

# Authenticate to the PKCS \$111 library for AWS CloudHSM Client SDK 3
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When you use the PKCS \$111 library, your application runs as a particular [crypto user (CU)](manage-hsm-users.md) in your HSMs in AWS CloudHSM. Your application can view and manage only the keys that the CU owns and shares. You can use an existing CU in your HSMs or create a new CU. For information on managing CUs, see [Managing HSM users with CloudHSM CLI](manage-hsm-users-chsm-cli.md) and [Managing HSM users with CloudHSM Management Utility (CMU)](manage-hsm-users-cmu.md).

To specify the CU to PKCS \$111 library, use the pin parameter of the PKCS \$111 [C\$1Login function](http://docs.oasis-open.org/pkcs11/pkcs11-base/v2.40/os/pkcs11-base-v2.40-os.html#_Toc385057915). For AWS CloudHSM, the pin parameter has the following format:

```
<CU_user_name>:<password>
```

For example, the following command sets the PKCS \$111 library pin to the CU with user name `CryptoUser` and password `CUPassword123!`.

```
CryptoUser:CUPassword123!
```