1 Network Working Group Jon Callas
2 Category: INTERNET-DRAFT PGP Corporation
3 draft-ietf-openpgp-rfc2440bis-12.txt
4 Expires May 2005 Lutz Donnerhacke
7 Obsoletes: 1991, 2440 Hal Finney
12 OpenPGP Message Format
13 draft-ietf-openpgp-rfc2440bis-12.txt
16 Copyright 2004 by The Internet Society. All Rights Reserved.
20 This document is an Internet-Draft and is in full conformance with
21 all provisions of Section 10 of RFC2026.
23 Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering
24 Task Force (IETF), its areas, and its working groups. Note that
25 other groups may also distribute working documents as
28 Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six
29 months and may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents
30 at any time. It is inappropriate to use Internet-Drafts as
31 reference material or to cite them other than as "work in progress."
33 The list of current Internet-Drafts can be accessed at
34 http://www.ietf.org/ietf/1id-abstracts.txt
36 The list of Internet-Draft Shadow Directories can be accessed at
37 http://www.ietf.org/shadow.html.
41 By submitting this Internet-Draft, any applicable patent or other
42 IPR claims of which we are aware have been disclosed in accordance
47 This document defines many tag values, yet it doesn't describe a
48 mechanism for adding new tags (for new features). Traditionally the
49 Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) handles the allocation of
50 new values for future expansion and RFCs usually define the
51 procedure to be used by the IANA. However there are subtle (and not
52 so subtle) interactions that may occur in this protocol between new
53 features and existing features which result in a significant
54 reduction in over all security. Therefore this document does not
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57 INTERNET-DRAFT OpenPGP Message Format Nov 23, 2004
59 define an extension procedure. Instead requests to define new tag
60 values (say for new encryption algorithms for example) should be
61 forwarded to the IESG Security Area Directors for consideration or
62 forwarding to the appropriate IETF Working Group for consideration.
66 This document is maintained in order to publish all necessary
67 information needed to develop interoperable applications based on
68 the OpenPGP format. It is not a step-by-step cookbook for writing an
69 application. It describes only the format and methods needed to
70 read, check, generate, and write conforming packets crossing any
71 network. It does not deal with storage and implementation questions.
72 It does, however, discuss implementation issues necessary to avoid
75 OpenPGP software uses a combination of strong public-key and
76 symmetric cryptography to provide security services for electronic
77 communications and data storage. These services include
78 confidentiality, key management, authentication, and digital
79 signatures. This document specifies the message formats used in
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117 Status of this Memo 1
124 2. General functions 6
125 2.1. Confidentiality via Encryption 7
126 2.2. Authentication via Digital signature 7
128 2.4. Conversion to Radix-64 8
129 2.5. Signature-Only Applications 8
130 3. Data Element Formats 9
131 3.1. Scalar numbers 9
132 3.2. Multiprecision Integers 9
137 3.7. String-to-key (S2K) specifiers 10
138 3.7.1. String-to-key (S2K) specifier types 10
139 3.7.1.1. Simple S2K 10
140 3.7.1.2. Salted S2K 11
141 3.7.1.3. Iterated and Salted S2K 11
142 3.7.2. String-to-key usage 12
143 3.7.2.1. Secret key encryption 12
144 3.7.2.2. Symmetric-key message encryption 13
147 4.2. Packet Headers 13
148 4.2.1. Old-Format Packet Lengths 14
149 4.2.2. New-Format Packet Lengths 14
150 4.2.2.1. One-Octet Lengths 15
151 4.2.2.2. Two-Octet Lengths 15
152 4.2.2.3. Five-Octet Lengths 15
153 4.2.2.4. Partial Body Lengths 15
154 4.2.3. Packet Length Examples 16
157 5.1. Public-Key Encrypted Session Key Packets (Tag 1) 17
158 5.2. Signature Packet (Tag 2) 18
159 5.2.1. Signature Types 18
160 5.2.2. Version 3 Signature Packet Format 20
161 5.2.3. Version 4 Signature Packet Format 23
162 5.2.3.1. Signature Subpacket Specification 23
163 5.2.3.2. Signature Subpacket Types 25
164 5.2.3.3. Notes on Self-Signatures 25
165 5.2.3.4. Signature creation time 26
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171 5.2.3.6. Key expiration time 27
172 5.2.3.7. Preferred symmetric algorithms 27
173 5.2.3.8. Preferred hash algorithms 27
174 5.2.3.9. Preferred compression algorithms 27
175 5.2.3.10.Signature expiration time 27
176 5.2.3.11.Exportable Certification 28
177 5.2.3.12.Revocable 28
178 5.2.3.13.Trust signature 28
179 5.2.3.14.Regular expression 29
180 5.2.3.15.Revocation key 29
181 5.2.3.16.Notation Data 29
182 5.2.3.17.Key server preferences 30
183 5.2.3.18.Preferred key server 30
184 5.2.3.19.Primary User ID 31
185 5.2.3.20.Policy URL 31
186 5.2.3.21.Key Flags 31
187 5.2.3.22.Signer's User ID 32
188 5.2.3.23.Reason for Revocation 32
190 5.2.3.25.Signature Target 34
191 5.2.3.26.Embedded Signature 34
192 5.2.4. Computing Signatures 34
193 5.2.4.1. Subpacket Hints 35
194 5.3. Symmetric-Key Encrypted Session Key Packets (Tag 3) 36
195 5.4. One-Pass Signature Packets (Tag 4) 36
196 5.5. Key Material Packet 37
197 5.5.1. Key Packet Variants 37
198 5.5.1.1. Public Key Packet (Tag 6) 37
199 5.5.1.2. Public Subkey Packet (Tag 14) 37
200 5.5.1.3. Secret Key Packet (Tag 5) 38
201 5.5.1.4. Secret Subkey Packet (Tag 7) 38
202 5.5.2. Public Key Packet Formats 38
203 5.5.3. Secret Key Packet Formats 39
204 5.6. Compressed Data Packet (Tag 8) 41
205 5.7. Symmetrically Encrypted Data Packet (Tag 9) 42
206 5.8. Marker Packet (Obsolete Literal Packet) (Tag 10) 43
207 5.9. Literal Data Packet (Tag 11) 43
208 5.10. Trust Packet (Tag 12) 44
209 5.11. User ID Packet (Tag 13) 44
210 5.12. User Attribute Packet (Tag 17) 44
211 5.12.1. The Image Attribute Subpacket 45
212 5.13. Sym. Encrypted Integrity Protected Data Packet (Tag 18) 45
213 5.14. Modification Detection Code Packet (Tag 19) 47
214 6. Radix-64 Conversions 48
215 6.1. An Implementation of the CRC-24 in "C" 48
216 6.2. Forming ASCII Armor 49
217 6.3. Encoding Binary in Radix-64 51
218 6.4. Decoding Radix-64 52
219 6.5. Examples of Radix-64 53
220 6.6. Example of an ASCII Armored Message 53
221 7. Cleartext signature framework 53
222 7.1. Dash-Escaped Text 54
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227 8. Regular Expressions 55
229 9.1. Public Key Algorithms 55
230 9.2. Symmetric Key Algorithms 56
231 9.3. Compression Algorithms 56
232 9.4. Hash Algorithms 57
233 10. Packet Composition 57
234 10.1. Transferable Public Keys 57
235 10.2. OpenPGP Messages 59
236 10.3. Detached Signatures 59
237 11. Enhanced Key Formats 59
238 11.1. Key Structures 59
239 11.2. Key IDs and Fingerprints 60
240 12. Notes on Algorithms 61
241 12.1. Symmetric Algorithm Preferences 61
242 12.2. Other Algorithm Preferences 62
243 12.2.1. Compression Preferences 62
244 12.2.2. Hash Algorithm Preferences 63
249 12.7. Reserved Algorithm Numbers 64
250 12.8. OpenPGP CFB mode 64
251 13. Security Considerations 65
252 14. Implementation Nits 67
253 15. Authors and Working Group Chair 68
254 16. References (Normative) 69
255 17. References (Non-Normative) 71
256 18. Full Copyright Statement 71
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285 This document provides information on the message-exchange packet
286 formats used by OpenPGP to provide encryption, decryption, signing,
287 and key management functions. It is a revision of RFC2440, "OpenPGP
288 Message Format", which itself replaces RFC 1991, "PGP Message
293 * OpenPGP - This is a definition for security software that uses
294 PGP 5.x as a basis, formalized in RFC 2440 and this document.
296 * PGP - Pretty Good Privacy. PGP is a family of software systems
297 developed by Philip R. Zimmermann from which OpenPGP is based.
299 * PGP 2.6.x - This version of PGP has many variants, hence the
300 term PGP 2.6.x. It used only RSA, MD5, and IDEA for its
301 cryptographic transforms. An informational RFC, RFC1991, was
302 written describing this version of PGP.
304 * PGP 5.x - This version of PGP is formerly known as "PGP 3" in
305 the community and also in the predecessor of this document,
306 RFC1991. It has new formats and corrects a number of problems in
307 the PGP 2.6.x design. It is referred to here as PGP 5.x because
308 that software was the first release of the "PGP 3" code base.
310 * GPG - GNU Privacy Guard, also called GnuPG. GPG is an OpenPGP
311 implementation that avoids all encumbered algorithms.
312 Consequently, early versions of GPG did not include RSA public
313 keys. GPG may or may not have (depending on version) support for
314 IDEA or other encumbered algorithms.
316 "PGP", "Pretty Good", and "Pretty Good Privacy" are trademarks of
317 PGP Corporation and are used with permission.
319 This document uses the terms "MUST", "SHOULD", and "MAY" as defined
320 in RFC2119, along with the negated forms of those terms.
324 OpenPGP provides data integrity services for messages and data files
325 by using these core technologies:
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339 - radix-64 conversion
341 In addition, OpenPGP provides key management and certificate
342 services, but many of these are beyond the scope of this document.
344 2.1. Confidentiality via Encryption
346 OpenPGP combines symmetric-key encryption and public key encryption
347 to provide confidentiality. When made confidential, first the object
348 is encrypted using a symmetric encryption algorithm. Each symmetric
349 key is used only once, for a single object. A new "session key" is
350 generated as a random number for each object (sometimes referred to
351 as a session). Since it is used only once, the session key is bound
352 to the message and transmitted with it. To protect the key, it is
353 encrypted with the receiver's public key. The sequence is as
356 1. The sender creates a message.
358 2. The sending OpenPGP generates a random number to be used as a
359 session key for this message only.
361 3. The session key is encrypted using each recipient's public key.
362 These "encrypted session keys" start the message.
364 4. The sending OpenPGP encrypts the message using the session key,
365 which forms the remainder of the message. Note that the message
366 is also usually compressed.
368 5. The receiving OpenPGP decrypts the session key using the
369 recipient's private key.
371 6. The receiving OpenPGP decrypts the message using the session
372 key. If the message was compressed, it will be decompressed.
374 With symmetric-key encryption, an object may be encrypted with a
375 symmetric key derived from a passphrase (or other shared secret), or
376 a two-stage mechanism similar to the public-key method described
377 above in which a session key is itself encrypted with a symmetric
378 algorithm keyed from a shared secret.
380 Both digital signature and confidentiality services may be applied
381 to the same message. First, a signature is generated for the message
382 and attached to the message. Then, the message plus signature is
383 encrypted using a symmetric session key. Finally, the session key is
384 encrypted using public-key encryption and prefixed to the encrypted
387 2.2. Authentication via Digital signature
389 The digital signature uses a hash code or message digest algorithm,
390 and a public-key signature algorithm. The sequence is as follows:
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395 1. The sender creates a message.
397 2. The sending software generates a hash code of the message.
399 3. The sending software generates a signature from the hash code
400 using the sender's private key.
402 4. The binary signature is attached to the message.
404 5. The receiving software keeps a copy of the message signature.
406 6. The receiving software generates a new hash code for the
407 received message and verifies it using the message's signature.
408 If the verification is successful, the message is accepted as
413 OpenPGP implementations SHOULD compress the message after applying
414 the signature but before encryption.
416 If an implementation does not implement compression, its authors
417 should be aware that most PGP messages in the world are compressed.
418 Thus, it may even be wise for a space-constrained implementation to
419 implement decompression, but not compression.
421 Furthermore, compression has the added side-effect that some types
422 of attacks can be thwarted by the fact that slightly altered,
423 compressed data rarely uncompresses without severe errors. This is
424 hardly rigorous, but it is operationally useful. These attacks can
425 be rigorously prevented by implementing and using Modification
426 Detection Codes as described in sections following.
428 2.4. Conversion to Radix-64
430 OpenPGP's underlying native representation for encrypted messages,
431 signature certificates, and keys is a stream of arbitrary octets.
432 Some systems only permit the use of blocks consisting of seven-bit,
433 printable text. For transporting OpenPGP's native raw binary octets
434 through channels that are not safe to raw binary data, a printable
435 encoding of these binary octets is needed. OpenPGP provides the
436 service of converting the raw 8-bit binary octet stream to a stream
437 of printable ASCII characters, called Radix-64 encoding or ASCII
440 Implementations SHOULD provide Radix-64 conversions.
442 2.5. Signature-Only Applications
444 OpenPGP is designed for applications that use both encryption and
445 signatures, but there are a number of problems that are solved by a
446 signature-only implementation. Although this specification requires
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451 both encryption and signatures, it is reasonable for there to be
452 subset implementations that are non-conformant only in that they
455 3. Data Element Formats
457 This section describes the data elements used by OpenPGP.
461 Scalar numbers are unsigned, and are always stored in big-endian
462 format. Using n[k] to refer to the kth octet being interpreted, the
463 value of a two-octet scalar is ((n[0] << 8) + n[1]). The value of a
464 four-octet scalar is ((n[0] << 24) + (n[1] << 16) + (n[2] << 8) +
467 3.2. Multiprecision Integers
469 Multiprecision Integers (also called MPIs) are unsigned integers
470 used to hold large integers such as the ones used in cryptographic
473 An MPI consists of two pieces: a two-octet scalar that is the length
474 of the MPI in bits followed by a string of octets that contain the
477 These octets form a big-endian number; a big-endian number can be
478 made into an MPI by prefixing it with the appropriate length.
482 (all numbers are in hexadecimal)
484 The string of octets [00 01 01] forms an MPI with the value 1. The
485 string [00 09 01 FF] forms an MPI with the value of 511.
489 The size of an MPI is ((MPI.length + 7) / 8) + 2 octets.
491 The length field of an MPI describes the length starting from its
492 most significant non-zero bit. Thus, the MPI [00 02 01] is not
493 formed correctly. It should be [00 01 01].
495 Also note that when an MPI is encrypted, the length refers to the
496 plaintext MPI. It may be ill-formed in its ciphertext.
500 A Key ID is an eight-octet scalar that identifies a key.
501 Implementations SHOULD NOT assume that Key IDs are unique. The
502 section, "Enhanced Key Formats" below describes how Key IDs are
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511 Unless otherwise specified, the character set for text is the UTF-8
512 [RFC2279] encoding of Unicode [ISO10646].
516 A time field is an unsigned four-octet number containing the number
517 of seconds elapsed since midnight, 1 January 1970 UTC.
521 A keyring is a collection of one or more keys in a file or database.
522 Traditionally, a keyring is simply a sequential list of keys, but
523 may be any suitable database. It is beyond the scope of this
524 standard to discuss the details of keyrings or other databases.
526 3.7. String-to-key (S2K) specifiers
528 String-to-key (S2K) specifiers are used to convert passphrase
529 strings into symmetric-key encryption/decryption keys. They are
530 used in two places, currently: to encrypt the secret part of private
531 keys in the private keyring, and to convert passphrases to
532 encryption keys for symmetrically encrypted messages.
534 3.7.1. String-to-key (S2K) specifier types
536 There are three types of S2K specifiers currently supported, and
537 some reserved values:
544 3 Iterated and Salted S2K
545 100 to 110 Private/Experimental S2K
547 These are described as follows:
551 This directly hashes the string to produce the key data. See below
552 for how this hashing is done.
