How to build RUNAS /NETONLY functionality into a (C#/.NET/WinForms) program?

I know this is an old thread, but it was very useful. I have the exact same situation as Cade Roux, as I wanted /netonly style functionality.

John Rasch's answer works with one small modification!!!

Add the following constant (around line 102 for consistency):

private const int LOGON32_LOGON_NEW_CREDENTIALS = 9;

Then change the call to LogonUser to use LOGON32_LOGON_NEW_CREDENTIALS instead of LOGON32_LOGON_INTERACTIVE.

That's the only change I had to make to get this to work perfectly!!! Thank you John and Cade!!!

Here's the modified code in full for ease of copy/pasting:

namespace Tools
{
    #region Using directives.
    // ----------------------------------------------------------------------

    using System;
    using System.Security.Principal;
    using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
    using System.ComponentModel;

    // ----------------------------------------------------------------------
    #endregion

    /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

    /// <summary>
    /// Impersonation of a user. Allows to execute code under another
    /// user context.
    /// Please note that the account that instantiates the Impersonator class
    /// needs to have the 'Act as part of operating system' privilege set.
    /// </summary>
    /// <remarks>   
    /// This class is based on the information in the Microsoft knowledge base
    /// article http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q306158
    /// 
    /// Encapsulate an instance into a using-directive like e.g.:
    /// 
    ///     ...
    ///     using ( new Impersonator( "myUsername", "myDomainname", "myPassword" ) )
    ///     {
    ///         ...
    ///         [code that executes under the new context]
    ///         ...
    ///     }
    ///     ...
    /// 
    /// Please contact the author Uwe Keim (mailto:[email protected])
    /// for questions regarding this class.
    /// </remarks>
    public class Impersonator :
        IDisposable
    {
        #region Public methods.
        // ------------------------------------------------------------------

        /// <summary>
        /// Constructor. Starts the impersonation with the given credentials.
        /// Please note that the account that instantiates the Impersonator class
        /// needs to have the 'Act as part of operating system' privilege set.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="userName">The name of the user to act as.</param>
        /// <param name="domainName">The domain name of the user to act as.</param>
        /// <param name="password">The password of the user to act as.</param>
        public Impersonator(
            string userName,
            string domainName,
            string password)
        {
            ImpersonateValidUser(userName, domainName, password);
        }

        // ------------------------------------------------------------------
        #endregion

        #region IDisposable member.
        // ------------------------------------------------------------------

        public void Dispose()
        {
            UndoImpersonation();
        }

        // ------------------------------------------------------------------
        #endregion

        #region P/Invoke.
        // ------------------------------------------------------------------

        [DllImport("advapi32.dll", SetLastError = true)]
        private static extern int LogonUser(
            string lpszUserName,
            string lpszDomain,
            string lpszPassword,
            int dwLogonType,
            int dwLogonProvider,
            ref IntPtr phToken);

        [DllImport("advapi32.dll", CharSet = CharSet.Auto, SetLastError = true)]
        private static extern int DuplicateToken(
            IntPtr hToken,
            int impersonationLevel,
            ref IntPtr hNewToken);

        [DllImport("advapi32.dll", CharSet = CharSet.Auto, SetLastError = true)]
        private static extern bool RevertToSelf();

        [DllImport("kernel32.dll", CharSet = CharSet.Auto)]
        private static extern bool CloseHandle(
            IntPtr handle);

        private const int LOGON32_LOGON_INTERACTIVE = 2;
        private const int LOGON32_LOGON_NEW_CREDENTIALS = 9;
        private const int LOGON32_PROVIDER_DEFAULT = 0;

        // ------------------------------------------------------------------
        #endregion

        #region Private member.
        // ------------------------------------------------------------------

