Create an SslSocketFactory using PEM encrypted certificate files

SslUtil.java

/**
 * Utility class to read encrypted PEM files and generate a SSL Socket Factory based on the provided certificates.
 * This utility also support an option to enable and disable server hostname verification.
 * 
 * Note: Java use jks (Java KeyStore) format, but openssl usual use pem format. We can convert it by keytool (jdk build-in tool), or use
 * BouncyCastle library to handle pem.
 * 
 * The original code is by Sharon Asher (link below). I have modified it to use a newer version of the BouncyCastle Library (v1.68)
 * Add below dependencies to work with this util. 
 * org.bouncycastle:bcpkix-jdk15on:1.68
 * 
 * Reference - https://gist.github.com/sharonbn/4104301 and https://gist.github.com/10gic/b204dd9016f0b348797d94861d7962b9
 * @author - Saumil, Kapadia (https://github.com/saumilsdk)
 * @version - 3.0
 */

import org.bouncycastle.asn1.pkcs.PrivateKeyInfo;
import org.bouncycastle.cert.X509CertificateHolder;
import org.bouncycastle.cert.jcajce.JcaX509CertificateConverter;
import org.bouncycastle.jce.provider.BouncyCastleProvider;
import org.bouncycastle.openssl.PEMDecryptorProvider;
import org.bouncycastle.openssl.PEMEncryptedKeyPair;
import org.bouncycastle.openssl.PEMKeyPair;
import org.bouncycastle.openssl.PEMParser;
import org.bouncycastle.openssl.jcajce.JcaPEMKeyConverter;
import org.bouncycastle.openssl.jcajce.JcePEMDecryptorProviderBuilder;

import java.io.FileReader;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.net.Socket;
import java.security.KeyManagementException;
import java.security.KeyPair;
import java.security.KeyStore;
import java.security.KeyStoreException;
import java.security.NoSuchAlgorithmException;
import java.security.PrivateKey;
import java.security.Security;
import java.security.UnrecoverableKeyException;
import java.security.cert.Certificate;
import java.security.cert.CertificateException;
import java.security.cert.X509Certificate;

import javax.net.ssl.KeyManagerFactory;
import javax.net.ssl.SSLContext;
import javax.net.ssl.SSLEngine;
import javax.net.ssl.SSLSocketFactory;
import javax.net.ssl.TrustManager;
import javax.net.ssl.TrustManagerFactory;
import javax.net.ssl.X509ExtendedTrustManager;
import javax.net.ssl.X509TrustManager;

public class SslUtil {
    private SslUtil() {
    }

    /**
     * Create an SslSocketFactory using PEM encrypted certificate files. Mutual SSL
     * Authentication is NOT supported.
     *
     * @param caCrtFile                  CA certificate of remote server.
     * @param serverHostnameVerification Enable/disable verification of server
     *                                   certificate DNS and hostname.
     * @return
     * @throws CertificateException
     * @throws IOException
     * @throws KeyStoreException
     * @throws NoSuchAlgorithmException
     * @throws KeyManagementException
     */
    public static SSLSocketFactory getSSLSocketFactory(final String caCrtFile, boolean serverHostnameVerification)
            throws CertificateException, IOException, KeyStoreException, NoSuchAlgorithmException,
            KeyManagementException {
        /**
         * Add BouncyCastle as a Security Provider
         */
        Security.addProvider(new BouncyCastleProvider());

        JcaX509CertificateConverter certificateConverter = new JcaX509CertificateConverter().setProvider("BC");

        /**
         * Load Certificate Authority (CA) certificate
         */
        X509CertificateHolder caCertHolder = (X509CertificateHolder) readPEMFile(caCrtFile);

        X509Certificate caCert = certificateConverter.getCertificate(caCertHolder);

        /**
         * CA certificate is used to authenticate server
         */
        KeyStore caKeyStore = KeyStore.getInstance(KeyStore.getDefaultType());
        caKeyStore.load(null, null);
        caKeyStore.setCertificateEntry("ca-certificate", caCert);

        /**
         * Create SSL socket factory
         */
        SSLContext context = SSLContext.getInstance("TLSv1.2");
        context.init(null,
                serverHostnameVerification ? getTrustManagers(caKeyStore) : getUnsafeTrustManagers(caKeyStore), null);

        /**
         * Return the newly created socket factory object
         */
        return context.getSocketFactory();
    }

