Use of Conscrypt library - cryptography

How to use conscrypt library in a way that we can use a boringCrypto module?
In conscrypt we have nativeCrypto class in that we have native methods present i have to utilize that methods for encryption and decryption in such a way that it is FIPS compliance.

Related

Custom protocol on top of ktor that is not HTTP or websockets with native support?

I am writing a server/client application with its own custom protocol. It is asynchronous which fits with Kotlin and Ktor.
I wonder how I can use Ktor to implement my own protocol on top on ktor-server-cio engine with full support for kotlin/Native.
Where could I find documentation or examples, I can't find it in the documentation, also it is hard to see what is and is not dependent of kotlin/JVM?
Thankyou in advance.
The CIO engine for a server doesn't support Kotlin/Native yet.
You can use sockets API from the ktor-network module, which does support Kotlin/Native, to implement client and server for your custom protocol on top of TCP or UDP.
As an example, take a look at rsocket-kotlin library where transports are implemented based on Ktor.

PKCS11 or Cryptographic API?

Do HSM companies usually provide a PKCS#11 API to work with the HSM or do they just provide their own Cryptographic API?
In each case how to integrate to a Linux Application(using OpenSSL, possibly like how one would call an openssl engine for a 3rd party library?) and to a Windows Application?
What is generally preferred? PKCS#11 API or a generic API?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of the two?
A HSM vendor has told us that they can provide both a PKCS#11 API and a crypto API written in C language. I am trying to understand the terms and therefore this question!
A simple overview would me to research further :)
Many thanks!
Generally a PKCS#11 library is supplied, if just to compete with the other products that also supply such a library. PKCS#11 is a common interface that can be used from software. There are many software packages that allow the use of the PKCS#11 token standard underneath, such as the OpenSSL PKCS#11 engine and a PKCS#11 security provider in the Java language.
Although PKCS#11 can be extended this doesn't mean that all the functionality of a HSM can necessarily be supported. PKCS#11 is a relatively low level interface. Sometimes it makes more sense to use proprietary API's that better fit a specific use case. The more parts of a cryptographic protocol can be performed on a secured device, the better.
As for which one is better, that depends entirely on your use case and threat model as well as the crypto API that can be provided.
PKCS#11 (definition from wiki)
The PKCS #11 standard defines a platform-independent API to cryptographic tokens, such as hardware security modules (HSM) and smart cards, and names the API itself "Cryptoki" (from "cryptographic token interface" and pronounced as "crypto-key" - but "PKCS #11" is often used to refer to the API as well as the standard that defines it).
So this is generally the standard API all the HSM manufacturer's use.
It completely depends on the HSM vendor if they implement this API. If they did implement it, you should be able to communicate with their hardware using the standard PKCS#11 API from any platform (provided they support it) or any third-party libraries that can act as a middleware between your software and their hardware. If they didn't implement it, they usually write their own proprietary API that may be specific to a platform and communicate with their devices only. This forces you to use their API to communicate with their hardware (HSM in this case).
So, from your perspective, if you used the standard PKCS#11 API and in future if you collaborated with another HSM vendor, you can use your same code to communicate with the new HSM as well (because PKCS#11 is a standard). But if you used their own API, and to communicate with a new HSM vendor you cannot reuse your code, because their API might only work with their devices.

running ECDH with CommonCrypto for iOS

I am looking for the methods in CommonCrypto to generate the shared secret based on ECDH. I can find proprietary implementations but nothing standard. This method is called sometimes Key Exchange and includes the calculation of the shared secret. Can someone send a link to the right documentation or to an example that uses CommonCrypto for generating the shared secret based on Elliptic curve Diffie–Hellman?
CommonCrypto implements ECDH. Apple Open Source includes the source code for the implementation. The problem is that the implementation is not exposed in the iOS SDK header files. I just checked iOS SDK versions 6.1 and 8.0, and the functions are not declared. This means that any app that somehow calls the routines will violate Apple's App Store Review Guidelines: Section 2.5 says "Apps that use non-public APIs will be rejected".
I suggest using OpenSSL, which includes ECDH.

Calling a WCF service via native C++

What is the best way to call a WebService via C++ ??
I want to avoid to use a C# Wrapper DLL with a COM Interface, so is there a Native way without using Sockets? In my current project the interface is trivial, but if there would be also a proxy generation it would be definitely the better choice :-)

Plugin API vs Class Library API

There is a lot of stuff here on what an API is, but I can't find what I need on the distinction between plugin APIs and class library APIs. I don't get it anyway.
In the book, Documenting APIs, I read: The key difference between a plugin API and a class library API lies in the which party supplies the implementation for the exposed API.
Plugin API: The publisher creates an application and exposes a plugin API; the 3rd > party developer implements the API. The 3rd party developer plugin extends the functionality of the publisher's application.
Class library API: The publisher creates the API and implements it. The end-user uses the class library via its API to write an application. With a class library, the publisher implements a library of functionality that exposes an API.
I think I understand the plugin. I'm not clear on the class library API. Is it like a printer manufacturer creating a driver based on an O/S class library so that their printer works with that O/S?
If so, could you explain more about the differences in the APIs themselves? Are they both still a set of exposed methods? And how does the publisher implement its own API?
References
Documenting APIs: http://www.amazon.com/documenting-APIs-writing-developer-documentation/dp/0963002104
What is the difference between a Java API and a library?
Difference between framework vs Library vs IDE vs API vs SDK vs Toolkits?
API vs Toolkit vs Framework vs Library
They are both software interfaces. This means that they both look similar, typically a Java archive (JAR) containing a package (or multiple packages) with interfaces, classes, exceptions, etc.
I can understand why you found the explanation from the book confusing. As far as the API itself is concerned, the Java implementation is provided in both cases.
The major difference is in how this Java code is used. In the case of Plugin API (I like to call it Service Provider Interface, or SPI) you are primarily expected to add your own functionality by implementing the provided Java interfaces and/or extending the provided classes. On the other hand, you are only expected to call a Library API (I like to call it simply API), you are rarely expected to implement interfaces or extend classes.
Because of how they are used, there are many subtle differences between how you design an SPI and how you design an API. While I don't have a post dedicated to comparing SPI and API, when I discuss the various aspects of API design, I usually point out these differences:
http://theamiableapi.com/