WPF ClickOnce and the partial trust issue

Question

How can I start application deployment?

I created a new simple WPF project with Visual Studio 2010 and made the following changes to the project properties: -> Signing: I created a test certificate and signed both assemblies with manifests. I didn’t check the “only with a delay” checkbox -> Security: the “Enable clicks once security settings” checkbox and the “This is partial trust settings” switch. Zone: Local Intranet. -> Security, Advanced: debug this application with the selected security settings (I select this).

When I start debugging, I get a permission request like "System.Security.Permissions.SecurityPermission, mscorlib, Version = 4.0.0.0, Culture = neutral, PublicKeyToken = b77a5c561934e089".

During installation, the application will be installed, but nothing will happen at startup. On another computer, bla bla (startup utility) will stop working.

OS: Windows 7.

In some experiments, I found that adding the UnmanagedCode flag to SecurityPermission solved the problem. Why does a simple WPF application (recently created hello world) need to call unmanaged code? This is a safety hole, as big as a volcano.

Thanks for any hint.

Answer 1

Late to the party, but here is what I found (while stumbling on the same problem).

It seems that WPF Window requires UnmanagedCode permission.

Excerpt from Pro WPF 4.5 in C #: Windows Presentation Foundation in .NET 4.5 Matthew MacDonald.

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And here's the exception stack trace when starting a WPF application deployed via ClickOnce to the Partial Trust. Note the call to the DemandUnmanagedCode SecurityHelper function from the Window constructor:

  InnerException: System.Security.SecurityException Message=Request for the permission of type 'System.Security.Permissions.SecurityPermission, mscorlib, Version=4.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089' failed. Source=mscorlib StackTrace: at System.Security.CodeAccessSecurityEngine.Check(Object demand, StackCrawlMark& stackMark, Boolean isPermSet) at System.Security.CodeAccessSecurityEngine.Check(CodeAccessPermission cap, StackCrawlMark& stackMark) at System.Security.CodeAccessPermission.Demand() at MS.Internal.SecurityHelper.DemandUnmanagedCode() at System.Windows.Window..ctor() at WPFClickOnceDeploySample.MainWindow..ctor() 

And here is the full StackTrace:

