 To storedHash.Length - 2 If computedHash(i) <> storedHash(i) Then err = True End If Next i End Using End Using If err Then Console.WriteLine("Hash values differ! Signed file has been tampered with!") Return False Else Console.WriteLine("Hash values agree -- no tampering occurred.") Return True End If End Function 'VerifyFile End Class'end class

Remarks

HMACSHA256 is a type of keyed hash algorithm that is constructed from the SHA-256 hash function and used as a Hash-based Message Authentication Code (HMAC). The HMAC process mixes a secret key with the message data, hashes the result with the hash function, mixes that hash value with the secret key again, and then applies the hash function a second time. The output hash is 256 bits in length.

An HMAC can be used to determine whether a message sent over an insecure channel has been tampered with, provided that the sender and receiver share a secret key. The sender computes the hash value for the original data and sends both the original data and hash value as a single message. The receiver recalculates the hash value on the received message and checks that the computed HMAC matches the transmitted HMAC.

Any change to the data or the hash value results in a mismatch, because knowledge of the secret key is required to change the message and reproduce the correct hash value. Therefore, if the original and computed hash values match, the message is authenticated.

HMACSHA256 accepts keys of any size, and produces a hash sequence 256 bits in length.

Constructors

HMACSHA256()

Initializes a new instance of the HMACSHA256 class with a randomly generated key.

HMACSHA256(Byte[])

Initializes a new instance of the HMACSHA256 class with the specified key data.

Fields

HashSizeInBits

The hash size produced by the HMAC SHA256 algorithm, in bits.

HashSizeInBytes

The hash size produced by the HMAC SHA256 algorithm, in bytes.

HashSizeValue

Represents the size, in bits, of the computed hash code.

(Inherited from HashAlgorithm)
HashValue

Represents the value of the computed hash code.

(Inherited from HashAlgorithm)
KeyValue

The key to use in the hash algorithm.

(Inherited from KeyedHashAlgorithm)
State

Represents the state of the hash computation.

(Inherited from HashAlgorithm)

Properties

BlockSizeValue

Gets or sets the block size to use in the hash value.

(Inherited from HMAC)
CanReuseTransform

Gets a value indicating whether the current transform can be reused.

(Inherited from HashAlgorithm)
CanTransformMultipleBlocks

When overridden in a derived class, gets a value indicating whether multiple blocks can be transformed.

(Inherited from HashAlgorithm)
Hash

Gets the value of the computed hash code.

(Inherited from HashAlgorithm)
HashName

Gets or sets the name of the hash algorithm to use for hashing.

(Inherited from HMAC)
HashSize

Gets the size, in bits, of the computed HMAC.

HashSize

Gets the size, in bits, of the computed hash code.

(Inherited from HashAlgorithm)
InputBlockSize

When overridden in a derived class, gets the input block size.

(Inherited from HashAlgorithm)
Key

Gets or sets the key to use in the HMAC calculation.

Key

Gets or sets the key to use in the HMAC calculation.

(Inherited from HMAC)
OutputBlockSize

When overridden in a derived class, gets the output block size.

(Inherited from HashAlgorithm)

Methods

Clear()

Releases all resources used by the HashAlgorithm class.

(Inherited from HashAlgorithm)
ComputeHash(Byte[])

Computes the hash value for the specified byte array.

(Inherited from HashAlgorithm)
ComputeHash(Byte[], Int32, Int32)

Computes the hash value for the specified region of the specified byte array.

(Inherited from HashAlgorithm)
ComputeHash(Stream)

Computes the hash value for the specified Stream object.

(Inherited from HashAlgorithm)
ComputeHashAsync(Stream, CancellationToken)

Asynchronously computes the hash value for the specified Stream object.

(Inherited from HashAlgorithm)
Dispose()

Releases all resources used by the current instance of the HashAlgorithm class.

(Inherited from HashAlgorithm)
Dispose(Boolean)

Releases the unmanaged resources used by the HMACSHA256 and optionally releases the managed resources.

Dispose(Boolean)

Releases the unmanaged resources used by the HMAC class when a key change is legitimate and optionally releases the managed resources.

(Inherited from HMAC)
Equals(Object)

Determines whether the specified object is equal to the current object.

(Inherited from Object)
GetHashCode()

Serves as the default hash function.

(Inherited from Object)
GetType()

Gets the Type of the current instance.

(Inherited from Object)
HashCore(Byte[], Int32, Int32)

Routes data written to the object into the HMAC algorithm for computing the HMAC.

HashCore(Byte[], Int32, Int32)

When overridden in a derived class, routes data written to the object into the HMAC algorithm for computing the HMAC value.

(Inherited from HMAC)
HashCore(ReadOnlySpan<Byte>)

Routes data written to the object into the HMAC algorithm for computing the HMAC.

HashCore(ReadOnlySpan<Byte>)

Routes data written to the object into the HMAC algorithm for computing the HMAC.

(Inherited from HMAC)
HashData(Byte[], Byte[])

Computes the HMAC of data using the SHA256 algorithm.

HashData(Byte[], Stream)

Computes the HMAC of a stream using the SHA256 algorithm.

HashData(ReadOnlySpan<Byte>, ReadOnlySpan<Byte>)

Computes the HMAC of data using the SHA256 algorithm.

HashData(ReadOnlySpan<Byte>, ReadOnlySpan<Byte>, Span<Byte>)

Computes the HMAC of data using the SHA256 algorithm.

HashData(ReadOnlySpan<Byte>, Stream)

Computes the HMAC of a stream using the SHA256 algorithm.

HashData(ReadOnlySpan<Byte>, Stream, Span<Byte>)

Computes the HMAC of a stream using the SHA256 algorithm.

HashDataAsync(Byte[], Stream, CancellationToken)

Asynchronously computes the HMAC of a stream using the SHA256 algorithm.

HashDataAsync(ReadOnlyMemory<Byte>, Stream, CancellationToken)

Asynchronously computes the HMAC of a stream using the SHA256 algorithm.

HashDataAsync(ReadOnlyMemory<Byte>, Stream, Memory<Byte>, CancellationToken)

Asynchronously computes the HMAC of a stream using the SHA256 algorithm.

HashFinal()

Finalizes the HMAC computation after the last data is processed by the algorithm.

HashFinal()

When overridden in a derived class, finalizes the HMAC computation after the last data is processed by the algorithm.

(Inherited from HMAC)
Initialize()

Resets the hash algorithm to its initial state.

Initialize()

Initializes an instance of the default implementation of HMAC.

(Inherited from HMAC)
MemberwiseClone()

Creates a shallow copy of the current Object.

(Inherited from Object)
ToString()

Returns a string that represents the current object.

(Inherited from Object)
TransformBlock(Byte[], Int32, Int32, Byte[], Int32)

Computes the hash value for the specified region of the input byte array and copies the specified region of the input byte array to the specified region of the output byte array.

(Inherited from HashAlgorithm)
TransformFinalBlock(Byte[], Int32, Int32)

Computes the hash value for the specified region of the specified byte array.

(Inherited from HashAlgorithm)
TryComputeHash(ReadOnlySpan<Byte>, Span<Byte>, Int32)

Attempts to compute the hash value for the specified byte array.

(Inherited from HashAlgorithm)
TryHashData(ReadOnlySpan<Byte>, ReadOnlySpan<Byte>, Span<Byte>, Int32)

Attempts to compute the HMAC of data using the SHA256 algorithm.

TryHashFinal(Span<Byte>, Int32)

Attempts to finalize the HMAC computation after the last data is processed by the HMAC algorithm.

TryHashFinal(Span<Byte>, Int32)

Attempts to finalize the HMAC computation after the last data is processed by the HMAC algorithm.

(Inherited from HMAC)

Explicit Interface Implementations

IDisposable.Dispose()

Releases the unmanaged resources used by the HashAlgorithm and optionally releases the managed resources.

(Inherited from HashAlgorithm)

Applies to

See also

  • Cryptographic Services
HMACSHA256 Class (System.Security.Cryptography) (2024)

FAQs

Is SHA-256 HMAC secure? ›

Cryptographic Strength: SHA-256 is a highly secure hashing algorithm, resistant to brute-force attacks. Efficiency: It efficiently calculates and verifies HMACs, adding minimal processing overhead. Standardization: HMAC-SHA-256 is widely accepted and implemented across various platforms.

What is the HMACSHA256 standard? ›

HMACSHA256 is a type of keyed hash algorithm that is constructed from the SHA-256 hash function and used as a Hash-based Message Authentication Code (HMAC).

