using System;

using System.Web.Security;

using System.Security.Cryptography;

public class SaltedHash {

    static public bool ValidatePassword (string password, 

        string saltedHash) {

        // Extract hash and salt string

        const int LEN = 24;

        string saltString = saltedHash.Substring(saltedHash.Length - LEN);

        string hash1 = saltedHash.Substring(0, saltedHash.Length - LEN);

        // Append the salt string to the password

        string saltedPassword = password + saltString;

        // Hash the salted password

        string hash2 = 

            FormsAuthentication.HashPasswordForStoringInConfigFile(

            saltedPassword, "SHA1");

        // Compare the hashes

        return (hash1.CompareTo(hash2) == 0);

    }

    static public string CreateSaltedPasswordHash (string password) {

        // Generate random salt string

        RNGCryptoServiceProvider csp = new RNGCryptoServiceProvider();

        byte[] saltBytes = new byte[16];

        csp.GetNonZeroBytes(saltBytes);

        string saltString = Convert.ToBase64String(saltBytes);

        // Append the salt string to the password

        string saltedPassword = password + saltString;

        // Hash the salted password

        string hash = 

            FormsAuthentication.HashPasswordForStoringInConfigFile(

            saltedPassword, "SHA1");

        // Append the salt to the hash

        return hash + saltString;

    }

}

<add key="cnxNWindBest"

value="AQAAANCMnd8BFdERjHoAwE/

Cl+sBAAAAcWMZ8XhPz0O8jHcS1539LAQAAAACAAAAAAADZgAAqAAAABAAAABdodw0YhWfcC6+

UjUUOiMwAAAAAASAAACgAAAAEAAAALPzjTRnAPt7/W8v38ikHL5IAAAAzctRyEcHxWkzxeqbq/

V9ogaSqS4UxvKC9zmrXUoJ9mwrNZ/

XZ9LgbfcDXIIAXm2DLRCGRHMtrZrp9yledz0n9kgP3b3s+

X8wFAAAANmLu0UfOJdTc4WjlQQgmZElY7Z8"

/>

string strCnx = SecureConnection.GetCnxString("cnxNWindBest");

public class SecureConnection {

    static public string GetCnxString(string configKey) {

        string strCnx;

        try {

            // Grab encrypted connection string from web.config

            string strEncryptedCnx = 

                ConfigurationSettings.AppSettings[configKey];

            // Decrypt the connection string

            DataProtector dp = new 

                DataProtector(DataProtector.Store.USE_MACHINE_STORE);

            byte[] dataToDecrypt = 

                Convert.FromBase64String(strEncryptedCnx);

            strCnx = 

                Encoding.ASCII.GetString(dp.Decrypt(dataToDecrypt,null));

        }

        catch {

            strCnx="";

        }

        return strCnx;

    }

}