ICredentials questions

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David Thielen - 16 Oct 2006 00:56 GMT

Hi;

Four questions on credentials. These are all in a test Windows console app.
This is testing opening both \\server\share\file and
http://www.domain.com/file.

1) CredentialCache.DefaultCredentials and
CredentialCache.DefaultNetworkCredentials show a Username of "". Shouldn't
they be my username?
2) What user (if any) should new NetworkCredential() be?
3) If I don't open with credentials it uses the credentials of the current
user - correct? And if I am impersonating a user, it uses that user - correct?
4) Is there a way to open as an anon user?

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thanks - dave
david_at_windward_dot_net
http://www.windwardreports.com

Cubicle Wars - http://www.windwardreports.com/film.htm

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"Peter Huang" [MSFT] - 16 Oct 2006 05:00 GMT

Hi David,

Here the discussion is based on Windows Application.

| 1) CredentialCache.DefaultCredentials and
| CredentialCache.DefaultNetworkCredentials show a Username of "". Shouldn't
| they be my username?

Based on my research, in the MSDN it has a small note as below.

Note
The ICredentials instance returned by DefaultCredentials cannot be used to
view the user name, password, or domain of the current security context.
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.net.credentialcache.defaultc
redentials.aspx

In Windows application, you may use the method below to retrieve the
current running process's username.
Console.WriteLine(System.Environment.UserName);

| 2) What user (if any) should new NetworkCredential() be?

Commonly I think they has minor different. Also if we take a look at the
reflection code of the two properties, we will find that they are running
the same code.
public static ICredentials DefaultCredentials
{
get
{
new EnvironmentPermission(EnvironmentPermissionAccess.Read,
"USERNAME").Demand();
return SystemNetworkCredential.defaultCredential;
}
}

public static NetworkCredential DefaultNetworkCredentials
{
get
{
new EnvironmentPermission(EnvironmentPermissionAccess.Read,
"USERNAME").Demand();
return SystemNetworkCredential.defaultCredential;
}
}

| 3) If I don't open with credentials it uses the credentials of the current
| user - correct? And if I am impersonating a user, it uses that user - correct?

YES, if we run a windows application it will be running under certain
account, which is commonly the logon user. Once we impersonate the current
process in another user account, e.g. call the LogonUser API, which will be
running the current code in the user being called LogonUser.

| 4) Is there a way to open as an anon user?

Yes, we can use the LogonUser API to do impersonate issue.
Windows Impersonation using C#
http://www.codeproject.com/csharp/cpimpersonation1.asp

If you have any concern, please feel free to let me know.

Best regards,

Peter Huang

Microsoft Online Community Support
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