555 Octet 1: hash algorithm
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563 Simple S2K hashes the passphrase to produce the session key. The
564 manner in which this is done depends on the size of the session key
565 (which will depend on the cipher used) and the size of the hash
566 algorithm's output. If the hash size is greater than the session key
567 size, the high-order (leftmost) octets of the hash are used as the
570 If the hash size is less than the key size, multiple instances of
571 the hash context are created -- enough to produce the required key
572 data. These instances are preloaded with 0, 1, 2, ... octets of
573 zeros (that is to say, the first instance has no preloading, the
574 second gets preloaded with 1 octet of zero, the third is preloaded
575 with two octets of zeros, and so forth).
577 As the data is hashed, it is given independently to each hash
578 context. Since the contexts have been initialized differently, they
579 will each produce different hash output. Once the passphrase is
580 hashed, the output data from the multiple hashes is concatenated,
581 first hash leftmost, to produce the key data, with any excess octets
582 on the right discarded.
586 This includes a "salt" value in the S2K specifier -- some arbitrary
587 data -- that gets hashed along with the passphrase string, to help
588 prevent dictionary attacks.
591 Octet 1: hash algorithm
592 Octets 2-9: 8-octet salt value
594 Salted S2K is exactly like Simple S2K, except that the input to the
595 hash function(s) consists of the 8 octets of salt from the S2K
596 specifier, followed by the passphrase.
598 3.7.1.3. Iterated and Salted S2K
600 This includes both a salt and an octet count. The salt is combined
601 with the passphrase and the resulting value is hashed repeatedly.
602 This further increases the amount of work an attacker must do to try
606 Octet 1: hash algorithm
607 Octets 2-9: 8-octet salt value
608 Octet 10: count, a one-octet, coded value
610 The count is coded into a one-octet number using the following
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620 count = ((Int32)16 + (c & 15)) << ((c >> 4) + EXPBIAS);
622 The above formula is in C, where "Int32" is a type for a 32-bit
623 integer, and the variable "c" is the coded count, Octet 10.
625 Iterated-Salted S2K hashes the passphrase and salt data multiple
626 times. The total number of octets to be hashed is specified in the
627 encoded count in the S2K specifier. Note that the resulting count
628 value is an octet count of how many octets will be hashed, not an
631 Initially, one or more hash contexts are set up as with the other
632 S2K algorithms, depending on how many octets of key data are needed.
633 Then the salt, followed by the passphrase data is repeatedly hashed
634 until the number of octets specified by the octet count has been
635 hashed. The one exception is that if the octet count is less than
636 the size of the salt plus passphrase, the full salt plus passphrase
637 will be hashed even though that is greater than the octet count.
638 After the hashing is done the data is unloaded from the hash
639 context(s) as with the other S2K algorithms.
641 3.7.2. String-to-key usage
643 Implementations SHOULD use salted or iterated-and-salted S2K
644 specifiers, as simple S2K specifiers are more vulnerable to
647 3.7.2.1. Secret key encryption
649 An S2K specifier can be stored in the secret keyring to specify how
650 to convert the passphrase to a key that unlocks the secret data.
651 Older versions of PGP just stored a cipher algorithm octet preceding
652 the secret data or a zero to indicate that the secret data was
653 unencrypted. The MD5 hash function was always used to convert the
654 passphrase to a key for the specified cipher algorithm.
656 For compatibility, when an S2K specifier is used, the special value
657 255 is stored in the position where the hash algorithm octet would
658 have been in the old data structure. This is then followed
659 immediately by a one-octet algorithm identifier, and then by the S2K
660 specifier as encoded above.
662 Therefore, preceding the secret data there will be one of these
665 0: secret data is unencrypted (no pass phrase)
666 255 or 254: followed by algorithm octet and S2K specifier
667 Cipher alg: use Simple S2K algorithm using MD5 hash
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675 This last possibility, the cipher algorithm number with an implicit
676 use of MD5 and IDEA, is provided for backward compatibility; it MAY
677 be understood, but SHOULD NOT be generated, and is deprecated.
679 These are followed by an Initial Vector of the same length as the
680 block size of the cipher for the decryption of the secret values, if
681 they are encrypted, and then the secret key values themselves.
683 3.7.2.2. Symmetric-key message encryption
685 OpenPGP can create a Symmetric-key Encrypted Session Key (ESK)
686 packet at the front of a message. This is used to allow S2K
687 specifiers to be used for the passphrase conversion or to create
688 messages with a mix of symmetric-key ESKs and public-key ESKs. This
689 allows a message to be decrypted either with a passphrase or a
692 PGP 2.X always used IDEA with Simple string-to-key conversion when
693 encrypting a message with a symmetric algorithm. This is deprecated,
694 but MAY be used for backward-compatibility.
698 This section describes the packets used by OpenPGP.
702 An OpenPGP message is constructed from a number of records that are
703 traditionally called packets. A packet is a chunk of data that has a
704 tag specifying its meaning. An OpenPGP message, keyring,
705 certificate, and so forth consists of a number of packets. Some of
706 those packets may contain other OpenPGP packets (for example, a
707 compressed data packet, when uncompressed, contains OpenPGP
710 Each packet consists of a packet header, followed by the packet
711 body. The packet header is of variable length.
715 The first octet of the packet header is called the "Packet Tag." It
716 determines the format of the header and denotes the packet contents.
717 The remainder of the packet header is the length of the packet.
719 Note that the most significant bit is the left-most bit, called bit
720 7. A mask for this bit is 0x80 in hexadecimal.
723 PTag |7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0|
726 Bit 6 -- New packet format if set
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731 PGP 2.6.x only uses old format packets. Thus, software that
732 interoperates with those versions of PGP must only use old format
733 packets. If interoperability is not an issue, the new packet format
734 is preferred. Note that old format packets have four bits of content
735 tags, and new format packets have six; some features cannot be used
736 and still be backward-compatible.
738 Also note that packets with a tag greater than or equal to 16 MUST
739 use new format packets. The old format packets can only express tags
740 less than or equal to 15.
742 Old format packets contain:
744 Bits 5-2 -- content tag
745 Bits 1-0 - length-type
747 New format packets contain:
749 Bits 5-0 -- content tag
751 4.2.1. Old-Format Packet Lengths
753 The meaning of the length-type in old-format packets is:
755 0 - The packet has a one-octet length. The header is 2 octets long.
757 1 - The packet has a two-octet length. The header is 3 octets long.
759 2 - The packet has a four-octet length. The header is 5 octets long.
761 3 - The packet is of indeterminate length. The header is 1 octet
762 long, and the implementation must determine how long the packet
763 is. If the packet is in a file, this means that the packet
764 extends until the end of the file. In general, an implementation
765 SHOULD NOT use indeterminate length packets except where the end
766 of the data will be clear from the context, and even then it is
767 better to use a definite length, or a new-format header. The
768 new-format headers described below have a mechanism for
769 precisely encoding data of indeterminate length.
771 4.2.2. New-Format Packet Lengths
773 New format packets have four possible ways of encoding length:
775 1. A one-octet Body Length header encodes packet lengths of up to
778 2. A two-octet Body Length header encodes packet lengths of 192 to
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787 3. A five-octet Body Length header encodes packet lengths of up to
788 4,294,967,295 (0xFFFFFFFF) octets in length. (This actually
789 encodes a four-octet scalar number.)
791 4. When the length of the packet body is not known in advance by
792 the issuer, Partial Body Length headers encode a packet of
793 indeterminate length, effectively making it a stream.
795 4.2.2.1. One-Octet Lengths
797 A one-octet Body Length header encodes a length of from 0 to 191
798 octets. This type of length header is recognized because the one
799 octet value is less than 192. The body length is equal to:
803 4.2.2.2. Two-Octet Lengths
805 A two-octet Body Length header encodes a length of from 192 to 8383
806 octets. It is recognized because its first octet is in the range
807 192 to 223. The body length is equal to:
809 bodyLen = ((1st_octet - 192) << 8) + (2nd_octet) + 192
811 4.2.2.3. Five-Octet Lengths
813 A five-octet Body Length header consists of a single octet holding
814 the value 255, followed by a four-octet scalar. The body length is
817 bodyLen = (2nd_octet << 24) | (3rd_octet << 16) |
818 (4th_octet << 8) | 5th_octet
820 This basic set of one, two, and five-octet lengths is also used
821 internally to some packets.
823 4.2.2.4. Partial Body Lengths
825 A Partial Body Length header is one octet long and encodes the
826 length of only part of the data packet. This length is a power of 2,
827 from 1 to 1,073,741,824 (2 to the 30th power). It is recognized by
828 its one octet value that is greater than or equal to 224, and less
829 than 255. The partial body length is equal to:
831 partialBodyLen = 1 << (1st_octet & 0x1f);
833 Each Partial Body Length header is followed by a portion of the
834 packet body data. The Partial Body Length header specifies this
835 portion's length. Another length header (one octet, two-octet,
836 five-octet, or partial) follows that portion. The last length header
837 in the packet MUST NOT be a partial Body Length header. Partial
838 Body Length headers may only be used for the non-final parts of the
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845 It might also be encoded in the following octet stream: 0xEF, first
846 32768 octets of data; 0xE1, next two octets of data; 0xE0, next one
847 octet of data; 0xF0, next 65536 octets of data; 0xC5, 0xDD, last
848 1693 octets of data. This is just one possible encoding, and many
849 variations are possible on the size of the Partial Body Length
850 headers, as long as a regular Body Length header encodes the last
853 Note also that the last Body Length header can be a zero-length
856 An implementation MAY use Partial Body Lengths for data packets, be
857 they literal, compressed, or encrypted. The first partial length
858 MUST be at least 512 octets long. Partial Body Lengths MUST NOT be
859 used for any other packet types.
861 4.2.3. Packet Length Examples
863 These examples show ways that new-format packets might encode the
866 A packet with length 100 may have its length encoded in one octet:
867 0x64. This is followed by 100 octets of data.
869 A packet with length 1723 may have its length coded in two octets:
870 0xC5, 0xFB. This header is followed by the 1723 octets of data.
872 A packet with length 100000 may have its length encoded in five
873 octets: 0xFF, 0x00, 0x01, 0x86, 0xA0.
875 Please note that in all of these explanations, the total length of
876 the packet is the length of the header(s) plus the length of the
881 The packet tag denotes what type of packet the body holds. Note that
882 old format headers can only have tags less than 16, whereas new
883 format headers can have tags as great as 63. The defined tags (in
886 0 -- Reserved - a packet tag must not have this value
887 1 -- Public-Key Encrypted Session Key Packet
888 2 -- Signature Packet
889 3 -- Symmetric-Key Encrypted Session Key Packet
890 4 -- One-Pass Signature Packet
891 5 -- Secret Key Packet
892 6 -- Public Key Packet
893 7 -- Secret Subkey Packet
894 8 -- Compressed Data Packet
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897 INTERNET-DRAFT OpenPGP Message Format Nov 23, 2004
899 9 -- Symmetrically Encrypted Data Packet
901 11 -- Literal Data Packet
904 14 -- Public Subkey Packet
905 17 -- User Attribute Packet
906 18 -- Sym. Encrypted and Integrity Protected Data Packet
907 19 -- Modification Detection Code Packet
908 60 to 63 -- Private or Experimental Values
912 5.1. Public-Key Encrypted Session Key Packets (Tag 1)
914 A Public-Key Encrypted Session Key packet holds the session key used
915 to encrypt a message. Zero or more Encrypted Session Key packets
916 (either Public-Key or Symmetric-Key) may precede a Symmetrically
917 Encrypted Data Packet, which holds an encrypted message. The
918 message is encrypted with the session key, and the session key is
919 itself encrypted and stored in the Encrypted Session Key packet(s).
920 The Symmetrically Encrypted Data Packet is preceded by one
921 Public-Key Encrypted Session Key packet for each OpenPGP key to
922 which the message is encrypted. The recipient of the message finds
923 a session key that is encrypted to their public key, decrypts the
924 session key, and then uses the session key to decrypt the message.
926 The body of this packet consists of:
928 - A one-octet number giving the version number of the packet type.
929 The currently defined value for packet version is 3.
931 - An eight-octet number that gives the key ID of the public key
932 that the session key is encrypted to. If the session key is
933 encrypted to a subkey then the key ID of this subkey is used
934 here instead of the key ID of the primary key.
936 - A one-octet number giving the public key algorithm used.
938 - A string of octets that is the encrypted session key. This
939 string takes up the remainder of the packet, and its contents
940 are dependent on the public key algorithm used.
942 Algorithm Specific Fields for RSA encryption
944 - multiprecision integer (MPI) of RSA encrypted value m**e mod n.
946 Algorithm Specific Fields for Elgamal encryption:
948 - MPI of Elgamal (Diffie-Hellman) value g**k mod p.
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953 INTERNET-DRAFT OpenPGP Message Format Nov 23, 2004
955 - MPI of Elgamal (Diffie-Hellman) value m * y**k mod p.
957 The value "m" in the above formulas is derived from the session key
958 as follows. First the session key is prefixed with a one-octet
959 algorithm identifier that specifies the symmetric encryption
960 algorithm used to encrypt the following Symmetrically Encrypted Data
961 Packet. Then a two-octet checksum is appended which is equal to the
962 sum of the preceding session key octets, not including the algorithm
963 identifier, modulo 65536. This value is then encoded as described
964 in PKCS-1 block encoding EME-PKCS1-v1_5 [RFC2437] to form the "m"
965 value used in the formulas above.
967 Note that when an implementation forms several PKESKs with one
968 session key, forming a message that can be decrypted by several
969 keys, the implementation MUST make new PKCS-1 encoding for each key.
971 An implementation MAY accept or use a Key ID of zero as a "wild
972 card" or "speculative" Key ID. In this case, the receiving
973 implementation would try all available private keys, checking for a
974 valid decrypted session key. This format helps reduce traffic
975 analysis of messages.
977 5.2. Signature Packet (Tag 2)
979 A signature packet describes a binding between some public key and
980 some data. The most common signatures are a signature of a file or a
981 block of text, and a signature that is a certification of a User ID.
983 Two versions of signature packets are defined. Version 3 provides
984 basic signature information, while version 4 provides an expandable
985 format with subpackets that can specify more information about the
986 signature. PGP 2.6.x only accepts version 3 signatures.
988 Implementations SHOULD accept V3 signatures. Implementations SHOULD
989 generate V4 signatures.
991 Note that if an implementation is creating an encrypted and signed
992 message that is encrypted to a V3 key, it is reasonable to create a
995 5.2.1. Signature Types
997 There are a number of possible meanings for a signature, which are
998 specified in a signature type octet in any given signature. These
1001 0x00: Signature of a binary document.
1002 This means the signer owns it, created it, or certifies that it
1003 has not been modified.
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1011 0x01: Signature of a canonical text document.
1012 This means the signer owns it, created it, or certifies that it
1013 has not been modified. The signature is calculated over the
1014 text data with its line endings converted to <CR><LF>.
1016 0x02: Standalone signature.
1017 This signature is a signature of only its own subpacket
1018 contents. It is calculated identically to a signature over a
1019 zero-length binary document. Note that it doesn't make sense to
1020 have a V3 standalone signature.
1022 0x10: Generic certification of a User ID and Public Key packet.
1023 The issuer of this certification does not make any particular
1024 assertion as to how well the certifier has checked that the
1025 owner of the key is in fact the person described by the User ID.
1026 Note that all PGP "key signatures" are this type of
1029 0x11: Persona certification of a User ID and Public Key packet.
1030 The issuer of this certification has not done any verification
1031 of the claim that the owner of this key is the User ID
1034 0x12: Casual certification of a User ID and Public Key packet.
1035 The issuer of this certification has done some casual
1036 verification of the claim of identity.
1038 0x13: Positive certification of a User ID and Public Key packet.