 System.Reflection.TargetInvocationException was unhandled Message=Exception has been thrown by the target of an invocation. Source=mscorlib StackTrace: at System.RuntimeTypeHandle.CreateInstance(RuntimeType type, Boolean publicOnly, Boolean noCheck, Boolean& canBeCached, RuntimeMethodHandleInternal& ctor, Boolean& bNeedSecurityCheck) at System.RuntimeType.CreateInstanceSlow(Boolean publicOnly, Boolean skipCheckThis, Boolean fillCache) at System.RuntimeType.CreateInstanceDefaultCtor(Boolean publicOnly, Boolean skipVisibilityChecks, Boolean skipCheckThis, Boolean fillCache) at System.Activator.CreateInstance(Type type, Boolean nonPublic) at System.RuntimeType.CreateInstanceImpl(BindingFlags bindingAttr, Binder binder, Object[] args, CultureInfo culture, Object[] activationAttributes) at System.Activator.CreateInstance(Type type, BindingFlags bindingAttr, Binder binder, Object[] args, CultureInfo culture, Object[] activationAttributes) at System.Activator.CreateInstance(Type type, Object[] args) at CreateInstance(Type type, Object[] arguments) at System.Xaml.Schema.SafeReflectionInvoker.CreateInstance(Type type, Object[] arguments) at System.Xaml.Schema.XamlTypeInvoker.CreateInstance(Object[] arguments) at MS.Internal.Xaml.Runtime.ClrObjectRuntime.CreateInstanceWithCtor(XamlType xamlType, Object[] args) at MS.Internal.Xaml.Runtime.ClrObjectRuntime.CreateInstance(XamlType xamlType, Object[] args) at System.Xaml.XamlObjectWriter.Logic_CreateAndAssignToParentStart(ObjectWriterContext ctx) at System.Xaml.XamlObjectWriter.WriteStartMember(XamlMember property) at System.Xaml.XamlWriter.WriteNode(XamlReader reader) at System.Windows.Markup.WpfXamlLoader.TransformNodes(XamlReader xamlReader, XamlObjectWriter xamlWriter, Boolean onlyLoadOneNode, Boolean skipJournaledProperties, Boolean shouldPassLineNumberInfo, IXamlLineInfo xamlLineInfo, IXamlLineInfoConsumer xamlLineInfoConsumer, XamlContextStack``1 stack, IStyleConnector styleConnector) at System.Windows.Markup.WpfXamlLoader.Load(XamlReader xamlReader, IXamlObjectWriterFactory writerFactory, Boolean skipJournaledProperties, Object rootObject, XamlObjectWriterSettings settings, Uri baseUri) at System.Windows.Markup.WpfXamlLoader.LoadBaml(XamlReader xamlReader, Boolean skipJournaledProperties, Object rootObject, XamlAccessLevel accessLevel, Uri baseUri) at System.Windows.Markup.XamlReader.LoadBaml(Stream stream, ParserContext parserContext, Object parent, Boolean closeStream) at System.Windows.Application.LoadBamlStreamWithSyncInfo(Stream stream, ParserContext pc) at System.Windows.Application.LoadComponent(Uri resourceLocator, Boolean bSkipJournaledProperties) at System.Windows.Application.DoStartup() at System.Windows.Application.<.ctor>b__1(Object unused) at System.Windows.Threading.ExceptionWrapper.InternalRealCall(Delegate callback, Object args, Int32 numArgs) at MS.Internal.Threading.ExceptionFilterHelper.TryCatchWhen(Object source, Delegate method, Object args, Int32 numArgs, Delegate catchHandler) at System.Windows.Threading.DispatcherOperation.InvokeImpl() at System.Windows.Threading.DispatcherOperation.InvokeInSecurityContext(Object state) at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.runTryCode(Object userData) at System.Runtime.CompilerServices.RuntimeHelpers.ExecuteCodeWithGuaranteedCleanup(TryCode code, CleanupCode backoutCode, Object userData) at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.RunInternal(ExecutionContext executionContext, ContextCallback callback, Object state) at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(ExecutionContext executionContext, ContextCallback callback, Object state, Boolean ignoreSyncCtx) at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(ExecutionContext executionContext, ContextCallback callback, Object state) at System.Windows.Threading.DispatcherOperation.Invoke() at System.Windows.Threading.Dispatcher.ProcessQueue() at System.Windows.Threading.Dispatcher.WndProcHook(IntPtr hwnd, Int32 msg, IntPtr wParam, IntPtr lParam, Boolean& handled) at MS.Win32.HwndWrapper.WndProc(IntPtr hwnd, Int32 msg, IntPtr wParam, IntPtr lParam, Boolean& handled) at MS.Win32.HwndSubclass.DispatcherCallbackOperation(Object o) at System.Windows.Threading.ExceptionWrapper.InternalRealCall(Delegate callback, Object args, Int32 numArgs) at MS.Internal.Threading.ExceptionFilterHelper.TryCatchWhen(Object source, Delegate method, Object args, Int32 numArgs, Delegate catchHandler) at System.Windows.Threading.Dispatcher.InvokeImpl(DispatcherPriority priority, TimeSpan timeout, Delegate method, Object args, Int32 numArgs) at MS.Win32.HwndSubclass.SubclassWndProc(IntPtr hwnd, Int32 msg, IntPtr wParam, IntPtr lParam) at MS.Win32.UnsafeNativeMethods.DispatchMessage(MSG& msg) at System.Windows.Threading.Dispatcher.PushFrameImpl(DispatcherFrame frame) at System.Windows.Threading.Dispatcher.PushFrame(DispatcherFrame frame) at System.Windows.Application.RunDispatcher(Object ignore) at System.Windows.Application.RunInternal(Window window) at System.Windows.Application.Run(Window window) at System.Windows.Application.Run() at WPFClickOnceDeploySample.App.Main() at System.AppDomain._nExecuteAssembly(RuntimeAssembly assembly, String[] args) at System.AppDomain.nExecuteAssembly(RuntimeAssembly assembly, String[] args) at System.Runtime.Hosting.ManifestRunner.Run(Boolean checkAptModel) at System.Runtime.Hosting.ManifestRunner.ExecuteAsAssembly() at System.Runtime.Hosting.ApplicationActivator.CreateInstance(ActivationContext activationContext, String[] activationCustomData) at System.Runtime.Hosting.ApplicationActivator.CreateInstance(ActivationContext activationContext) at System.Activator.CreateInstance(ActivationContext activationContext) at Microsoft.VisualStudio.HostingProcess.HostProc.RunUsersAssemblyDebugInZone() at System.Threading.ThreadHelper.ThreadStart_Context(Object state) at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.runTryCode(Object userData) at System.Runtime.CompilerServices.RuntimeHelpers.ExecuteCodeWithGuaranteedCleanup(TryCode code, CleanupCode backoutCode, Object userData) at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.RunInternal(ExecutionContext executionContext, ContextCallback callback, Object state) at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(ExecutionContext executionContext, ContextCallback callback, Object state, Boolean ignoreSyncCtx) at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(ExecutionContext executionContext, ContextCallback callback, Object state) at System.Threading.ThreadHelper.ThreadStart() InnerException: System.Security.SecurityException Message=Request for the permission of type 'System.Security.Permissions.SecurityPermission, mscorlib, Version=4.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089' failed. Source=mscorlib StackTrace: at System.Security.CodeAccessSecurityEngine.Check(Object demand, StackCrawlMark& stackMark, Boolean isPermSet) at System.Security.CodeAccessSecurityEngine.Check(CodeAccessPermission cap, StackCrawlMark& stackMark) at System.Security.CodeAccessPermission.Demand() at MS.Internal.SecurityHelper.DemandUnmanagedCode() at System.Windows.Window..ctor() at WPFClickOnceDeploySample.MainWindow..ctor() InnerException: