Where does Windows Save private key?
| Key type | Directory |
|---|---|
| User private | %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Crypto\Keys |
| Local system private | %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\Microsoft\Crypto\SystemKeys |
| Local service private | %WINDIR%\ServiceProfiles\LocalService |
| Network service private | %WINDIR%\ServiceProfiles\NetworkService |
In WHM the Private keys are stored along with the corresponding CSRs and certificates in “SSL Storage manager”. To get there, you can click “SSL/TLS” on the home screen and then on the “SSL Storage manager”. To open the Private key text, you will need to click on the magnifier button in the first column called “Key”.
How do I get it? The Private Key is generated with your Certificate Signing Request (CSR). The CSR is submitted to the Certificate Authority right after you activate your Certificate. The Private Key must be kept safe and secret on your server or device because later you'll need it for Certificate installation.
Windows has a cryptographic key store, and it is simply located in a folder on your hard drive. On my Windows 10 machine, this path is C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Crypto and inside that folder, there are various other folders for each key type. In this example, we will be looking at the RSA\MachineKeys subfolders.
Go to: Certificates > Personal > Certificates. Right-click on the certificate you wish to export and go to All Tasks and hit Export. Hit Next on the Certificate Export Wizard to begin the process. Select “Yes, export the private key” and hit next.
The private key is kept secret and not public to anyone apart from the sender and the receiver. The public key is free to use and the private key is kept secret only. The private key mechanism is called "symmetric" because a single key is shared between two parties.
ssh/id_rsa and the public key is stored in ~/. ssh/id_rsa. pub . The private key should only be kept on your local system and should be encrypted using a passphrase that is at least as strong as any password you would normally use.
Locate the "%SystemDrive%\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Microsoft\Crypto\RSA\MachineKeys" folder. here are several files located in this folder. Each file in this folder corresponds to a key container.
The encryption key is created and stored on the key management server. The key manager creates the encryption key through the use of a cryptographically secure random bit generator and stores the key, along with all it's attributes, into the key storage database.
The public part of the key is saved in the id_rsa. pub file, while the private part is saved in the id_rsa file. Both files can be accessed from this location using Explorer: C:\Users\[your user name]\. ssh .
Why can't I export my private key?
This problem occurs because the System and Administrator accounts do not have sufficient permissions or the Administrators group does not have ownership of the directory %SystemDrive%\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Microsoft\Crypto\RSA\MachineKeys folder.
Save your private key: Under "Actions", next to "Save the generated key", click Save private key. Note: If you didn't passphrase-protect your private key, the utility will ask whether you're sure you want to save it without a passphrase.
If the option "Yes, export the private key" is greyed out during you export this certificate, it means the private key of this certificate cannot be exported after this certificate is enrolled/requested.
A CA's private key should be stored in hardware-based protection, such as a Hardware Security Module (HSM). This provides tamper-resistant secure storage. A Private key for an end entity could be stored in a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chip or a USB tamper-resistant security token.
The best bet is probably to store it in the cryptographic library of the system that the software is running on. If you're lucky it might have a TPM or HSM that can store the key securely.