    /**
     * Create an SslSocketFactory using PEM encrypted certificate files. Mutual SSL
     * Authentication is supported.
     *
     * @param caCrtFile                  CA certificate of remote server.
     * @param crtFile                    certificate file of client.
     * @param keyFile                    key file of client.
     * @param password                   password of key file.
     * @param serverHostnameVerification Enable/disable verification of server
     *                                   certificate DNS and hostname.
     * @return
     * @throws CertificateException
     * @throws IOException
     * @throws KeyStoreException
     * @throws NoSuchAlgorithmException
     * @throws KeyManagementException
     * @throws UnrecoverableKeyException
     */
    public static SSLSocketFactory getSSLSocketFactory(final String caCrtFile, final String crtFile,
            final String keyFile, final String password, boolean serverHostnameVerification)
            throws CertificateException, IOException, KeyStoreException, NoSuchAlgorithmException,
            KeyManagementException, UnrecoverableKeyException {
        /**
         * Add BouncyCastle as a Security Provider
         */
        Security.addProvider(new BouncyCastleProvider());

        JcaX509CertificateConverter certificateConverter = new JcaX509CertificateConverter().setProvider("BC");

        /**
         * Load Certificate Authority (CA) certificate
         */
        X509CertificateHolder caCertHolder = (X509CertificateHolder) readPEMFile(caCrtFile);

        X509Certificate caCert = certificateConverter.getCertificate(caCertHolder);

        /**
         * Load client certificate
         */
        X509CertificateHolder certHolder = (X509CertificateHolder) readPEMFile(crtFile);

        X509Certificate cert = certificateConverter.getCertificate(certHolder);

        /**
         * Load client private key
         */
        Object keyObject = readPEMFile(keyFile);

        JcaPEMKeyConverter keyConverter = new JcaPEMKeyConverter().setProvider("BC");

        PrivateKey privateKey = null;

        if (keyObject instanceof PEMEncryptedKeyPair) {
            PEMDecryptorProvider provider = new JcePEMDecryptorProviderBuilder().build(password.toCharArray());
            KeyPair keyPair = keyConverter.getKeyPair(((PEMEncryptedKeyPair) keyObject).decryptKeyPair(provider));
            privateKey = keyPair.getPrivate();
        } else if (keyObject instanceof PEMKeyPair) {
            KeyPair keyPair = keyConverter.getKeyPair((PEMKeyPair) keyObject);
            privateKey = keyPair.getPrivate();
        } else if (keyObject instanceof PrivateKeyInfo) {
            privateKey = keyConverter.getPrivateKey((PrivateKeyInfo) keyObject);
        } else {
            throw new IOException(String.format("Unsported type of keyFile %s", keyFile));
        }

        /**
         * CA certificate is used to authenticate server
         */
        KeyStore caKeyStore = KeyStore.getInstance(KeyStore.getDefaultType());
        caKeyStore.load(null, null);
        caKeyStore.setCertificateEntry("ca-certificate", caCert);

        /**
         * Client key and certificates are sent to server so it can authenticate the
         * client. (server send CertificateRequest message in TLS handshake step).
         */
        KeyStore clientKeyStore = KeyStore.getInstance(KeyStore.getDefaultType());
        clientKeyStore.load(null, null);
        clientKeyStore.setCertificateEntry("certificate", cert);
        clientKeyStore.setKeyEntry("private-key", privateKey, password.toCharArray(), new Certificate[] { cert });

        KeyManagerFactory keyManagerFactory = KeyManagerFactory.getInstance(KeyManagerFactory.getDefaultAlgorithm());
        keyManagerFactory.init(clientKeyStore, password.toCharArray());

        /**
         * Create SSL socket factory
         */
        SSLContext context = SSLContext.getInstance("TLSv1.2");
        context.init(keyManagerFactory.getKeyManagers(),
                serverHostnameVerification ? getTrustManagers(caKeyStore) : getUnsafeTrustManagers(caKeyStore), null);

        /**
         * Return the newly created socket factory object
         */
        return context.getSocketFactory();
    }

    private static Object readPEMFile(String filePath) throws IOException {
        try (PEMParser reader = new PEMParser(new FileReader(filePath))) {
            return reader.readObject();
        }
    }

    private static TrustManager[] getTrustManagers(KeyStore caKeyStore)
            throws NoSuchAlgorithmException, KeyStoreException {
        TrustManagerFactory trustManagerFactory = TrustManagerFactory
                .getInstance(TrustManagerFactory.getDefaultAlgorithm());
        trustManagerFactory.init(caKeyStore);
        return trustManagerFactory.getTrustManagers();
    }