1039 The issuer of this certification has done substantial
1040 verification of the claim of identity.
1042 Please note that the vagueness of these certification claims is
1043 not a flaw, but a feature of the system. Because PGP places
1044 final authority for validity upon the receiver of a
1045 certification, it may be that one authority's casual
1046 certification might be more rigorous than some other authority's
1047 positive certification. These classifications allow a
1048 certification authority to issue fine-grained claims.
1050 0x18: Subkey Binding Signature
1051 This signature is a statement by the top-level signing key that
1052 indicates that it owns the subkey. This signature is calculated
1053 directly on the subkey itself, not on any User ID or other
1054 packets. A signature that binds a signing subkey also has an
1055 embedded signature subpacket in this binding signature which
1056 contains a 0x19 signature made by the signing subkey on the
1059 0x19 Primary Key Binding Signature
1060 This signature is a statement by a signing subkey, indicating
1061 that it is owned by the primary key. This signature is
1062 calculated directly on the primary key itself, and not on any
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1065 INTERNET-DRAFT OpenPGP Message Format Nov 23, 2004
1067 User ID or other packets.
1069 0x1F: Signature directly on a key
1070 This signature is calculated directly on a key. It binds the
1071 information in the signature subpackets to the key, and is
1072 appropriate to be used for subpackets that provide information
1073 about the key, such as the revocation key subpacket. It is also
1074 appropriate for statements that non-self certifiers want to make
1075 about the key itself, rather than the binding between a key and
1078 0x20: Key revocation signature
1079 The signature is calculated directly on the key being revoked.
1080 A revoked key is not to be used. Only revocation signatures by
1081 the key being revoked, or by an authorized revocation key,
1082 should be considered valid revocation signatures.
1084 0x28: Subkey revocation signature
1085 The signature is calculated directly on the subkey being
1086 revoked. A revoked subkey is not to be used. Only revocation
1087 signatures by the top-level signature key that is bound to this
1088 subkey, or by an authorized revocation key, should be considered
1089 valid revocation signatures.
1091 0x30: Certification revocation signature
1092 This signature revokes an earlier User ID certification
1093 signature (signature class 0x10 through 0x13) or direct-key
1094 signature (0x1F). It should be issued by the same key that
1095 issued the revoked signature or an authorized revocation key.
1096 The signature should have a later creation date than the
1097 signature it revokes.
1099 0x40: Timestamp signature.
1100 This signature is only meaningful for the timestamp contained in
1103 0x50: Third-Party Confirmation signature.
1104 This signature is a signature over some other OpenPGP signature
1105 packet(s). It is analogous to a notary seal on the signed data.
1106 A third-party signature SHOULD include Signature Target
1107 subpacket(s) to give easy identification. Note that we really do
1108 mean SHOULD. There are plausible uses for this (such as a blind
1109 party that only sees the signature, not the key nor source
1110 document) that cannot include a target subpacket.
1112 5.2.2. Version 3 Signature Packet Format
1114 The body of a version 3 Signature Packet contains:
1116 - One-octet version number (3).
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1123 - One-octet length of following hashed material. MUST be 5.
1125 - One-octet signature type.
1127 - Four-octet creation time.
1129 - Eight-octet key ID of signer.
1131 - One-octet public key algorithm.
1133 - One-octet hash algorithm.
1135 - Two-octet field holding left 16 bits of signed hash value.
1137 - One or more multiprecision integers comprising the signature.
1138 This portion is algorithm specific, as described below.
1140 Algorithm Specific Fields for RSA signatures:
1142 - multiprecision integer (MPI) of RSA signature value m**d mod n.
1144 Algorithm Specific Fields for DSA signatures:
1146 - MPI of DSA value r.
1148 - MPI of DSA value s.
1150 The signature calculation is based on a hash of the signed
1151 data. This is described in detail in section 5.2.4. The high 16
1152 bits (first two octets) of the hash are included in the signature
1153 packet to provide a quick test to reject some invalid signatures.
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1158 5.2.3. Version 4 Signature Packet Format
1160 The body of a version 4 Signature Packet contains:
1162 - One-octet version number (4).
1164 - One-octet signature type.
1166 - One-octet public key algorithm.
1168 - One-octet hash algorithm.
1170 - Two-octet scalar octet count for following hashed subpacket
1171 data. Note that this is the length in octets of all of the
1172 hashed subpackets; a pointer incremented by this number will
1173 skip over the hashed subpackets.
1175 - Hashed subpacket data. (zero or more subpackets)
1177 - Two-octet scalar octet count for following unhashed subpacket
1178 data. Note that this is the length in octets of all of the
1179 unhashed subpackets; a pointer incremented by this number will
1180 skip over the unhashed subpackets.
1182 - Unhashed subpacket data. (zero or more subpackets)
1184 - Two-octet field holding left 16 bits of signed hash value.
1186 - One or more multiprecision integers comprising the signature.
1187 This portion is algorithm specific, as described above.
1189 There are two fields consisting of signature subpackets. The first
1190 field is hashed with the rest of the signature data, while the
1191 second is unhashed. The second set of subpackets is not
1192 cryptographically protected by the signature and should include only
1193 advisory information.
1195 The algorithms for calculating the hash and converting the result
1196 to a signature are described in section 5.2.4. The left 16 bits of
1197 the hash are included in the signature packet to provide a quick
1198 test to reject some invalid signatures.
1200 5.2.3.1. Signature Subpacket Specification
1202 The subpacket fields consist of zero or more signature subpackets.
1203 Each set of subpackets is preceded by a two-octet scalar count of
1204 the length of the set of subpackets.
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1210 Each subpacket consists of a subpacket header and a body. The
1213 - the subpacket length (1, 2, or 5 octets)
1215 - the subpacket type (1 octet)
1217 and is followed by the subpacket specific data.
1219 The length includes the type octet but not this length. Its format
1220 is similar to the "new" format packet header lengths, but cannot
1221 have partial body lengths. That is:
1223 if the 1st octet < 192, then
1225 subpacketLen = 1st_octet
1227 if the 1st octet >= 192 and < 255, then
1229 subpacketLen = ((1st_octet - 192) << 8) + (2nd_octet) + 192
1231 if the 1st octet = 255, then
1233 subpacket length = [four-octet scalar starting at 2nd_octet]
1235 The value of the subpacket type octet may be:
1237 2 = signature creation time
1238 3 = signature expiration time
1239 4 = exportable certification
1241 6 = regular expression
1243 9 = key expiration time
1244 10 = placeholder for backward compatibility
1245 11 = preferred symmetric algorithms
1249 21 = preferred hash algorithms
1250 22 = preferred compression algorithms
1251 23 = key server preferences
1252 24 = preferred key server
1253 25 = primary User ID
1256 28 = signer's User ID
1257 29 = reason for revocation
1259 31 = signature target
1260 32 = embedded signature
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1266 100 to 110 = internal or user-defined
1268 An implementation SHOULD ignore any subpacket of a type that it does
1271 Bit 7 of the subpacket type is the "critical" bit. If set, it
1272 denotes that the subpacket is one that is critical for the evaluator
1273 of the signature to recognize. If a subpacket is encountered that
1274 is marked critical but is unknown to the evaluating software, the
1275 evaluator SHOULD consider the signature to be in error.
1277 An evaluator may "recognize" a subpacket, but not implement it. The
1278 purpose of the critical bit is to allow the signer to tell an
1279 evaluator that it would prefer a new, unknown feature to generate an
1280 error than be ignored.
1282 Implementations SHOULD implement "preferences" and the "reason for
1283 revocation" subpackets. Note, however, that if an implementation
1284 chooses not to implement some of the preferences, it is required to
1285 behave in a polite manner to respect the wishes of those users who
1286 do implement these preferences.
1288 5.2.3.2. Signature Subpacket Types
1290 A number of subpackets are currently defined. Some subpackets apply
1291 to the signature itself and some are attributes of the key.
1292 Subpackets that are found on a self-signature are placed on a
1293 certification made by the key itself. Note that a key may have more
1294 than one User ID, and thus may have more than one self-signature,
1295 and differing subpackets.
1297 A subpacket may be found either in the hashed or unhashed subpacket
1298 sections of a signature. If a subpacket is not hashed, then the
1299 information in it cannot be considered definitive because it is not
1300 part of the signature proper.
1302 5.2.3.3. Notes on Self-Signatures
1304 A self-signature is a binding signature made by the key the
1305 signature refers to. There are three types of self-signatures, the
1306 certification signatures (types 0x10-0x13), the direct-key signature
1307 (type 0x1f), and the subkey binding signature (type 0x18). For
1308 certification self-signatures, each User ID may have a
1309 self-signature, and thus different subpackets in those
1310 self-signatures. For subkey binding signatures, each subkey in fact
1311 has a self-signature. Subpackets that appear in a certification
1312 self-signature apply to the username, and subpackets that appear in
1313 the subkey self-signature apply to the subkey. Lastly, subpackets on
1314 the direct-key signature apply to the entire key.
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1322 Implementing software should interpret a self-signature's preference
1323 subpackets as narrowly as possible. For example, suppose a key has
1324 two usernames, Alice and Bob. Suppose that Alice prefers the
1325 symmetric algorithm CAST5, and Bob prefers IDEA or TripleDES. If the
1326 software locates this key via Alice's name, then the preferred
1327 algorithm is CAST5, if software locates the key via Bob's name, then
1328 the preferred algorithm is IDEA. If the key is located by key ID,
1329 the algorithm of the primary User ID of the key provides the default
1330 symmetric algorithm.
1332 Revoking a self-signature or allowing it to expire has a semantic
1333 meaning that varies with the signature type. Revoking the
1334 self-signature on a User ID effectively retires that user name. The
1335 self-signature is a statement, "My name X is tied to my signing key
1336 K" and is corroborated by other users' certifications. If another
1337 user revokes their certification, they are effectively saying that
1338 they no longer believe that name and that key are tied together.
1339 Similarly, if the user themselves revokes their self-signature, it
1340 means the user no longer goes by that name, no longer has that email
1341 address, etc. Revoking a binding signature effectively retires that
1342 subkey. Revoking a direct-key signature cancels that signature.
1343 Please see the "Reason for Revocation" subpacket below for more
1346 Since a self-signature contains important information about the
1347 key's use, an implementation SHOULD allow the user to rewrite the
1348 self-signature, and important information in it, such as preferences
1351 It is good practice to verify that a self-signature imported into an
1352 implementation doesn't advertise features that the implementation
1353 doesn't support, rewriting the signature as appropriate.
1355 An implementation that encounters multiple self-signatures on the
1356 same object may resolve the ambiguity in any way it sees fit, but it
1357 is RECOMMENDED that priority be given to the most recent
1360 5.2.3.4. Signature creation time
1362 (4 octet time field)
1364 The time the signature was made.
1366 MUST be present in the hashed area.
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1378 The OpenPGP key ID of the key issuing the signature.
1380 5.2.3.6. Key expiration time
1382 (4 octet time field)
1384 The validity period of the key. This is the number of seconds after
1385 the key creation time that the key expires. If this is not present
1386 or has a value of zero, the key never expires. This is found only on
1389 5.2.3.7. Preferred symmetric algorithms
1391 (sequence of one-octet values)
1393 Symmetric algorithm numbers that indicate which algorithms the key
1394 holder prefers to use. The subpacket body is an ordered list of
1395 octets with the most preferred listed first. It is assumed that only
1396 algorithms listed are supported by the recipient's software.
1397 Algorithm numbers in section 9. This is only found on a
1400 5.2.3.8. Preferred hash algorithms
1402 (array of one-octet values)
1404 Message digest algorithm numbers that indicate which algorithms the
1405 key holder prefers to receive. Like the preferred symmetric
1406 algorithms, the list is ordered. Algorithm numbers are in section 6.
1407 This is only found on a self-signature.
1409 5.2.3.9. Preferred compression algorithms
1411 (array of one-octet values)
1413 Compression algorithm numbers that indicate which algorithms the key
1414 holder prefers to use. Like the preferred symmetric algorithms, the
1415 list is ordered. Algorithm numbers are in section 6. If this
1416 subpacket is not included, ZIP is preferred. A zero denotes that
1417 uncompressed data is preferred; the key holder's software might have
1418 no compression software in that implementation. This is only found
1419 on a self-signature.
1421 5.2.3.10. Signature expiration time
1423 (4 octet time field)
1425 The validity period of the signature. This is the number of seconds
1426 after the signature creation time that the signature expires. If
1427 this is not present or has a value of zero, it never expires.
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1434 5.2.3.11. Exportable Certification
1436 (1 octet of exportability, 0 for not, 1 for exportable)
1438 This subpacket denotes whether a certification signature is
1439 "exportable," to be used by other users than the signature's issuer.
1440 The packet body contains a Boolean flag indicating whether the
1441 signature is exportable. If this packet is not present, the
1442 certification is exportable; it is equivalent to a flag containing a
1445 Non-exportable, or "local," certifications are signatures made by a
1446 user to mark a key as valid within that user's implementation only.
1447 Thus, when an implementation prepares a user's copy of a key for
1448 transport to another user (this is the process of "exporting" the
1449 key), any local certification signatures are deleted from the key.
1451 The receiver of a transported key "imports" it, and likewise trims
1452 any local certifications. In normal operation, there won't be any,
1453 assuming the import is performed on an exported key. However, there
1454 are instances where this can reasonably happen. For example, if an
1455 implementation allows keys to be imported from a key database in
1456 addition to an exported key, then this situation can arise.
1458 Some implementations do not represent the interest of a single user
1459 (for example, a key server). Such implementations always trim local
1460 certifications from any key they handle.
1464 (1 octet of revocability, 0 for not, 1 for revocable)
1466 Signature's revocability status. Packet body contains a Boolean
1467 flag indicating whether the signature is revocable. Signatures that
1468 are not revocable have any later revocation signatures ignored.
1469 They represent a commitment by the signer that he cannot revoke his
1470 signature for the life of his key. If this packet is not present,
1471 the signature is revocable.
1473 5.2.3.13. Trust signature
1475 (1 octet "level" (depth), 1 octet of trust amount)
1477 Signer asserts that the key is not only valid, but also trustworthy,
1478 at the specified level. Level 0 has the same meaning as an ordinary
1479 validity signature. Level 1 means that the signed key is asserted
1480 to be a valid trusted introducer, with the 2nd octet of the body
1481 specifying the degree of trust. Level 2 means that the signed key is
1482 asserted to be trusted to issue level 1 trust signatures, i.e. that
1483 it is a "meta introducer". Generally, a level n trust signature
1484 asserts that a key is trusted to issue level n-1 trust signatures.
1485 The trust amount is in a range from 0-255, interpreted such that
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1488 INTERNET-DRAFT OpenPGP Message Format Nov 23, 2004
1490 values less than 120 indicate partial trust and values of 120 or
1491 greater indicate complete trust. Implementations SHOULD emit values
1492 of 60 for partial trust and 120 for complete trust.
1494 5.2.3.14. Regular expression
1496 (null-terminated regular expression)
1498 Used in conjunction with trust signature packets (of level > 0) to
1499 limit the scope of trust that is extended. Only signatures by the
1500 target key on User IDs that match the regular expression in the body
1501 of this packet have trust extended by the trust signature subpacket.
1502 The regular expression uses the same syntax as the Henry Spencer's
1503 "almost public domain" regular expression package. A description of
1504 the syntax is found in a section below.
1506 5.2.3.15. Revocation key
1508 (1 octet of class, 1 octet of algid, 20 octets of fingerprint)
1510 Authorizes the specified key to issue revocation signatures for this
1511 key. Class octet must have bit 0x80 set. If the bit 0x40 is set,
1512 then this means that the revocation information is sensitive. Other
1513 bits are for future expansion to other kinds of authorizations. This
1514 is found on a self-signature.
1516 If the "sensitive" flag is set, the keyholder feels this subpacket
1517 contains private trust information that describes a real-world
1518 sensitive relationship. If this flag is set, implementations SHOULD
1519 NOT export this signature to other users except in cases where the
1520 data needs to be available: when the signature is being sent to the
1521 designated revoker, or when it is accompanied by a revocation
1522 signature from that revoker. Note that it may be appropriate to
1523 isolate this subpacket within a separate signature so that it is not
1524 combined with other subpackets that need to be exported.
1526 5.2.3.16. Notation Data
1528 (4 octets of flags, 2 octets of name length (M),
1529 2 octets of value length (N),
1530 M octets of name data,
1531 N octets of value data)
1533 This subpacket describes a "notation" on the signature that the
1534 issuer wishes to make. The notation has a name and a value, each of
1535 which are strings of octets. There may be more than one notation in
1536 a signature. Notations can be used for any extension the issuer of
1537 the signature cares to make. The "flags" field holds four octets of
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1546 All undefined flags MUST be zero. Defined flags are:
1548 First octet: 0x80 = human-readable. This note value is text, a
1549 note from one person to another, and need
1550 not have meaning to software.
1553 Notation names are arbitrary strings encoded in UTF-8. They reside
1554 two name spaces: The IETF name space and the user name space.
1556 The IETF name space is registered with IANA. These names MUST NOT
1557 contain the "@" character (0x40) is this is a tag for the user name
1560 Names in the user name space consist of a UTF-8 string tag followed
1561 by "@" followed by a DNS domain name. Note that the tag MUST NOT
1562 contain an "@" character. For example, the "sample" tag used by
1563 Example Corporation could be "sample@example.com".
1565 Names in a user space are owned and controlled by the owners of that
1566 domain. Obviously, it's of bad form to create a new name in a DNS
1567 space that you don't own.
1569 Since the user name space is in the form of an email address,
1570 implementers MAY wish to arrange for that address to reach a person
1571 who can be consulted about the use of the named tag. Note that due
1572 to UTF-8 encoding, not all valid user space name tags are valid
1575 5.2.3.17. Key server preferences
1579 This is a list of one-bit flags that indicate preferences that the
1580 key holder has about how the key is handled on a key server. All
1581 undefined flags MUST be zero.
1583 First octet: 0x80 = No-modify
1584 the key holder requests that this key only be modified or
1585 updated by the key holder or an administrator of the key server.
1587 This is found only on a self-signature.
1589 5.2.3.18. Preferred key server
1593 This is a URL of a key server that the key holder prefers be used
1594 for updates. Note that keys with multiple User IDs can have a
1595 preferred key server for each User ID. Note also that since this is
1596 a URL, the key server can actually be a copy of the key retrieved by
1597 ftp, http, finger, etc.
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1600 INTERNET-DRAFT OpenPGP Message Format Nov 23, 2004
1602 5.2.3.19. Primary User ID
1606 This is a flag in a User ID's self signature that states whether
1607 this User ID is the main User ID for this key. It is reasonable for
1608 an implementation to resolve ambiguities in preferences, etc. by
1609 referring to the primary User ID. If this flag is absent, its value
1610 is zero. If more than one User ID in a key is marked as primary, the
1611 implementation may resolve the ambiguity in any way it sees fit, but
1612 it is RECOMMENDED that priority be given to the User ID with the
1613 most recent self-signature.
1615 When appearing on a self-signature on a User ID packet, this
1616 subpacket applies only to User ID packets. When appearing on a
1617 self-signature on a User Attribute packet, this subpacket applies
1618 only to User Attribute packets. That is to say, there are two
1619 different and independent "primaries" - one for User IDs, and one
1620 for User Attributes.
1622 5.2.3.20. Policy URL
1626 This subpacket contains a URL of a document that describes the
1627 policy that the signature was issued under.
1633 This subpacket contains a list of binary flags that hold information
1634 about a key. It is a string of octets, and an implementation MUST
1635 NOT assume a fixed size. This is so it can grow over time. If a list
1636 is shorter than an implementation expects, the unstated flags are
1637 considered to be zero. The defined flags are:
1641 0x01 - This key may be used to certify other keys.
1643 0x02 - This key may be used to sign data.
1645 0x04 - This key may be used to encrypt communications.
1647 0x08 - This key may be used to encrypt storage.
1649 0x10 - The private component of this key may have been split by
1650 a secret-sharing mechanism.
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1658 0x20 - This key may be used for authentication.
1660 0x80 - The private component of this key may be in the
1661 possession of more than one person.
1665 The flags in this packet may appear in self-signatures or in
1666 certification signatures. They mean different things depending on
1667 who is making the statement -- for example, a certification
1668 signature that has the "sign data" flag is stating that the
1669 certification is for that use. On the other hand, the
1670 "communications encryption" flag in a self-signature is stating a
1671 preference that a given key be used for communications. Note
1672 however, that it is a thorny issue to determine what is
1673 "communications" and what is "storage." This decision is left wholly
1674 up to the implementation; the authors of this document do not claim
1675 any special wisdom on the issue, and realize that accepted opinion
1678 The "split key" (0x10) and "group key" (0x80) flags are placed on a
1679 self-signature only; they are meaningless on a certification
1680 signature. They SHOULD be placed only on a direct-key signature
1681 (type 0x1f) or a subkey signature (type 0x18), one that refers to
1682 the key the flag applies to.
1684 5.2.3.22. Signer's User ID
1688 This subpacket allows a keyholder to state which User ID is
1689 responsible for the signing. Many keyholders use a single key for
1690 different purposes, such as business communications as well as
1691 personal communications. This subpacket allows such a keyholder to
1692 state which of their roles is making a signature.
1694 This subpacket is not appropriate to use to refer to a User
1697 5.2.3.23. Reason for Revocation
1699 (1 octet of revocation code, N octets of reason string)
1701 This subpacket is used only in key revocation and certification
1702 revocation signatures. It describes the reason why the key or
1703 certificate was revoked.
1705 The first octet contains a machine-readable code that denotes the
1706 reason for the revocation:
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1714 0x00 - No reason specified (key revocations or cert revocations)
1715 0x01 - Key is superceded (key revocations)
1716 0x02 - Key material has been compromised (key revocations)
1717 0x03 - Key is retired and no longer used (key revocations)
1718 0x20 - User ID information is no longer valid (cert revocations)
1720 Following the revocation code is a string of octets which gives
1721 information about the reason for revocation in human-readable form
1722 (UTF-8). The string may be null, that is, of zero length. The length
1723 of the subpacket is the length of the reason string plus one.
1725 An implementation SHOULD implement this subpacket, include it in all
1726 revocation signatures, and interpret revocations appropriately.
1727 There are important semantic differences between the reasons, and
1728 there are thus important reasons for revoking signatures.
1730 If a key has been revoked because of a compromise, all signatures
1731 created by that key are suspect. However, if it was merely
1732 superceded or retired, old signatures are still valid. If the
1733 revoked signature is the self-signature for certifying a User ID, a
1734 revocation denotes that that user name is no longer in use. Such a
1735 revocation SHOULD include an 0x20 subpacket.
1737 Note that any signature may be revoked, including a certification on
1738 some other person's key. There are many good reasons for revoking a
1739 certification signature, such as the case where the keyholder leaves
1740 the employ of a business with an email address. A revoked
1741 certification is no longer a part of validity calculations.
1747 The features subpacket denotes which advanced OpenPGP features a
1748 user's implementation supports. This is so that as features are
1749 added to OpenPGP that cannot be backwards-compatible, a user can
1750 state that they can use that feature. The flags are single bits that
1751 indicate that a given feature is supported.
1753 This subpacket is similar to a preferences subpacket, and only
1754 appears in a self-signature.
1756 An implementation SHOULD NOT use a feature listed when sending to a
1757 user who does not state that they can use it.
1759 Defined features are:
1763 0x01 - Modification Detection (packets 18 and 19)
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1770 If an implementation implements any of the defined features, it
1771 SHOULD implement the features subpacket, too.
1773 An implementation may freely infer features from other suitable
1774 implementation-dependent mechanisms.
1776 5.2.3.25. Signature Target
1778 (1 octet PK algorithm, 1 octet hash algorithm, N octets hash)
1780 This subpacket identifies a specific target signature that a
1781 signature refers to. For revocation signatures, this subpacket
1782 provides explicit designation of which signature is being revoked.
1783 For a third-party or timestamp signature, this designates what
1784 signature is signed. All arguments are an identifier of that target
1787 The N octets of hash data MUST be the size of the hash of the
1788 signature. For example, a target signature with a SHA-1 hash MUST
1789 have 20 octets of hash data.
1791 5.2.3.26. Embedded Signature
1793 (1 signature packet body)
1795 This subpacket contains a complete signature packet body as
1796 specified in section 5.2 above. It is useful when one signature
1797 needs to refer to, or be incorporated in, another signature.
1799 5.2.4. Computing Signatures
1801 All signatures are formed by producing a hash over the signature
1802 data, and then using the resulting hash in the signature algorithm.
1804 The signature data is simple to compute for document signatures
1805 (types 0x00 and 0x01), for which the document itself is the data.
1806 For standalone signatures, this is a null string.
1808 When a signature is made over a key, the hash data starts with the
1809 octet 0x99, followed by a two-octet length of the key, and then body
1810 of the key packet. (Note that this is an old-style packet header for
1811 a key packet with two-octet length.) A subkey binding signature
1812 (type 0x18) or primary key binding signature (type 0x19) then hashes
1813 the subkey using the same format as the main key (also using 0x99 as
1814 the first octet). Key revocation signatures (types 0x20 and 0x28)
1815 hash only the key being revoked.
1817 When a signature is made over a signature packet, the hash data
1818 starts with the octet 0x88, followed by the four-octet length of the
1819 signature, and then the body of the signature packet. The unhashed
1820 subpacket data of the signature packet being hashed is not included
1821 in the hash and the unhashed subpacket data length value is set to
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1826 zero. (Note that this is an old-style packet header for a signature
1827 packet with the length-of-length set to zero).
1829 A certification signature (type 0x10 through 0x13) hashes the User
1830 ID being bound to the key into the hash context after the above
1831 data. A V3 certification hashes the contents of the User ID or
1832 attribute packet packet, without any header. A V4 certification
1833 hashes the constant 0xb4 for User ID certifications or the constant
1834 0xd1 for User Attribute certifications, followed by a four-octet
1835 number giving the length of the User ID or User Attribute data, and
1836 then the User ID or User Attribute data.
1838 Once the data body is hashed, then a trailer is hashed. A V3
1839 signature hashes five octets of the packet body, starting from the
1840 signature type field. This data is the signature type, followed by
1841 the four-octet signature time. A V4 signature hashes the packet body
1842 starting from its first field, the version number, through the end
1843 of the hashed subpacket data. Thus, the fields hashed are the
1844 signature version, the signature type, the public key algorithm, the
1845 hash algorithm, the hashed subpacket length, and the hashed
1848 V4 signatures also hash in a final trailer of six octets: the
1849 version of the signature packet, i.e. 0x04; 0xFF; a four-octet,
1850 big-endian number that is the length of the hashed data from the
1851 signature packet (note that this number does not include these final
1854 After all this has been hashed in a single hash context the
1855 resulting hash field is used in the signature algorithm, and placed
1856 at the end of the signature packet.
1858 5.2.4.1. Signature Algorithms
1860 5.2.4.1.1. DSA Signatures
1862 A DSA signature is performed as specified in [FIPS-186-2] on the
1863 value of the hash, calculated as above.
1865 DSA signatures MUST use hashes with a size of 160 bits, to match q,
1866 the size of the group generated by the DSA key's generator value.
1867 The hash function result is treated as a 160 bit number and used
1868 directly in the DSA signature algorithm.
1870 5.2.4.1.2. RSA Signatures
1872 With RSA signatures, the hash value is encoded as described in
1873 PKCS #1 section 9.2.1 encoded using PKCS #1 encoding type
1874 EMSA-PKCS1-v1_5 [RFC2437]. This requires inserting the hash value
1875 as an octet string into an ASN.1 structure. The object identifier
1876 for the type of hash being used is included in the structure.
1880 - MD5: 1.2.840.113549.2.5
1882 - RIPEMD-160: 1.3.36.3.2.1
1884 - SHA-1: 1.3.14.3.2.26
1886 - SHA256: 2.16.840.1.101.3.4.2.1
1888 - SHA384: 2.16.840.1.101.3.4.2.2
1890 - SHA512: 2.16.840.1.101.3.4.2.3
1892 In practice this amounts to prefixing the hash with one of the
1893 following, then padding as described in PKCS #1:
1895 MD5: 0x30, 0x20, 0x30, 0x0C, 0x06, 0x08, 0x2A, 0x86,
1896 0x48, 0x86, 0xF7, 0x0D, 0x02, 0x05, 0x05, 0x00,
1899 RIPEMD-160: 0x30, 0x21, 0x30, 0x09, 0x06, 0x05, 0x2B, 0x24,
1900 0x03, 0x02, 0x01, 0x05, 0x00, 0x04, 0x14
1902 SHA-1: 0x30, 0x21, 0x30, 0x09, 0x06, 0x05, 0x2b, 0x0E,
1903 0x03, 0x02, 0x1A, 0x05, 0x00, 0x04, 0x14
1905 SHA256: 0x30, 0x31, 0x30, 0x0d, 0x06, 0x09, 0x60, 0x86,
1906 0x48, 0x01, 0x65, 0x03, 0x04, 0x02, 0x01, 0x05,
1909 SHA384: 0x30, 0x41, 0x30, 0x0d, 0x06, 0x09, 0x60, 0x86,
1910 0x48, 0x01, 0x65, 0x03, 0x04, 0x02, 0x02, 0x05,
1913 SHA512: 0x30, 0x51, 0x30, 0x0d, 0x06, 0x09, 0x60, 0x86,
1914 0x48, 0x01, 0x65, 0x03, 0x04, 0x02, 0x03, 0x05,
1917 The value emLen needed for the padding is equal to the length in
1918 bytes of the RSA public modulus, n.
1920 Once the hash has been encoded and padded, the resulting string is
1921 encrypted with the RSA private key as described in [RSA].
1923 5.2.4.2. Subpacket Hints
1925 It is certainly possible for a signature to contain conflicting
1926 information in subpackets. For example, a signature may contain
1927 multiple copies of a preference or multiple expiration times. In
1928 most cases, an implementation SHOULD use the last subpacket in the
1929 signature, but MAY use any conflict resolution scheme that makes
1930 more sense. Please note that we are intentionally leaving conflict
1931 resolution to the implementer; most conflicts are simply syntax
1932 errors, and the wishy-washy language here allows a receiver to be
1933 generous in what they accept, while putting pressure on a creator to
1934 be stingy in what they generate.
1936 Some apparent conflicts may actually make sense -- for example,
1937 suppose a keyholder has an V3 key and a V4 key that share the same
1938 RSA key material. Either of these keys can verify a signature
1939 created by the other, and it may be reasonable for a signature to
1940 contain an issuer subpacket for each key, as a way of explicitly
1941 tying those keys to the signature.
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1945 INTERNET-DRAFT OpenPGP Message Format Nov 23, 2004
1947 5.3. Symmetric-Key Encrypted Session Key Packets (Tag 3)
1949 The Symmetric-Key Encrypted Session Key packet holds the
1950 symmetric-key encryption of a session key used to encrypt a message.
1951 Zero or more Encrypted Session Key packets and/or Symmetric-Key
1952 Encrypted Session Key packets may precede a Symmetrically Encrypted
1953 Data Packet that holds an encrypted message. The message is
1954 encrypted with a session key, and the session key is itself
1955 encrypted and stored in the Encrypted Session Key packet or the
1956 Symmetric-Key Encrypted Session Key packet.
1958 If the Symmetrically Encrypted Data Packet is preceded by one or
1959 more Symmetric-Key Encrypted Session Key packets, each specifies a
1960 passphrase that may be used to decrypt the message. This allows a
1961 message to be encrypted to a number of public keys, and also to one
1962 or more pass phrases. This packet type is new, and is not generated
1963 by PGP 2.x or PGP 5.0.
1965 The body of this packet consists of:
1967 - A one-octet version number. The only currently defined version
1970 - A one-octet number describing the symmetric algorithm used.
1972 - A string-to-key (S2K) specifier, length as defined above.
1974 - Optionally, the encrypted session key itself, which is decrypted
1975 with the string-to-key object.
1977 If the encrypted session key is not present (which can be detected
1978 on the basis of packet length and S2K specifier size), then the S2K
1979 algorithm applied to the passphrase produces the session key for
1980 decrypting the file, using the symmetric cipher algorithm from the
1981 Symmetric-Key Encrypted Session Key packet.
1983 If the encrypted session key is present, the result of applying the
1984 S2K algorithm to the passphrase is used to decrypt just that
1985 encrypted session key field, using CFB mode with an IV of all zeros.
1986 The decryption result consists of a one-octet algorithm identifier
1987 that specifies the symmetric-key encryption algorithm used to
1988 encrypt the following Symmetrically Encrypted Data Packet, followed
1989 by the session key octets themselves.
1991 Note: because an all-zero IV is used for this decryption, the S2K
1992 specifier MUST use a salt value, either a Salted S2K or an
1993 Iterated-Salted S2K. The salt value will insure that the decryption
1994 key is not repeated even if the passphrase is reused.
1996 5.4. One-Pass Signature Packets (Tag 4)
1998 The One-Pass Signature packet precedes the signed data and contains
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2001 INTERNET-DRAFT OpenPGP Message Format Nov 23, 2004
2003 enough information to allow the receiver to begin calculating any
2004 hashes needed to verify the signature. It allows the Signature
2005 Packet to be placed at the end of the message, so that the signer
2006 can compute the entire signed message in one pass.
2008 A One-Pass Signature does not interoperate with PGP 2.6.x or
2011 The body of this packet consists of:
2013 - A one-octet version number. The current version is 3.
2015 - A one-octet signature type. Signature types are described in
2018 - A one-octet number describing the hash algorithm used.
2020 - A one-octet number describing the public key algorithm used.
2022 - An eight-octet number holding the key ID of the signing key.
2024 - A one-octet number holding a flag showing whether the signature
2025 is nested. A zero value indicates that the next packet is
2026 another One-Pass Signature packet that describes another
2027 signature to be applied to the same message data.
2029 Note that if a message contains more than one one-pass signature,
2030 then the signature packets bracket the message; that is, the first
2031 signature packet after the message corresponds to the last one-pass
2032 packet and the final signature packet corresponds to the first
2035 5.5. Key Material Packet
2037 A key material packet contains all the information about a public or
2038 private key. There are four variants of this packet type, and two
2039 major versions. Consequently, this section is complex.
2041 5.5.1. Key Packet Variants
2043 5.5.1.1. Public Key Packet (Tag 6)
2045 A Public Key packet starts a series of packets that forms an OpenPGP
2046 key (sometimes called an OpenPGP certificate).
2048 5.5.1.2. Public Subkey Packet (Tag 14)
2050 A Public Subkey packet (tag 14) has exactly the same format as a
2051 Public Key packet, but denotes a subkey. One or more subkeys may be
2052 associated with a top-level key. By convention, the top-level key
2053 provides signature services, and the subkeys provide encryption
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2057 INTERNET-DRAFT OpenPGP Message Format Nov 23, 2004
2059 Note: in PGP 2.6.x, tag 14 was intended to indicate a comment
2060 packet. This tag was selected for reuse because no previous version
2061 of PGP ever emitted comment packets but they did properly ignore
2062 them. Public Subkey packets are ignored by PGP 2.6.x and do not
2063 cause it to fail, providing a limited degree of backward
2066 5.5.1.3. Secret Key Packet (Tag 5)
2068 A Secret Key packet contains all the information that is found in a
2069 Public Key packet, including the public key material, but also
2070 includes the secret key material after all the public key fields.
2072 5.5.1.4. Secret Subkey Packet (Tag 7)
2074 A Secret Subkey packet (tag 7) is the subkey analog of the Secret
2075 Key packet, and has exactly the same format.
2077 5.5.2. Public Key Packet Formats
2079 There are two versions of key-material packets. Version 3 packets
2080 were first generated by PGP 2.6. Version 4 keys first appeared in
2081 PGP 5.0, and are the preferred key version for OpenPGP.
2083 OpenPGP implementations SHOULD create keys with version 4 format. V3
2084 keys are deprecated; an implementation SHOULD NOT generate a V3 key,
2085 but MAY accept it. An implementation MUST NOT create a V3 key with a
2086 public key algorithm other than RSA.
2088 A version 3 public key or public subkey packet contains:
2090 - A one-octet version number (3).
2092 - A four-octet number denoting the time that the key was created.
2094 - A two-octet number denoting the time in days that this key is
2095 valid. If this number is zero, then it does not expire.
2097 - A one-octet number denoting the public key algorithm of this key
2099 - A series of multiprecision integers comprising the key material:
2101 - a multiprecision integer (MPI) of RSA public modulus n;
2103 - an MPI of RSA public encryption exponent e.
2105 V3 keys are deprecated. They contain three weaknesses in them.
2106 First, it is relatively easy to construct a V3 key that has the same
2107 key ID as any other key because the key ID is simply the low 64 bits
2108 of the public modulus. Secondly, because the fingerprint of a V3 key
2109 hashes the key material, but not its length, there is an increased
2110 opportunity for fingerprint collisions. Third, there are minor
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2113 INTERNET-DRAFT OpenPGP Message Format Nov 23, 2004
2115 weaknesses in the MD5 hash algorithm that make developers prefer
2116 other algorithms. See below for a fuller discussion of key IDs and
2119 The version 4 format is similar to the version 3 format except for
2120 the absence of a validity period. This has been moved to the
2121 signature packet. In addition, fingerprints of version 4 keys are
2122 calculated differently from version 3 keys, as described in section
2123 "Enhanced Key Formats."
2125 A version 4 packet contains:
2127 - A one-octet version number (4).
2129 - A four-octet number denoting the time that the key was created.
2131 - A one-octet number denoting the public key algorithm of this key
2133 - A series of multiprecision integers comprising the key material.
2134 This algorithm-specific portion is:
2136 Algorithm Specific Fields for RSA public keys:
2138 - multiprecision integer (MPI) of RSA public modulus n;
2140 - MPI of RSA public encryption exponent e.
2142 Algorithm Specific Fields for DSA public keys:
2144 - MPI of DSA prime p;
2146 - MPI of DSA group order q (q is a prime divisor of p-1);
2148 - MPI of DSA group generator g;
2150 - MPI of DSA public key value y (= g**x mod p where x is
2153 Algorithm Specific Fields for Elgamal public keys:
2155 - MPI of Elgamal prime p;
2157 - MPI of Elgamal group generator g;
2159 - MPI of Elgamal public key value y (= g**x mod p where x is
2162 5.5.3. Secret Key Packet Formats
2164 The Secret Key and Secret Subkey packets contain all the data of the
2165 Public Key and Public Subkey packets, with additional
2166 algorithm-specific secret key data appended, usually in encrypted
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2169 INTERNET-DRAFT OpenPGP Message Format Nov 23, 2004
2173 The packet contains:
2175 - A Public Key or Public Subkey packet, as described above
2177 - One octet indicating string-to-key usage conventions. Zero
2178 indicates that the secret key data is not encrypted. 255 or 254
2179 indicates that a string-to-key specifier is being given. Any
2180 other value is a symmetric-key encryption algorithm identifier.
2182 - [Optional] If string-to-key usage octet was 255 or 254, a
2183 one-octet symmetric encryption algorithm.
2185 - [Optional] If string-to-key usage octet was 255 or 254, a
2186 string-to-key specifier. The length of the string-to-key
2187 specifier is implied by its type, as described above.
2189 - [Optional] If secret data is encrypted (string-to-key usage
2190 octet not zero), an Initial Vector (IV) of the same length as
2191 the cipher's block size.
2193 - Plain or encrypted multiprecision integers comprising the secret
2194 key data. These algorithm-specific fields are as described
2197 - If the string-to-key usage octet is zero or 255, then a
2198 two-octet checksum of the plaintext of the algorithm-specific
2199 portion (sum of all octets, mod 65536). If the string-to-key
2200 usage octet was 254, then a 20-octet SHA-1 hash of the plaintext
2201 of the algorithm-specific portion. This checksum or hash is
2202 encrypted together with the algorithm-specific fields (if
2203 string-to-key usage octet is not zero). Note that for all other
2204 values, a two-octet checksum is required.
2206 Algorithm Specific Fields for RSA secret keys:
2208 - multiprecision integer (MPI) of RSA secret exponent d.
2210 - MPI of RSA secret prime value p.
2212 - MPI of RSA secret prime value q (p < q).
2214 - MPI of u, the multiplicative inverse of p, mod q.
2216 Algorithm Specific Fields for DSA secret keys:
2218 - MPI of DSA secret exponent x.
2220 Algorithm Specific Fields for Elgamal secret keys:
2224 Callas, et al. Expires May 23, 2005 [Page 40]
2225 INTERNET-DRAFT OpenPGP Message Format Nov 23, 2004
2227 - MPI of Elgamal secret exponent x.
2229 Secret MPI values can be encrypted using a passphrase. If a
2230 string-to-key specifier is given, that describes the algorithm for
2231 converting the passphrase to a key, else a simple MD5 hash of the
2232 passphrase is used. Implementations MUST use a string-to-key
2233 specifier; the simple hash is for backward compatibility and is
2234 deprecated, though implementations MAY continue to use existing
2235 private keys in the old format. The cipher for encrypting the MPIs
2236 is specified in the secret key packet.
2238 Encryption/decryption of the secret data is done in CFB mode using
2239 the key created from the passphrase and the Initial Vector from the
2240 packet. A different mode is used with V3 keys (which are only RSA)
2241 than with other key formats. With V3 keys, the MPI bit count prefix
2242 (i.e., the first two octets) is not encrypted. Only the MPI
2243 non-prefix data is encrypted. Furthermore, the CFB state is
2244 resynchronized at the beginning of each new MPI value, so that the
2245 CFB block boundary is aligned with the start of the MPI data.
2247 With V4 keys, a simpler method is used. All secret MPI values are
2248 encrypted in CFB mode, including the MPI bitcount prefix.
2250 The two-octet checksum that follows the algorithm-specific portion
2251 is the algebraic sum, mod 65536, of the plaintext of all the
2252 algorithm-specific octets (including MPI prefix and data). With V3
2253 keys, the checksum is stored in the clear. With V4 keys, the
2254 checksum is encrypted like the algorithm-specific data. This value
2255 is used to check that the passphrase was correct. However, this
2256 checksum is deprecated; an implementation SHOULD NOT use it, but
2257 should rather use the SHA-1 hash denoted with a usage octet of 254.
2258 The reason for this is that there are some attacks on the private
2259 key that can undetectably modify the secret key. Using a SHA-1 hash
2262 5.6. Compressed Data Packet (Tag 8)
2264 The Compressed Data packet contains compressed data. Typically, this
2265 packet is found as the contents of an encrypted packet, or following
2266 a Signature or One-Pass Signature packet, and contains literal data
2269 The body of this packet consists of:
2271 - One octet that gives the algorithm used to compress the packet.
2273 - The remainder of the packet is compressed data.
2275 A Compressed Data Packet's body contains an block that compresses
2276 some set of packets. See section "Packet Composition" for details on
2277 how messages are formed.
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2283 ZIP-compressed packets are compressed with raw RFC1951 DEFLATE
2284 blocks. Note that PGP V2.6 uses 13 bits of compression. If an
2285 implementation uses more bits of compression, PGP V2.6 cannot
2288 ZLIB-compressed packets are compressed with RFC1950 ZLIB-style
2291 5.7. Symmetrically Encrypted Data Packet (Tag 9)
2293 The Symmetrically Encrypted Data packet contains data encrypted with
2294 a symmetric-key algorithm. When it has been decrypted, it contains
2295 other packets (usually literal data packets or compressed data
2296 packets, but in theory other Symmetrically Encrypted Data Packets or
2297 sequences of packets that form whole OpenPGP messages).
2299 The body of this packet consists of:
2301 - Encrypted data, the output of the selected symmetric-key cipher
2302 operating in PGP's variant of Cipher Feedback (CFB) mode.
2304 The symmetric cipher used may be specified in an Public-Key or
2305 Symmetric-Key Encrypted Session Key packet that precedes the
2306 Symmetrically Encrypted Data Packet. In that case, the cipher
2307 algorithm octet is prefixed to the session key before it is
2308 encrypted. If no packets of these types precede the encrypted data,
2309 the IDEA algorithm is used with the session key calculated as the
2310 MD5 hash of the passphrase, though this use is deprecated.
2312 The data is encrypted in CFB mode, with a CFB shift size equal to
2313 the cipher's block size. The Initial Vector (IV) is specified as
2314 all zeros. Instead of using an IV, OpenPGP prefixes a string of
2315 length equal to the block size of the cipher plus two to the data
2316 before it is encrypted. The first block-size octets (for example, 8
2317 octets for a 64-bit block length) are random, and the following two
2318 octets are copies of the last two octets of the IV. For example, in
2319 an 8 octet block, octet 9 is a repeat of octet 7, and octet 10 is a
2320 repeat of octet 8. In a cipher of length 16, octet 17 is a repeat of
2321 octet 15 and octet 18 is a repeat of octet 16. As a pedantic
2322 clarification, in both these examples, we consider the first octet
2325 After encrypting the first block-size-plus-two octets, the CFB state
2326 is resynchronized. The last block-size octets of ciphertext are
2327 passed through the cipher and the block boundary is reset.
2329 The repetition of 16 bits in the random data prefixed to the message
2330 allows the receiver to immediately check whether the session key is
2336 Callas, et al. Expires May 23, 2005 [Page 42]
2337 INTERNET-DRAFT OpenPGP Message Format Nov 23, 2004
2339 5.8. Marker Packet (Obsolete Literal Packet) (Tag 10)
2341 An experimental version of PGP used this packet as the Literal
2342 packet, but no released version of PGP generated Literal packets
2343 with this tag. With PGP 5.x, this packet has been re-assigned and is
2344 reserved for use as the Marker packet.
2346 The body of this packet consists of:
2348 - The three octets 0x50, 0x47, 0x50 (which spell "PGP" in UTF-8).
2350 Such a packet MUST be ignored when received. It may be placed at
2351 the beginning of a message that uses features not available in PGP
2352 2.6.x in order to cause that version to report that newer software
2353 is necessary to process the message.
2355 5.9. Literal Data Packet (Tag 11)
2357 A Literal Data packet contains the body of a message; data that is
2358 not to be further interpreted.
2360 The body of this packet consists of:
2362 - A one-octet field that describes how the data is formatted.
2364 If it is a 'b' (0x62), then the literal packet contains binary data.
2365 If it is a 't' (0x74), then it contains text data, and thus may need
2366 line ends converted to local form, or other text-mode changes. The
2367 tag 'u' (0x75) means the same as 't', but also indicates that
2368 implementation believes that the literal data contains UTF-8 text.
2370 Early versions of PGP also defined a value of 'l' as a 'local' mode
2371 for machine-local conversions. RFC 1991 incorrectly stated this
2372 local mode flag as '1' (ASCII numeral one). Both of these local
2373 modes are deprecated.
2375 - File name as a string (one-octet length, followed by file name),
2376 if the encrypted data should be saved as a file.
2378 If the special name "_CONSOLE" is used, the message is considered to
2379 be "for your eyes only". This advises that the message data is
2380 unusually sensitive, and the receiving program should process it
2381 more carefully, perhaps avoiding storing the received data to disk,
2384 - A four-octet number that indicates the modification date of the
2385 file, or the creation time of the packet, or a zero that
2386 indicates the present time.
2388 - The remainder of the packet is literal data.