        /// <summary>
        /// Does the actual impersonation.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="userName">The name of the user to act as.</param>
        /// <param name="domainName">The domain name of the user to act as.</param>
        /// <param name="password">The password of the user to act as.</param>
        private void ImpersonateValidUser(
            string userName,
            string domain,
            string password)
        {
            WindowsIdentity tempWindowsIdentity = null;
            IntPtr token = IntPtr.Zero;
            IntPtr tokenDuplicate = IntPtr.Zero;

            try
            {
                if (RevertToSelf())
                {
                    if (LogonUser(
                        userName,
                        domain,
                        password,
                        LOGON32_LOGON_NEW_CREDENTIALS,
                        LOGON32_PROVIDER_DEFAULT,
                        ref token) != 0)
                    {
                        if (DuplicateToken(token, 2, ref tokenDuplicate) != 0)
                        {
                            tempWindowsIdentity = new WindowsIdentity(tokenDuplicate);
                            impersonationContext = tempWindowsIdentity.Impersonate();
                        }
                        else
                        {
                            throw new Win32Exception(Marshal.GetLastWin32Error());
                        }
                    }
                    else
                    {
                        throw new Win32Exception(Marshal.GetLastWin32Error());
                    }
                }
                else
                {
                    throw new Win32Exception(Marshal.GetLastWin32Error());
                }
            }
            finally
            {
                if (token != IntPtr.Zero)
                {
                    CloseHandle(token);
                }
                if (tokenDuplicate != IntPtr.Zero)
                {
                    CloseHandle(tokenDuplicate);
                }
            }
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Reverts the impersonation.
        /// </summary>
        private void UndoImpersonation()
        {
            if (impersonationContext != null)
            {
                impersonationContext.Undo();
            }
        }

        private WindowsImpersonationContext impersonationContext = null;

        // ------------------------------------------------------------------
        #endregion
    }

    /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
}

This code is part of an RunAs class that we use to launch an external process with elevated privleges. Passing null for username & password will prompt with the standard UAC warnings. When passing a value for the username and password you can actually launch the application elevated without the UAC prompt.

public static Process Elevated( string process, string args, string username, string password, string workingDirectory )
{
    if( process == null || process.Length == 0 ) throw new ArgumentNullException( "process" );

    process = Path.GetFullPath( process );
    string domain = null;
    if( username != null )
        username = GetUsername( username, out domain );
    ProcessStartInfo info = new ProcessStartInfo();
    info.UseShellExecute = false;
    info.Arguments = args;
    info.WorkingDirectory = workingDirectory ?? Path.GetDirectoryName( process );
    info.FileName = process;
    info.Verb = "runas";
    info.UserName = username;
    info.Domain = domain;
    info.LoadUserProfile = true;
    if( password != null )
    {
        SecureString ss = new SecureString();
        foreach( char c in password )
            ss.AppendChar( c );
        info.Password = ss;
    }

    return Process.Start( info );
}

private static string GetUsername( string username, out string domain ) 
{
    SplitUserName( username, out username, out domain );

    if( domain == null && username.IndexOf( '@' ) < 0 )
        domain = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable( "USERDOMAIN" );
    return username;
}

I just did something similar to this using an ImpersonationContext. It's very intuitive to use and has worked perfectly for me.

To run as a different user, the syntax is:

using ( new Impersonator( "myUsername", "myDomainname", "myPassword" ) )
{
    // code that executes under the new context...
}

Here is the class:

namespace Tools
{
    #region Using directives.
    // ----------------------------------------------------------------------

    using System;
    using System.Security.Principal;
    using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
    using System.ComponentModel;

    // ----------------------------------------------------------------------
    #endregion

    /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

    /// <summary>
    /// Impersonation of a user. Allows to execute code under another
    /// user context.
    /// Please note that the account that instantiates the Impersonator class
    /// needs to have the 'Act as part of operating system' privilege set.
    /// </summary>
    /// <remarks>   
    /// This class is based on the information in the Microsoft knowledge base
    /// article http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q306158
    /// 
    /// Encapsulate an instance into a using-directive like e.g.:
    /// 
    ///     ...
    ///     using ( new Impersonator( "myUsername", "myDomainname", "myPassword" ) )
    ///     {
    ///         ...
    ///         [code that executes under the new context]
    ///         ...
    ///     }
    ///     ...
    /// 
    /// Please contact the author Uwe Keim (mailto:[email protected])
    /// for questions regarding this class.
    /// </remarks>
    public class Impersonator :
        IDisposable
    {
        #region Public methods.
        // ------------------------------------------------------------------