    /**
     * This method checks server and client certificates but overrides server hostname verification.
     * @param caKeyStore
     * @return
     * @throws NoSuchAlgorithmException
     * @throws KeyStoreException
    ' */
    private static TrustManager[] getUnsafeTrustManagers(KeyStore caKeyStore)
            throws NoSuchAlgorithmException, KeyStoreException {
        X509TrustManager standardTrustManager = (X509TrustManager) getTrustManagers(caKeyStore)[0];
        return new TrustManager[] { new X509ExtendedTrustManager() {

            @Override
            public void checkClientTrusted(X509Certificate[] chain, String authType) throws CertificateException {
                standardTrustManager.checkClientTrusted(chain, authType);
            }

            @Override
            public void checkServerTrusted(X509Certificate[] chain, String authType) throws CertificateException {
                standardTrustManager.checkServerTrusted(chain, authType);
            }

            @Override
            public X509Certificate[] getAcceptedIssuers() {
                return standardTrustManager.getAcceptedIssuers();
            }

            @Override
            public void checkClientTrusted(X509Certificate[] chain, String authType, Socket socket)
                    throws CertificateException {
                standardTrustManager.checkClientTrusted(chain, authType);
            }

            @Override
            public void checkServerTrusted(X509Certificate[] chain, String authType, Socket socket)
                    throws CertificateException {
                standardTrustManager.checkServerTrusted(chain, authType);
            }

            @Override
            public void checkClientTrusted(X509Certificate[] chain, String authType, SSLEngine engine)
                    throws CertificateException {
                standardTrustManager.checkClientTrusted(chain, authType);
            }

            @Override
            public void checkServerTrusted(X509Certificate[] chain, String authType, SSLEngine engine)
                    throws CertificateException {
                standardTrustManager.checkServerTrusted(chain, authType);
            }
        } };
    }
}

Hi,
What location are using for placing the certificate and key files in the android project?
The following path shows the file not found exception.
I placed the files in the assets folder and specified the path as caCertFile = "file:///android_asset/" + "AmazonRootCA1.pem";

private static Object readPEMFile(String filePath) throws IOException {
    try (PEMParser reader = new PEMParser(new FileReader(filePath))) {
        return reader.readObject();
    }
}

Hi,
What location are using for placing the certificate and key files in the android project?
The following path shows the file not found exception.
I placed the files in the assets folder and specified the path as caCertFile = "file:///android_asset/" + "AmazonRootCA1.pem";

private static Object readPEMFile(String filePath) throws IOException {
    try (PEMParser reader = new PEMParser(new FileReader(filePath))) {
        return reader.readObject();
    }
}

Please specify absolute path without file:///

Hi,
What location are using for placing the certificate and key files in the android project?
The following path shows the file not found exception.
I placed the files in the assets folder and specified the path as caCertFile = "file:///android_asset/" + "AmazonRootCA1.pem";

private static Object readPEMFile(String filePath) throws IOException {
    try (PEMParser reader = new PEMParser(new FileReader(filePath))) {
        return reader.readObject();
    }
}

Please specify absolute path without file:///

Thanks, I found another method instead of specifying the path.
I am using the assetManager

Hi,
What location are using for placing the certificate and key files in the android project?
The following path shows the file not found exception.
I placed the files in the assets folder and specified the path as caCertFile = "file:///android_asset/" + "AmazonRootCA1.pem";

private static Object readPEMFile(String filePath) throws IOException {
    try (PEMParser reader = new PEMParser(new FileReader(filePath))) {
        return reader.readObject();
    }
}

Please specify absolute path without file:///

Thanks, I found another method instead of specifying the path.
I am using the assetManager

Great. Can you put that snippet so we can also use that?

I get this error when giving the absolute path : String caCrtFile = "Users/test/AndroidStudioProjects/MyApplication/app/src/main/res/raw/ca.crt";

java.io.FileNotFoundException: Users/Steve/AndroidStudioProjects/MyApplication/app/src/main/res/raw/ca.crt: open failed: ENOENT (No such file or directory)
2023-09-15 17:04:01.212 24260-24260 System.err com.example.myapplication W at libcore.io.IoBridge.open(IoBridge.java:574)

@Deazyhome were you able to figure this out? Basically you need to keep the ca.crt at some path and use that path in the code.

@saumilsdk No I still haven't solved my problem, I read in an article that it's not possible to use an absolute path in Android Studio. Where should I place my Ca, key and crt certificates. Can you please show me an example, because I'm really lost, I've been trying for 2 weeks but I can't read the certificates.

@ssmr1982 you can share with us the method that allows you to feed the method getSSLSocketFactory