2392 Callas, et al. Expires May 23, 2005 [Page 43]
2393 INTERNET-DRAFT OpenPGP Message Format Nov 23, 2004
2395 Text data is stored with <CR><LF> text endings (i.e. network-normal
2396 line endings). These should be converted to native line endings by
2397 the receiving software.
2399 5.10. Trust Packet (Tag 12)
2401 The Trust packet is used only within keyrings and is not normally
2402 exported. Trust packets contain data that record the user's
2403 specifications of which key holders are trustworthy introducers,
2404 along with other information that implementing software uses for
2405 trust information. The format of trust packets is defined by a given
2408 Trust packets SHOULD NOT be emitted to output streams that are
2409 transferred to other users, and they SHOULD be ignored on any input
2410 other than local keyring files.
2412 5.11. User ID Packet (Tag 13)
2414 A User ID packet consists of UTF-8 text that is intended to
2415 represent the name and email address of the key holder. By
2416 convention, it includes an RFC822 mail name, but there are no
2417 restrictions on its content. The packet length in the header
2418 specifies the length of the User ID.
2420 5.12. User Attribute Packet (Tag 17)
2422 The User Attribute packet is a variation of the User ID packet. It
2423 is capable of storing more types of data than the User ID packet
2424 which is limited to text. Like the User ID packet, a User Attribute
2425 packet may be certified by the key owner ("self-signed") or any
2426 other key owner who cares to certify it. Except as noted, a User
2427 Attribute packet may be used anywhere that a User ID packet may be
2430 While User Attribute packets are not a required part of the OpenPGP
2431 standard, implementations SHOULD provide at least enough
2432 compatibility to properly handle a certification signature on the
2433 User Attribute packet. A simple way to do this is by treating the
2434 User Attribute packet as a User ID packet with opaque contents, but
2435 an implementation may use any method desired.
2437 The User Attribute packet is made up of one or more attribute
2438 subpackets. Each subpacket consists of a subpacket header and a
2439 body. The header consists of:
2441 - the subpacket length (1, 2, or 5 octets)
2443 - the subpacket type (1 octet)
2448 Callas, et al. Expires May 23, 2005 [Page 44]
2449 INTERNET-DRAFT OpenPGP Message Format Nov 23, 2004
2451 and is followed by the subpacket specific data.
2453 The only currently defined subpacket type is 1, signifying an image.
2454 An implementation SHOULD ignore any subpacket of a type that it does
2455 not recognize. Subpacket types 100 through 110 are reserved for
2456 private or experimental use.
2458 5.12.1. The Image Attribute Subpacket
2460 The image attribute subpacket is used to encode an image, presumably
2461 (but not required to be) that of the key owner.
2463 The image attribute subpacket begins with an image header. The
2464 first two octets of the image header contain the length of the image
2465 header. Note that unlike other multi-octet numerical values in this
2466 document, due to an historical accident this value is encoded as a
2467 little-endian number. The image header length is followed by a
2468 single octet for the image header version. The only currently
2469 defined version of the image header is 1, which is a 16 octet image
2470 header. The first three octets of a version 1 image header are thus
2473 The fourth octet of a version 1 image header designates the encoding
2474 format of the image. The only currently defined encoding format is
2475 the value 1 to indicate JPEG. Image format types 100 through 110
2476 are reserved for private or experimental use. The rest of the
2477 version 1 image header is made up of 12 reserved octets, all of
2478 which MUST be set to 0.
2480 The rest of the image subpacket contains the image itself. As the
2481 only currently defined image type is JPEG, the image is encoded in
2482 the JPEG File Interchange Format (JFIF), a standard file format for
2485 An implementation MAY try and determine the type of an image by
2486 examination of the image data if it is unable to handle a particular
2487 version of the image header or if a specified encoding format value
2490 5.13. Sym. Encrypted Integrity Protected Data Packet (Tag 18)
2492 The Symmetrically Encrypted Integrity Protected Data Packet is a
2493 variant of the Symmetrically Encrypted Data Packet. It is a new
2494 feature created for OpenPGP that addresses the problem of detecting
2495 a modification to encrypted data. It is used in combination with a
2496 Modification Detection Code Packet.
2498 There is a corresponding feature in the features signature subpacket
2499 that denotes that an implementation can properly use this packet
2500 type. An implementation MUST support decrypting these packets and
2501 SHOULD prefer generating them to the older Symmetrically Encrypted
2502 Data Packet when possible. Since this data packet protects against
2504 Callas, et al. Expires May 23, 2005 [Page 45]
2505 INTERNET-DRAFT OpenPGP Message Format Nov 23, 2004
2507 modification attacks, this standard encourages its proliferation.
2508 While blanket adoption of this data packet would create
2509 interoperability problems, rapid adoption is nevertheless important.
2510 An implementation SHOULD specifically denote support for this
2511 packet, but it MAY infer it from other mechanisms.
2513 For example, an implementation might infer from the use of a cipher
2514 such as AES or Twofish that a user supports this feature. It might
2515 place in the unhashed portion of another user's key signature a
2516 features subpacket. It might also present a user with an opportunity
2517 to regenerate their own self-signature with a features subpacket.
2519 This packet contains data encrypted with a symmetric-key algorithm
2520 and protected against modification by the SHA-1 hash algorithm. When
2521 it has been decrypted, it will typically contain other packets
2522 (often literal data packets or compressed data packets). The last
2523 decrypted packet in this packet's payload MUST be a Modification
2524 Detection Code packet.
2526 The body of this packet consists of:
2528 - A one-octet version number. The only currently defined value is
2531 - Encrypted data, the output of the selected symmetric-key cipher
2532 operating in Cipher Feedback mode with shift amount equal to the
2533 block size of the cipher (CFB-n where n is the block size).
2535 The symmetric cipher used MUST be specified in a Public-Key or
2536 Symmetric-Key Encrypted Session Key packet that precedes the
2537 Symmetrically Encrypted Data Packet. In either case, the cipher
2538 algorithm octet is prefixed to the session key before it is
2541 The data is encrypted in CFB mode, with a CFB shift size equal to
2542 the cipher's block size. The Initial Vector (IV) is specified as
2543 all zeros. Instead of using an IV, OpenPGP prefixes an octet string
2544 to the data before it is encrypted. The length of the octet string
2545 equals the block size of the cipher in octets, plus two. The first
2546 octets in the group, of length equal to the block size of the
2547 cipher, are random; the last two octets are each copies of their 2nd
2548 preceding octet. For example, with a cipher whose block size is 128
2549 bits or 16 octets, the prefix data will contain 16 random octets,
2550 then two more octets, which are copies of the 15th and 16th octets,
2551 respectively. Unlike the Symmetrically Encrypted Data Packet, no
2552 special CFB resynchronization is done after encrypting this prefix
2553 data. See OpenPGP CFB Mode below for more details.
2555 The repetition of 16 bits in the random data prefixed to the message
2556 allows the receiver to immediately check whether the session key is
2560 Callas, et al. Expires May 23, 2005 [Page 46]
2561 INTERNET-DRAFT OpenPGP Message Format Nov 23, 2004
2563 The plaintext of the data to be encrypted is passed through the
2564 SHA-1 hash function, and the result of the hash is appended to the
2565 plaintext in a Modification Detection Code packet. The input to the
2566 hash function includes the prefix data described above; it includes
2567 all of the plaintext, and then also includes two octets of values
2568 0xD3, 0x14. These represent the encoding of a Modification
2569 Detection Code packet tag and length field of 20 octets.
2571 The resulting hash value is stored in a Modification Detection Code
2572 packet which MUST use the two octet encoding just given to represent
2573 its tag and length field. The body of the MDC packet is the 20
2574 octet output of the SHA-1 hash.
2576 The Modification Detection Code packet is appended to the plaintext
2577 and encrypted along with the plaintext using the same CFB context.
2579 During decryption, the plaintext data should be hashed with SHA-1,
2580 including the prefix data as well as the packet tag and length field
2581 of the Modification Detection Code packet. The body of the MDC
2582 packet, upon decryption, is compared with the result of the SHA-1
2585 Any failure of the MDC indicates that the message has been modified
2586 and MUST be treated as a security problem. Failures include a
2587 difference in the hash values, but also the absence of an MDC
2588 packet, or an MDC packet in any position other than the end of the
2589 plaintext. Any failure SHOULD be reported to the user.
2591 Note: future designs of new versions of this packet should consider
2592 rollback attacks since it will be possible for an attacker to change
2593 the version back to 1.
2595 5.14. Modification Detection Code Packet (Tag 19)
2597 The Modification Detection Code packet contains a SHA-1 hash of
2598 plaintext data which is used to detect message modification. It is
2599 only used with a Symmetrically Encrypted Integrity Protected Data
2600 packet. The Modification Detection Code packet MUST be the last
2601 packet in the plaintext data which is encrypted in the Symmetrically
2602 Encrypted Integrity Protected Data packet, and MUST appear in no
2605 A Modification Detection Code packet MUST have a length of 20
2608 The body of this packet consists of:
2610 - A 20-octet SHA-1 hash of the preceding plaintext data of the
2611 Symmetrically Encrypted Integrity Protected Data packet,
2612 including prefix data, the tag octet, and length octet of the
2613 Modification Detection Code packet.
2616 Callas, et al. Expires May 23, 2005 [Page 47]
2617 INTERNET-DRAFT OpenPGP Message Format Nov 23, 2004
2619 Note that the Modification Detection Code packet MUST always use a
2620 new-format encoding of the packet tag, and a one-octet encoding of
2621 the packet length. The reason for this is that the hashing rules for
2622 modification detection include a one-octet tag and one-octet length
2623 in the data hash. While this is a bit restrictive, it reduces
2626 6. Radix-64 Conversions
2628 As stated in the introduction, OpenPGP's underlying native
2629 representation for objects is a stream of arbitrary octets, and some
2630 systems desire these objects to be immune to damage caused by
2631 character set translation, data conversions, etc.
2633 In principle, any printable encoding scheme that met the
2634 requirements of the unsafe channel would suffice, since it would not
2635 change the underlying binary bit streams of the native OpenPGP data
2636 structures. The OpenPGP standard specifies one such printable
2637 encoding scheme to ensure interoperability.
2639 OpenPGP's Radix-64 encoding is composed of two parts: a base64
2640 encoding of the binary data, and a checksum. The base64 encoding is
2641 identical to the MIME base64 content-transfer-encoding [RFC 2045].
2643 The checksum is a 24-bit CRC converted to four characters of
2644 radix-64 encoding by the same MIME base64 transformation, preceded
2645 by an equals sign (=). The CRC is computed by using the generator
2646 0x864CFB and an initialization of 0xB704CE. The accumulation is
2647 done on the data before it is converted to radix-64, rather than on
2648 the converted data. A sample implementation of this algorithm is in
2651 The checksum with its leading equal sign MAY appear on the first
2652 line after the Base64 encoded data.
2654 Rationale for CRC-24: The size of 24 bits fits evenly into printable
2655 base64. The nonzero initialization can detect more errors than a
2656 zero initialization.
2658 6.1. An Implementation of the CRC-24 in "C"
2660 #define CRC24_INIT 0xb704ceL
2661 #define CRC24_POLY 0x1864cfbL
2664 crc24 crc_octets(unsigned char *octets, size_t len)
2666 crc24 crc = CRC24_INIT;
2672 Callas, et al. Expires May 23, 2005 [Page 48]
2673 INTERNET-DRAFT OpenPGP Message Format Nov 23, 2004
2676 crc ^= (*octets++) << 16;
2677 for (i = 0; i < 8; i++) {
2679 if (crc & 0x1000000)
2683 return crc & 0xffffffL;
2686 6.2. Forming ASCII Armor
2688 When OpenPGP encodes data into ASCII Armor, it puts specific headers
2689 around the Radix-64 encoded data, so OpenPGP can reconstruct the
2690 data later. An OpenPGP implementation MAY use ASCII armor to protect
2691 raw binary data. OpenPGP informs the user what kind of data is
2692 encoded in the ASCII armor through the use of the headers.
2694 Concatenating the following data creates ASCII Armor:
2696 - An Armor Header Line, appropriate for the type of data
2700 - A blank (zero-length, or containing only whitespace) line
2702 - The ASCII-Armored data
2706 - The Armor Tail, which depends on the Armor Header Line.
2708 An Armor Header Line consists of the appropriate header line text
2709 surrounded by five (5) dashes ('-', 0x2D) on either side of the
2710 header line text. The header line text is chosen based upon the
2711 type of data that is being encoded in Armor, and how it is being
2712 encoded. Header line texts include the following strings:
2715 Used for signed, encrypted, or compressed files.
2717 BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK
2718 Used for armoring public keys
2720 BEGIN PGP PRIVATE KEY BLOCK
2721 Used for armoring private keys
2723 BEGIN PGP MESSAGE, PART X/Y
2724 Used for multi-part messages, where the armor is split amongst Y
2725 parts, and this is the Xth part out of Y.
2728 Callas, et al. Expires May 23, 2005 [Page 49]
2729 INTERNET-DRAFT OpenPGP Message Format Nov 23, 2004
2731 BEGIN PGP MESSAGE, PART X
2732 Used for multi-part messages, where this is the Xth part of an
2733 unspecified number of parts. Requires the MESSAGE-ID Armor
2737 Used for detached signatures, OpenPGP/MIME signatures, and
2738 cleartext signatures. Note that PGP 2.x uses BEGIN PGP MESSAGE
2739 for detached signatures.
2741 Note that all these Armor Header Lines are to consist of a complete
2742 line. That is to say, there is always a line ending preceding the
2743 starting five dashes, and following the ending five dashes. The
2744 header lines, therefore, MUST start at the beginning of a line, and
2745 MUST NOT have text following them on the same line. These line
2746 endings are considered a part of the Armor Header Line for the
2747 purposes of determining the content they delimit. This is
2748 particularly important when computing a cleartext signature (see
2751 The Armor Headers are pairs of strings that can give the user or the
2752 receiving OpenPGP implementation some information about how to
2753 decode or use the message. The Armor Headers are a part of the
2754 armor, not a part of the message, and hence are not protected by any
2755 signatures applied to the message.
2757 The format of an Armor Header is that of a key-value pair. A colon
2758 (':' 0x38) and a single space (0x20) separate the key and value.
2759 OpenPGP should consider improperly formatted Armor Headers to be
2760 corruption of the ASCII Armor. Unknown keys should be reported to
2761 the user, but OpenPGP should continue to process the message.
2763 Currently defined Armor Header Keys are:
2765 - "Version", that states the OpenPGP implementation and version
2766 used to encode the message.
2768 - "Comment", a user-defined comment. OpenPGP defines all text to
2769 be in UTF-8. A comment may be any UTF-8 string. However, the
2770 whole point of armoring is to provide seven-bit-clean data.
2771 Consequently, if a comment has characters that are outside the
2772 US-ASCII range of UTF, they may very well not survive transport.
2774 - "MessageID", a 32-character string of printable characters. The
2775 string must be the same for all parts of a multi-part message
2776 that uses the "PART X" Armor Header. MessageID strings should
2777 be unique enough that the recipient of the mail can associate
2778 all the parts of a message with each other. A good checksum or
2779 cryptographic hash function is sufficient.
2784 Callas, et al. Expires May 23, 2005 [Page 50]
2785 INTERNET-DRAFT OpenPGP Message Format Nov 23, 2004
2787 The MessageID SHOULD NOT appear unless it is in a multi-part
2788 message. If it appears at all, it MUST be computed from the
2789 finished (encrypted, signed, etc.) message in a deterministic
2790 fashion, rather than contain a purely random value. This is to
2791 allow the legitimate recipient to determine that the MessageID
2792 cannot serve as a covert means of leaking cryptographic key
2795 - "Hash", a comma-separated list of hash algorithms used in this
2796 message. This is used only in cleartext signed messages.
