Encrypting connectionStrings section - utility for app.config

Question

Is there a utility that will encrypt a named configuration section (or just the connectionStrings section) in an app.config file in a similar manne

Answer 1

Compile this console application, and drag a config file onto it. It will spit out a copy of the config file with its connection strings encrypted.

Note that you must encrypt as the same user who will consume the config file.

using System;
using System.Configuration;
using System.IO;

namespace ConnectionStringEncryptor
{
    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            if (args.Length == 0)
            {
                throw new ArgumentException("Please supply a config file to encrypt");
            }
            string originalConfigFilePath = args[0];
            AppDomain.CurrentDomain.SetData("APP_CONFIG_FILE", originalConfigFilePath);
            Configuration config = ConfigurationManager.OpenExeConfiguration(ConfigurationUserLevel.None);
            ConnectionStringsSection connectionStringsSection = (ConnectionStringsSection)config.GetSection("connectionStrings");
            connectionStringsSection.SectionInformation.ProtectSection("DataProtectionConfigurationProvider");
            config.SaveAs(originalConfigFilePath + ".encrypted");
        }
    }
}