        /// <summary>
        /// Constructor. Starts the impersonation with the given credentials.
        /// Please note that the account that instantiates the Impersonator class
        /// needs to have the 'Act as part of operating system' privilege set.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="userName">The name of the user to act as.</param>
        /// <param name="domainName">The domain name of the user to act as.</param>
        /// <param name="password">The password of the user to act as.</param>
        public Impersonator(
            string userName,
            string domainName,
            string password)
        {
            ImpersonateValidUser(userName, domainName, password);
        }

        // ------------------------------------------------------------------
        #endregion

        #region IDisposable member.
        // ------------------------------------------------------------------

        public void Dispose()
        {
            UndoImpersonation();
        }

        // ------------------------------------------------------------------
        #endregion

        #region P/Invoke.
        // ------------------------------------------------------------------

        [DllImport("advapi32.dll", SetLastError = true)]
        private static extern int LogonUser(
            string lpszUserName,
            string lpszDomain,
            string lpszPassword,
            int dwLogonType,
            int dwLogonProvider,
            ref IntPtr phToken);

        [DllImport("advapi32.dll", CharSet = CharSet.Auto, SetLastError = true)]
        private static extern int DuplicateToken(
            IntPtr hToken,
            int impersonationLevel,
            ref IntPtr hNewToken);

        [DllImport("advapi32.dll", CharSet = CharSet.Auto, SetLastError = true)]
        private static extern bool RevertToSelf();

        [DllImport("kernel32.dll", CharSet = CharSet.Auto)]
        private static extern bool CloseHandle(
            IntPtr handle);

        private const int LOGON32_LOGON_INTERACTIVE = 2;
        private const int LOGON32_PROVIDER_DEFAULT = 0;

        // ------------------------------------------------------------------
        #endregion

        #region Private member.
        // ------------------------------------------------------------------

        /// <summary>
        /// Does the actual impersonation.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="userName">The name of the user to act as.</param>
        /// <param name="domainName">The domain name of the user to act as.</param>
        /// <param name="password">The password of the user to act as.</param>
        private void ImpersonateValidUser(
            string userName,
            string domain,
            string password)
        {
            WindowsIdentity tempWindowsIdentity = null;
            IntPtr token = IntPtr.Zero;
            IntPtr tokenDuplicate = IntPtr.Zero;

            try
            {
                if (RevertToSelf())
                {
                    if (LogonUser(
                        userName,
                        domain,
                        password,
                        LOGON32_LOGON_INTERACTIVE,
                        LOGON32_PROVIDER_DEFAULT,
                        ref token) != 0)
                    {
                        if (DuplicateToken(token, 2, ref tokenDuplicate) != 0)
                        {
                            tempWindowsIdentity = new WindowsIdentity(tokenDuplicate);
                            impersonationContext = tempWindowsIdentity.Impersonate();
                        }
                        else
                        {
                            throw new Win32Exception(Marshal.GetLastWin32Error());
                        }
                    }
                    else
                    {
                        throw new Win32Exception(Marshal.GetLastWin32Error());
                    }
                }
                else
                {
                    throw new Win32Exception(Marshal.GetLastWin32Error());
                }
            }
            finally
            {
                if (token != IntPtr.Zero)
                {
                    CloseHandle(token);
                }
                if (tokenDuplicate != IntPtr.Zero)
                {
                    CloseHandle(tokenDuplicate);
                }
            }
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Reverts the impersonation.
        /// </summary>
        private void UndoImpersonation()
        {
            if (impersonationContext != null)
            {
                impersonationContext.Undo();
            }
        }

        private WindowsImpersonationContext impersonationContext = null;

        // ------------------------------------------------------------------
        #endregion
    }

    /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
}

I gathered these useful links:

http://www.developmentnow.com/g/36_2006_3_0_0_725350/Need-help-with-impersonation-please-.htm

http://blrchen.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!572204F8C4F8A77A!251.entry

http://geekswithblogs.net/khanna/archive/2005/02/09/22430.aspx

http://msmvps.com/blogs/martinzugec/archive/2008/06/03/use-runas-from-non-domain-computer.aspx

It turns out I'm going to have to use LOGON_NETCREDENTIALS_ONLY with CreateProcessWithLogonW. I'm going to see if I can have the program detect if it has been launched that way and if not, gather the domain credentials and launch itself. That way there will only be one self-managing EXE.