What is the difference between HMAC and HMACSHA256? ›

HMAC-SHA256 is an HMAC using SHA-256. HMAC is a keyed hash that can be used with any hash algorithm. For maximum security, the key used for HMAC should be the same size as the hash function output. If the provided key is longer than the hash output than H(K) is used instead of K.

How long is the SHA-256 HMAC key? ›

The secret key for HMACSHA256 encryption. The key can be any length. However, the recommended size is 64 bytes. If the key is more than 64 bytes long, it is hashed (using SHA-256) to derive a 64-byte key.

Is HMAC still secure? ›

A secure hash function should produce a unique output for every unique input, and it should be computationally infeasible to generate the same hash output from two different inputs. One of the most commonly used hash functions in HMAC is SHA-256, which is considered secure and efficient.

Why is SHA256 not good for passwords? ›

SHA-256 is a general purpose hash and similar to MD5 it was designed to be fast which makes it a less than ideal choice for a password hashing. This hash is mainly provided for migration purposes or where login performance is very critical.

How to decode HMAC SHA-256? ›

You can't decode it as it's a one way encryption. To validate you need to recreate the the HMAC_SHA256 on your side from the data that has been passed and a shared secret key.

What is the difference between SHA-256 and Hmacsha256? ›

It is commonly used for data integrity checks and digital signatures. HMAC-SHA256 (Hash-based Message Authentication Code with SHA-256) is a specific construction that combines the SHA-256 hash function with a secret key. It provides a way to verify the integrity and authenticity of a message using a shared key.

What is HMAC for dummies? ›

Hash-based message authentication code (or HMAC) is a cryptographic authentication technique that uses a hash function and a secret key. With HMAC, you can achieve authentication and verify that data is correct and authentic with shared secrets, as opposed to approaches that use signatures and asymmetric cryptography.

What is HMAC in simple terms? ›

HMAC (Hash-based Message Authentication Code) is a type of a message authentication code (MAC) that is acquired by executing a cryptographic hash function on the data (that is) to be authenticated and a secret shared key. Like any of the MAC, it is used for both data integrity and authentication.

What is the main advantage of HMAC? ›

2 HMAC advantages

First, HMAC can use any hash function as its underlying algorithm, which means it can leverage the security and performance of existing hash standards, such as SHA-256 or SHA-3. Second, HMAC is resistant to length extension attacks, which exploit the way some hash functions process messages in blocks.

How long does SHA-256 take to crack? ›

SHA-256 GPU machine cracking 8 characters with combination of lowercase (l), uppercase (u), special character(s), digits (d) in 2nd to 7th character while making the 1st character fixed for special characters(s) and 8th character fixed for uppercase (u) brings the cracking time to only 6 mins while just making the 1st ...

How many keys does HMAC use? ›

HMAC keys have two primary pieces, an access ID and a secret. Access ID: An alphanumeric string linked to a specific account. When linked to a service account, the string is 61 characters in length.

How to calculate SHA-256 hash? ›

You can use Windows Powershell to calculate the SHA-256 checksum for a file.
  1. Open Windows Powershell. ...
  2. Type Get-FileHash followed by a space.
  3. Drag the downloaded ZIP file onto the Windows Powershell window after the Get-FileHash command. ...
  4. Press Enter. ...
  5. Compare the calculated hash value with the original hash value.

Is HMAC sha512 Secure? ›

HMACs provide security against tampering because knowledge of the secret key is required to change the message and reproduce the correct hash value. HMACSHA512 accepts keys of any size, and produces a hash sequence of length 512 bits.

What is the most secure SHA hash? ›

SHA-256 is one of the hashing algorithms that's part of the SHA-2 family (patented under a royalty-free U.S. patent 6829355). It's the most widely used and best hashing algorithm, often in conjunction with digital signatures, for: Authentication and encryption protocols, like TLS, SSL, SSH, and PGP.

Why is HMAC more secure than MAC? ›

The server compares the two HMACs, and, if they're equal, the client is trusted and the request is executed. This process is often called a secret handshake. What makes HMAC more secure than Message Authentication Code (MAC) is that the key and the message are hashed in separate steps.

What are the vulnerabilities of SHA-256? ›

SHA-256 and SHA-512 are prone to length extension attacks. By guessing the hidden part of the state, length extension attacks on SHA-224 and SHA-384 succeed with probability 2 = 232 > 2224 and 2 = 2128 > 2384 respectively.

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