2798 - "Charset", a description of the character set that the plaintext
2799 is in. Please note that OpenPGP defines text to be in UTF-8. An
2800 implementation will get best results by translating into and out
2801 of UTF-8. However, there are many instances where this is easier
2802 said than done. Also, there are communities of users who have no
2803 need for UTF-8 because they are all happy with a character set
2804 like ISO Latin-5 or a Japanese character set. In such instances,
2805 an implementation MAY override the UTF-8 default by using this
2806 header key. An implementation MAY implement this key and any
2807 translations it cares to; an implementation MAY ignore it and
2808 assume all text is UTF-8.
2810 The Armor Tail Line is composed in the same manner as the Armor
2811 Header Line, except the string "BEGIN" is replaced by the string
2814 6.3. Encoding Binary in Radix-64
2816 The encoding process represents 24-bit groups of input bits as
2817 output strings of 4 encoded characters. Proceeding from left to
2818 right, a 24-bit input group is formed by concatenating three 8-bit
2819 input groups. These 24 bits are then treated as four concatenated
2820 6-bit groups, each of which is translated into a single digit in the
2821 Radix-64 alphabet. When encoding a bit stream with the Radix-64
2822 encoding, the bit stream must be presumed to be ordered with the
2823 most-significant-bit first. That is, the first bit in the stream
2824 will be the high-order bit in the first 8-bit octet, and the eighth
2825 bit will be the low-order bit in the first 8-bit octet, and so on.
2827 +--first octet--+-second octet--+--third octet--+
2828 |7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0|7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0|7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0|
2829 +-----------+---+-------+-------+---+-----------+
2830 |5 4 3 2 1 0|5 4 3 2 1 0|5 4 3 2 1 0|5 4 3 2 1 0|
2831 +--1.index--+--2.index--+--3.index--+--4.index--+
2833 Each 6-bit group is used as an index into an array of 64 printable
2834 characters from the table below. The character referenced by the
2835 index is placed in the output string.
2840 Callas, et al. Expires May 23, 2005 [Page 51]
2841 INTERNET-DRAFT OpenPGP Message Format Nov 23, 2004
2843 Value Encoding Value Encoding Value Encoding Value Encoding
2858 14 O 31 f 48 w (pad) =
2862 The encoded output stream must be represented in lines of no more
2863 than 76 characters each.
2865 Special processing is performed if fewer than 24 bits are available
2866 at the end of the data being encoded. There are three possibilities:
2868 1. The last data group has 24 bits (3 octets). No special
2869 processing is needed.
2871 2. The last data group has 16 bits (2 octets). The first two 6-bit
2872 groups are processed as above. The third (incomplete) data group
2873 has two zero-value bits added to it, and is processed as above.
2874 A pad character (=) is added to the output.
2876 3. The last data group has 8 bits (1 octet). The first 6-bit group
2877 is processed as above. The second (incomplete) data group has
2878 four zero-value bits added to it, and is processed as above. Two
2879 pad characters (=) are added to the output.
2881 6.4. Decoding Radix-64
2883 Any characters outside of the base64 alphabet are ignored in
2884 Radix-64 data. Decoding software must ignore all line breaks or
2885 other characters not found in the table above.
2887 In Radix-64 data, characters other than those in the table, line
2888 breaks, and other white space probably indicate a transmission
2889 error, about which a warning message or even a message rejection
2890 might be appropriate under some circumstances.
2892 Because it is used only for padding at the end of the data, the
2893 occurrence of any "=" characters may be taken as evidence that the
2894 end of the data has been reached (without truncation in transit). No
2896 Callas, et al. Expires May 23, 2005 [Page 52]
2897 INTERNET-DRAFT OpenPGP Message Format Nov 23, 2004
2899 such assurance is possible, however, when the number of octets
2900 transmitted was a multiple of three and no "=" characters are
2903 6.5. Examples of Radix-64
2905 Input data: 0x14fb9c03d97e
2906 Hex: 1 4 f b 9 c | 0 3 d 9 7 e
2907 8-bit: 00010100 11111011 10011100 | 00000011 11011001
2909 6-bit: 000101 001111 101110 011100 | 000000 111101 100111
2911 Decimal: 5 15 46 28 0 61 37 62
2912 Output: F P u c A 9 l +
2914 Input data: 0x14fb9c03d9
2915 Hex: 1 4 f b 9 c | 0 3 d 9
2916 8-bit: 00010100 11111011 10011100 | 00000011 11011001
2918 6-bit: 000101 001111 101110 011100 | 000000 111101 100100
2919 Decimal: 5 15 46 28 0 61 36
2921 Output: F P u c A 9 k =
2923 Input data: 0x14fb9c03
2924 Hex: 1 4 f b 9 c | 0 3
2925 8-bit: 00010100 11111011 10011100 | 00000011
2927 6-bit: 000101 001111 101110 011100 | 000000 110000
2928 Decimal: 5 15 46 28 0 48
2930 Output: F P u c A w = =
2932 6.6. Example of an ASCII Armored Message
2935 -----BEGIN PGP MESSAGE-----
2936 Version: OpenPrivacy 0.99
2937 yDgBO22WxBHv7O8X7O/jygAEzol56iUKiXmV+XmpCtmpqQUKiQrFqclFqUDBovzS
2940 -----END PGP MESSAGE-----
2942 Note that this example is indented by two spaces.
2944 7. Cleartext signature framework
2946 It is desirable to sign a textual octet stream without ASCII
2947 armoring the stream itself, so the signed text is still readable
2948 without special software. In order to bind a signature to such a
2949 cleartext, this framework is used. (Note that RFC 3156 defines
2950 another way to sign cleartext messages for environments that support
2952 Callas, et al. Expires May 23, 2005 [Page 53]
2953 INTERNET-DRAFT OpenPGP Message Format Nov 23, 2004
2957 The cleartext signed message consists of:
2959 - The cleartext header '-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----' on a
2962 - One or more "Hash" Armor Headers,
2964 - Exactly one empty line not included into the message digest,
2966 - The dash-escaped cleartext that is included into the message
2969 - The ASCII armored signature(s) including the '-----BEGIN PGP
2970 SIGNATURE-----' Armor Header and Armor Tail Lines.
2972 If the "Hash" armor header is given, the specified message digest
2973 algorithm(s) are used for the signature. If there are no such
2974 headers, MD5 is used. If MD5 is the only hash used, then an
2975 implementation MAY omit this header for improved V2.x compatibility.
2976 If more than one message digest is used in the signature, the "Hash"
2977 armor header contains a comma-delimited list of used message
2980 Current message digest names are described below with the algorithm
2983 7.1. Dash-Escaped Text
2985 The cleartext content of the message must also be dash-escaped.
2987 Dash escaped cleartext is the ordinary cleartext where every line
2988 starting with a dash '-' (0x2D) is prefixed by the sequence dash '-'
2989 (0x2D) and space ' ' (0x20). This prevents the parser from
2990 recognizing armor headers of the cleartext itself. An implementation
2991 MAY dash escape any line, SHOULD dash escape lines commencing "From"
2992 followed by a space, and MUST dash escape any line commencing in a
2993 dash. The message digest is computed using the cleartext itself, not
2994 the dash escaped form.
2996 As with binary signatures on text documents, a cleartext signature
2997 is calculated on the text using canonical <CR><LF> line endings.
2998 The line ending (i.e. the <CR><LF>) before the '-----BEGIN PGP
2999 SIGNATURE-----' line that terminates the signed text is not
3000 considered part of the signed text.
3002 When reversing dash-escaping, an implementation MUST strip the
3003 string "- " if it occurs at the beginning of a line, and SHOULD warn
3004 on "-" and any character other than a space at the beginning of a
3008 Callas, et al. Expires May 23, 2005 [Page 54]
3009 INTERNET-DRAFT OpenPGP Message Format Nov 23, 2004
3011 Also, any trailing whitespace -- spaces (0x20) and tabs (0x09) -- at
3012 the end of any line is removed when the cleartext signature is
3015 8. Regular Expressions
3017 A regular expression is zero or more branches, separated by '|'. It
3018 matches anything that matches one of the branches.
3020 A branch is zero or more pieces, concatenated. It matches a match
3021 for the first, followed by a match for the second, etc.
3023 A piece is an atom possibly followed by '*', '+', or '?'. An atom
3024 followed by '*' matches a sequence of 0 or more matches of the atom.
3025 An atom followed by '+' matches a sequence of 1 or more matches of
3026 the atom. An atom followed by '?' matches a match of the atom, or
3029 An atom is a regular expression in parentheses (matching a match for
3030 the regular expression), a range (see below), '.' (matching any
3031 single character), '^' (matching the null string at the beginning of
3032 the input string), '$' (matching the null string at the end of the
3033 input string), a '\' followed by a single character (matching that
3034 character), or a single character with no other significance
3035 (matching that character).
3037 A range is a sequence of characters enclosed in '[]'. It normally
3038 matches any single character from the sequence. If the sequence
3039 begins with '^', it matches any single character not from the rest
3040 of the sequence. If two characters in the sequence are separated by
3041 '-', this is shorthand for the full list of ASCII characters between
3042 them (e.g. '[0-9]' matches any decimal digit). To include a literal
3043 ']' in the sequence, make it the first character (following a
3044 possible '^'). To include a literal '-', make it the first or last
3049 This section describes the constants used in OpenPGP.
3051 Note that these tables are not exhaustive lists; an implementation
3052 MAY implement an algorithm not on these lists, so long as the
3053 algorithm number(s) are chosen from the private or experimental
3056 See the section "Notes on Algorithms" below for more discussion of
3059 9.1. Public Key Algorithms
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3065 INTERNET-DRAFT OpenPGP Message Format Nov 23, 2004
3067 1 - RSA (Encrypt or Sign)
3068 2 - RSA Encrypt-Only
3070 16 - Elgamal (Encrypt-Only), see [ELGAMAL]
3071 17 - DSA (Digital Signature Algorithm) [DSA]
3072 18 - Reserved for Elliptic Curve
3073 19 - Reserved for ECDSA
3074 20 - Reserved (formerly Elgamal Encrypt or Sign)
3075 21 - Reserved for Diffie-Hellman (X9.42,
3076 as defined for IETF-S/MIME)
3077 100 to 110 - Private/Experimental algorithm.
3079 Implementations MUST implement DSA for signatures, and Elgamal for
3080 encryption. Implementations SHOULD implement RSA keys.
3081 Implementations MAY implement any other algorithm.
3083 9.2. Symmetric Key Algorithms
3087 0 - Plaintext or unencrypted data
3089 2 - TripleDES (DES-EDE, [SCHNEIER] -
3090 168 bit key derived from 192)
3091 3 - CAST5 (128 bit key, as per RFC2144)
3092 4 - Blowfish (128 bit key, 16 rounds) [BLOWFISH]
3095 7 - AES with 128-bit key [AES]
3096 8 - AES with 192-bit key
3097 9 - AES with 256-bit key
3098 10 - Twofish with 256-bit key [TWOFISH]
3099 100 to 110 - Private/Experimental algorithm.
3101 Implementations MUST implement TripleDES. Implementations SHOULD
3102 implement AES-128 and CAST5. Implementations that interoperate with
3103 PGP 2.6 or earlier need to support IDEA, as that is the only
3104 symmetric cipher those versions use. Implementations MAY implement
3105 any other algorithm.
3107 9.3. Compression Algorithms
3115 100 to 110 - Private/Experimental algorithm.
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3123 Implementations MUST implement uncompressed data. Implementations
3124 SHOULD implement ZIP. Implementations MAY implement any other
3127 9.4. Hash Algorithms
3129 ID Algorithm Text Name
3130 -- --------- ---- ----
3133 3 - RIPE-MD/160 "RIPEMD160"
3140 10 - SHA512 "SHA512"
3141 100 to 110 - Private/Experimental algorithm.
3143 Implementations MUST implement SHA-1. Implementations MAY implement
3146 10. Packet Composition
3148 OpenPGP packets are assembled into sequences in order to create
3149 messages and to transfer keys. Not all possible packet sequences
3150 are meaningful and correct. This section describes the rules for
3151 how packets should be placed into sequences.
3153 10.1. Transferable Public Keys
3155 OpenPGP users may transfer public keys. The essential elements of a
3156 transferable public key are:
3158 - One Public Key packet
3160 - Zero or more revocation signatures
3162 - One or more User ID packets
3164 - After each User ID packet, zero or more signature packets
3167 - Zero or more User Attribute packets
3169 - After each User Attribute packet, zero or more signature packets
3172 - Zero or more Subkey packets
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3177 INTERNET-DRAFT OpenPGP Message Format Nov 23, 2004
3179 - After each Subkey packet, one signature packet, plus optionally
3182 The Public Key packet occurs first. Each of the following User ID
3183 packets provides the identity of the owner of this public key. If
3184 there are multiple User ID packets, this corresponds to multiple
3185 means of identifying the same unique individual user; for example, a
3186 user may have more than one email address, and construct a User ID
3189 Immediately following each User ID packet, there are zero or more
3190 signature packets. Each signature packet is calculated on the
3191 immediately preceding User ID packet and the initial Public Key
3192 packet. The signature serves to certify the corresponding public key
3193 and User ID. In effect, the signer is testifying to his or her
3194 belief that this public key belongs to the user identified by this
3197 Within the same section as the User ID packets, there are zero or
3198 more User Attribute packets. Like the User ID packets, a User
3199 Attribute packet is followed by zero or more signature packets
3200 calculated on the immediately preceding User Attribute packet and
3201 the initial Public Key packet.
3203 User Attribute packets and User ID packets may be freely intermixed
3204 in this section, so long as the signatures that follow them are
3205 maintained on the proper User Attribute or User ID packet.
3207 After the User ID or Attribute packets there may be one or more
3208 Subkey packets. In general, subkeys are provided in cases where the
3209 top-level public key is a signature-only key. However, any V4 key
3210 may have subkeys, and the subkeys may be encryption-only keys,
3211 signature-only keys, or general-purpose keys. V3 keys MUST NOT have
3214 Each Subkey packet must be followed by one Signature packet, which
3215 should be a subkey binding signature issued by the top level key.
3216 For subkeys that can issue signatures, the subkey binding signature
3217 must contain an embedded signature subpacket with a primary key
3218 binding signature (0x19) issued by the subkey on the top level key.
3220 Subkey and Key packets may each be followed by a revocation
3221 Signature packet to indicate that the key is revoked. Revocation
3222 signatures are only accepted if they are issued by the key itself,
3223 or by a key that is authorized to issue revocations via a revocation
3224 key subpacket in a self-signature by the top level key.
3226 Transferable public key packet sequences may be concatenated to
3227 allow transferring multiple public keys in one operation.
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3233 INTERNET-DRAFT OpenPGP Message Format Nov 23, 2004
3235 10.2. OpenPGP Messages
3237 An OpenPGP message is a packet or sequence of packets that
3238 corresponds to the following grammatical rules (comma represents
3239 sequential composition, and vertical bar separates alternatives):
3241 OpenPGP Message :- Encrypted Message | Signed Message |
3242 Compressed Message | Literal Message.
3244 Compressed Message :- Compressed Data Packet.
3246 Literal Message :- Literal Data Packet |
3247 Literal Message, Literal Data Packet.
3249 ESK :- Public Key Encrypted Session Key Packet |
3250 Symmetric-Key Encrypted Session Key Packet.
3252 ESK Sequence :- ESK | ESK Sequence, ESK.
3254 Encrypted Data :- Symmetrically Encrypted Data Packet |
3255 Symmetrically Encrypted Integrity Protected Data Packet
3257 Encrypted Message :- Encrypted Data | ESK Sequence, Encrypted Data.
3259 One-Pass Signed Message :- One-Pass Signature Packet,
3260 OpenPGP Message, Corresponding Signature Packet.
3262 Signed Message :- Signature Packet, OpenPGP Message |
3263 One-Pass Signed Message.
3265 In addition, decrypting a Symmetrically Encrypted Data Packet or a
3266 Symmetrically Encrypted Integrity Protected Data Packet as well as
3268 decompressing a Compressed Data packet must yield a valid OpenPGP
3271 10.3. Detached Signatures
3273 Some OpenPGP applications use so-called "detached signatures." For
3274 example, a program bundle may contain a file, and with it a second
3275 file that is a detached signature of the first file. These detached
3276 signatures are simply a signature packet stored separately from the
3277 data that they are a signature of.
