NetSecurityRollback API | MSDN .NET Networking

NetSecurityRollback Class

Represents a mechanism for reverting security settings within the .NET networking stack. This class is crucial for managing security contexts and ensuring rollback capabilities in scenarios involving complex network security configurations.

Namespace:

System.Net.Security

Assembly:

System.Net.Security.dll

Inheritance:

System.Object
NetSecurityRollback

Methods

`RollbackSecurityContext()`

Restores the previous security context, effectively undoing the changes applied by the current context.

void

Use this method to revert security configurations when a network operation completes or fails.

`CaptureSecurityContext()`

Captures the current security context, making it available for subsequent rollback operations.

void

Call this method before making changes to security settings that you might need to undo.

`IsSecurityContextCaptured()`

Checks if a security context has been successfully captured.

bool

Useful for validating if a rollback operation can be safely performed.

Remarks

The NetSecurityRollback class provides a robust way to manage dynamic security settings in .NET applications. It is particularly useful in scenarios where security protocols are negotiated or altered during the lifetime of a network connection. By capturing and rolling back security contexts, developers can ensure application stability and prevent unintended security state remnants.

Usage Example:

Implementing a secure client connection with rollback capability.


using System;
using System.Net.Security;
using System.Net.Sockets;
using System.Security.Cryptography.X509Certificates;

public class SecureClient
{
    public static void ConnectAndRollback(string host, int port)
    {
        TcpClient client = null;
        SslStream sslStream = null;
        NetSecurityRollback securityRollback = null;

        try
        {
            client = new TcpClient(host, port);
            sslStream = new SslStream(client.GetStream(), false);

            // Capture the initial security context
            securityRollback = new NetSecurityRollback();
            securityRollback.CaptureSecurityContext();
            Console.WriteLine("Security context captured.");

            // Example: Authenticate with a server certificate
            // In a real scenario, you would validate the server certificate
            sslStream.AuthenticateAsClient(host);
            Console.WriteLine("Client authenticated.");

            // Perform secure communication...
            byte[] buffer = new byte[2048];
            int bytesRead = sslStream.Read(buffer, 0, buffer.Length);
            Console.WriteLine($"Received: {System.Text.Encoding.ASCII.GetString(buffer, 0, bytesRead)}");

            // ... more operations

            // Rollback security context if needed (e.g., after a specific operation)
            if (securityRollback.IsSecurityContextCaptured())
            {
                // Example: Rollback after a successful transaction
                // securityRollback.RollbackSecurityContext();
                // Console.WriteLine("Security context rolled back.");
            }
        }
        catch (Exception ex)
        {
            Console.WriteLine($"Error: {ex.Message}");
            // Attempt to rollback on error if context was captured
            if (securityRollback != null && securityRollback.IsSecurityContextCaptured())
            {
                try
                {
                    securityRollback.RollbackSecurityContext();
                    Console.WriteLine("Security context rolled back due to error.");
                }
                catch (Exception rollbackEx)
                {
                    Console.WriteLine($"Error during rollback: {rollbackEx.Message}");
                }
            }
        }
        finally
        {
            sslStream?.Close();
            client?.Close();
        }
    }
}