3279 11. Enhanced Key Formats
3281 11.1. Key Structures
3283 The format of an OpenPGP V3 key is as follows. Entries in square
3284 brackets are optional and ellipses indicate repetition.
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3292 [Revocation Self Signature]
3293 User ID [Signature ...]
3294 [User ID [Signature ...] ...]
3296 Each signature certifies the RSA public key and the preceding User
3297 ID. The RSA public key can have many User IDs and each User ID can
3298 have many signatures. V3 keys are deprecated. Implementations MUST
3299 NOT generate new V3 keys, but MAY continue to use existing ones.
3301 The format of an OpenPGP V4 key that uses multiple public keys is
3302 similar except that the other keys are added to the end as "subkeys"
3306 [Revocation Self Signature]
3307 [Direct Key Signature...]
3308 User ID [Signature ...]
3309 [User ID [Signature ...] ...]
3310 [User Attribute [Signature ...] ...]
3311 [[Subkey [Binding-Signature-Revocation]
3312 Primary-Key-Binding-Signature] ...]
3314 A subkey always has a single signature after it that is issued using
3315 the primary key to tie the two keys together. This binding
3316 signature may be in either V3 or V4 format, but SHOULD be V4.
3318 In the above diagram, if the binding signature of a subkey has been
3319 revoked, the revoked key may be removed, leaving only one key.
3321 In a V4 key, the primary key MUST be a key capable of certification.
3322 The subkeys may be keys of any other type. There may be other
3323 constructions of V4 keys, too. For example, there may be a
3324 single-key RSA key in V4 format, a DSA primary key with an RSA
3325 encryption key, or RSA primary key with an Elgamal subkey, etc.
3327 It is also possible to have a signature-only subkey. This permits a
3328 primary key that collects certifications (key signatures) but is
3329 used only used for certifying subkeys that are used for encryption
3332 11.2. Key IDs and Fingerprints
3334 For a V3 key, the eight-octet key ID consists of the low 64 bits of
3335 the public modulus of the RSA key.
3337 The fingerprint of a V3 key is formed by hashing the body (but not
3338 the two-octet length) of the MPIs that form the key material (public
3339 modulus n, followed by exponent e) with MD5. Note that both V3 keys
3340 and MD5 are deprecated.
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3347 A V4 fingerprint is the 160-bit SHA-1 hash of the octet 0x99,
3348 followed by the two-octet packet length, followed by the entire
3349 Public Key packet starting with the version field. The key ID is
3350 the low order 64 bits of the fingerprint. Here are the fields of
3351 the hash material, with the example of a DSA key:
3355 a.2) high order length octet of (b)-(f) (1 octet)
3357 a.3) low order length octet of (b)-(f) (1 octet)
3359 b) version number = 4 (1 octet);
3361 c) time stamp of key creation (4 octets);
3363 d) algorithm (1 octet): 17 = DSA (example);
3365 e) Algorithm specific fields.
3367 Algorithm Specific Fields for DSA keys (example):
3369 e.1) MPI of DSA prime p;
3371 e.2) MPI of DSA group order q (q is a prime divisor of p-1);
3373 e.3) MPI of DSA group generator g;
3375 e.4) MPI of DSA public key value y (= g**x mod p where x is secret).
3377 Note that it is possible for there to be collisions of key IDs --
3378 two different keys with the same key ID. Note that there is a much
3379 smaller, but still non-zero probability that two different keys have
3380 the same fingerprint.
3382 Also note that if V3 and V4 format keys share the same RSA key
3383 material, they will have different key IDs as well as different
3386 Finally, the key ID and fingerprint of a subkey are calculated in
3387 the same way as for a primary key, including the 0x99 as the first
3388 octet (even though this is not a valid packet ID for a public
3391 12. Notes on Algorithms
3393 12.1. Symmetric Algorithm Preferences
3395 The symmetric algorithm preference is an ordered list of algorithms
3396 that the keyholder accepts. Since it is found on a self-signature,
3397 it is possible that a keyholder may have different preferences. For
3398 example, Alice may have TripleDES only specified for
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3403 "alice@work.com" but CAST5, Blowfish, and TripleDES specified for
3404 "alice@home.org". Note that it is also possible for preferences to
3405 be in a subkey's binding signature.
3407 Since TripleDES is the MUST-implement algorithm, if it is not
3408 explicitly in the list, it is tacitly at the end. However, it is
3409 good form to place it there explicitly. Note also that if an
3410 implementation does not implement the preference, then it is
3411 implicitly a TripleDES-only implementation.
3413 An implementation MUST NOT use a symmetric algorithm that is not in
3414 the recipient's preference list. When encrypting to more than one
3415 recipient, the implementation finds a suitable algorithm by taking
3416 the intersection of the preferences of the recipients. Note that the
3417 MUST-implement algorithm, TripleDES, ensures that the intersection
3418 is not null. The implementation may use any mechanism to pick an
3419 algorithm in the intersection.
3421 If an implementation can decrypt a message that a keyholder doesn't
3422 have in their preferences, the implementation SHOULD decrypt the
3423 message anyway, but MUST warn the keyholder that the protocol has
3424 been violated. (For example, suppose that Alice, above, has software
3425 that implements all algorithms in this specification. Nonetheless,
3426 she prefers subsets for work or home. If she is sent a message
3427 encrypted with IDEA, which is not in her preferences, the software
3428 warns her that someone sent her an IDEA-encrypted message, but it
3429 would ideally decrypt it anyway.)
3431 12.2. Other Algorithm Preferences
3433 Other algorithm preferences work similarly to the symmetric
3434 algorithm preference, in that they specify which algorithms the
3435 keyholder accepts. There are two interesting cases that other
3436 comments need to be made about, though, the compression preferences
3437 and the hash preferences.
3439 12.2.1. Compression Preferences
3441 Compression has been an integral part of PGP since its first days.
3442 OpenPGP and all previous versions of PGP have offered compression.
3443 In this specification, the default is for messages to be compressed,
3444 although an implementation is not required to do so. Consequently,
3445 the compression preference gives a way for a keyholder to request
3446 that messages not be compressed, presumably because they are using a
3447 minimal implementation that does not include compression.
3448 Additionally, this gives a keyholder a way to state that it can
3449 support alternate algorithms.
3451 Like the algorithm preferences, an implementation MUST NOT use an
3452 algorithm that is not in the preference vector. If the preferences
3453 are not present, then they are assumed to be [ZIP(1),
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3459 Additionally, an implementation MUST implement this preference to
3460 the degree of recognizing when to send an uncompressed message. A
3461 robust implementation would satisfy this requirement by looking at
3462 the recipient's preference and acting accordingly. A minimal
3463 implementation can satisfy this requirement by never generating a
3464 compressed message, since all implementations can handle messages
3465 that have not been compressed.
3467 12.2.2. Hash Algorithm Preferences
3469 Typically, the choice of a hash algorithm is something the signer
3470 does, rather than the verifier, because a signer rarely knows who is
3471 going to be verifying the signature. This preference, though, allows
3472 a protocol based upon digital signatures ease in negotiation.
3474 Thus, if Alice is authenticating herself to Bob with a signature, it
3475 makes sense for her to use a hash algorithm that Bob's software
3476 uses. This preference allows Bob to state in his key which
3477 algorithms Alice may use.
3479 Since SHA1 is the MUST-implement hash algorithm, if it is not
3480 explicitly in the list, it is tacitly at the end. However, it is
3481 good form to place it there explicitly.
3485 Algorithm 0, "plaintext," may only be used to denote secret keys
3486 that are stored in the clear. Implementations MUST NOT use plaintext
3487 in Symmetrically Encrypted Data Packets; they must use Literal Data
3488 Packets to encode unencrypted or literal data.
3492 There are algorithm types for RSA-signature-only, and
3493 RSA-encrypt-only keys. These types are deprecated. The "key flags"
3494 subpacket in a signature is a much better way to express the same
3495 idea, and generalizes it to all algorithms. An implementation SHOULD
3496 NOT create such a key, but MAY interpret it.
3498 An implementation SHOULD NOT implement RSA keys of size less than
3503 An implementation SHOULD NOT implement DSA keys of size less than
3504 1024 bits. Note that present DSA is limited to a maximum of 1024 bit
3505 keys, which are recommended for long-term use. Also, DSA keys MUST
3506 be an even multiple of 64 bits long.
3510 An implementation SHOULD NOT implement Elgamal keys of size less
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3517 12.7. Reserved Algorithm Numbers
3519 A number of algorithm IDs have been reserved for algorithms that
3520 would be useful to use in an OpenPGP implementation, yet there are
3521 issues that prevent an implementer from actually implementing the
3522 algorithm. These are marked in the Public Algorithms section as
3525 The reserved public key algorithms, Elliptic Curve (18), ECDSA (19),
3526 and X9.42 (21) do not have the necessary parameters, parameter
3527 order, or semantics defined.
3529 Previous versions of OpenPGP permitted Elgamal [ELGAMAL] signatures
3530 with a public key identifier of 20. These are no longer permitted.
3531 An implementation MUST NOT generate such keys. An implementation
3532 MUST NOT generate Elgamal signatures.
3534 12.8. OpenPGP CFB mode
3536 OpenPGP does symmetric encryption using a variant of Cipher Feedback
3537 Mode (CFB mode). This section describes the procedure it uses in
3538 detail. This mode is what is used for Symmetrically Encrypted Data
3539 Packets; the mechanism used for encrypting secret key material is
3540 similar, but described in those sections above.
3542 In the description below, the value BS is the block size in octets
3543 of the cipher. Most ciphers have a block size of 8 octets. The AES
3544 and Twofish have a block size of 16 octets. Also note that the
3545 description below assumes that the IV and CFB arrays start with an
3546 index of 1 (unlike the C language, which assumes arrays start with a
3549 OpenPGP CFB mode uses an initialization vector (IV) of all zeros,
3550 and prefixes the plaintext with BS+2 octets of random data, such
3551 that octets BS+1 and BS+2 match octets BS-1 and BS. It does a CFB
3552 "resync" after encrypting those BS+2 octets.
3554 Thus, for an algorithm that has a block size of 8 octets (64 bits),
3555 the IV is 10 octets long and octets 7 and 8 of the IV are the same
3556 as octets 9 and 10. For an algorithm with a block size of 16 octets
3557 (128 bits), the IV is 18 octets long, and octets 17 and 18 replicate
3558 octets 15 and 16. Those extra two octets are an easy check for a
3561 Step by step, here is the procedure:
3563 1. The feedback register (FR) is set to the IV, which is all zeros.
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3571 2. FR is encrypted to produce FRE (FR Encrypted). This is the
3572 encryption of an all-zero value.
3574 3. FRE is xored with the first BS octets of random data prefixed to
3575 the plaintext to produce C[1] through C[BS], the first BS octets
3578 4. FR is loaded with C[1] through C[BS].
3580 5. FR is encrypted to produce FRE, the encryption of the first BS
3581 octets of ciphertext.
3583 6. The left two octets of FRE get xored with the next two octets of
3584 data that were prefixed to the plaintext. This produces C[BS+1]
3585 and C[BS+2], the next two octets of ciphertext.
3587 7. (The resync step) FR is loaded with C[3] through C[BS+2].
3589 8. FR is encrypted to produce FRE.
3591 9. FRE is xored with the first BS octets of the given plaintext,
3592 now that we have finished encrypting the BS+2 octets of prefixed
3593 data. This produces C[BS+3] through C[BS+(BS+2)], the next BS
3594 octets of ciphertext.
3596 10. FR is loaded with C[BS+3] to C[BS + (BS+2)] (which is C11-C18
3597 for an 8-octet block).
3599 11. FR is encrypted to produce FRE.
3601 12. FRE is xored with the next BS octets of plaintext, to produce
3602 the next BS octets of ciphertext. These are loaded into FR and
3603 the process is repeated until the plaintext is used up.
3605 13. Security Considerations
3607 * As with any technology involving cryptography, you should check
3608 the current literature to determine if any algorithms used here
3609 have been found to be vulnerable to attack.
3611 * This specification uses Public Key Cryptography technologies. It
3612 is assumed that the private key portion of a public-private key
3613 pair is controlled and secured by the proper party or parties.
3615 * Certain operations in this specification involve the use of
3616 random numbers. An appropriate entropy source should be used to
3617 generate these numbers. See RFC 1750.
3619 * The MD5 hash algorithm has been found to have weaknesses, with
3620 collisions found in a number of cases. MD5 is deprecated for use
3621 in OpenPGP. Implementations MUST NOT generate new signatures
3622 using MD5 as a hash function. They MAY continue to consider old
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3625 INTERNET-DRAFT OpenPGP Message Format Nov 23, 2004
3627 signatures that used MD5 as valid.
3629 * SHA384 requires the same work as SHA512. In general, there are
3630 few reasons to use it -- you need a situation where one needs
3631 more security than SHA256, but do not want to have the 512-bit
3634 * Many security protocol designers think that it is a bad idea to
3635 use a single key for both privacy (encryption) and integrity
3636 (signatures). In fact, this was one of the motivating forces
3637 behind the V4 key format with separate signature and encryption
3638 keys. If you as an implementer promote dual-use keys, you should
3639 at least be aware of this controversy.
3641 * The DSA algorithm will work with any 160-bit hash, but it is
3642 sensitive to the quality of the hash algorithm, if the hash
3643 algorithm is broken, it can leak the secret key. The Digital
3644 Signature Standard (DSS) specifies that DSA be used with SHA-1.
3645 RIPEMD-160 is considered by many cryptographers to be as strong.
3646 An implementation should take care which hash algorithms are
3647 used with DSA, as a weak hash can not only allow a signature to
3648 be forged, but could leak the secret key.
3650 * There is a somewhat-related potential security problem in
3651 signatures. If an attacker can find a message that hashes to the
3652 same hash with a different algorithm, a bogus signature
3653 structure can be constructed that evaluates correctly.
3655 For example, suppose Alice DSA signs message M using hash
3656 algorithm H. Suppose that Mallet finds a message M' that has the
3657 same hash value as M with H'. Mallet can then construct a
3658 signature block that verifies as Alice's signature of M' with
3659 H'. However, this would also constitute a weakness in either H
3660 or H' or both. Should this ever occur, a revision will have to
3661 be made to this document to revise the allowed hash algorithms.
3663 * If you are building an authentication system, the recipient may
3664 specify a preferred signing algorithm. However, the signer would
3665 be foolish to use a weak algorithm simply because the recipient
3668 * Some of the encryption algorithms mentioned in this document
3669 have been analyzed less than others. For example, although
3670 CAST5 is presently considered strong, it has been analyzed less
3671 than TripleDES. Other algorithms may have other controversies
3674 * In late summer 2002, Jallad, Katz, and Schneier published an
3675 interesting attack on the OpenPGP protocol and some of its
3676 implementations [JKS02]. In this attack, the attacker modifies a
3677 message and sends it to a user who then returns the erroneously
3678 decrypted message to the attacker. The attacker is thus using
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3683 the user as a random oracle, and can often decrypt the message.
3685 Compressing data can ameliorate this attack. The incorrectly
3686 decrypted data nearly always decompresses in ways that defeats
3687 the attack. However, this is not a rigorous fix, and leaves open
3688 some small vulnerabilities. For example, if an implementation
3689 does not compress a message before encryption (perhaps because
3690 it knows it was already compressed), then that message is
3691 vulnerable. Because of this happenstance -- that modification
3692 attacks can be thwarted by decompression errors, an
3693 implementation SHOULD treat a decompression error as a security
3694 problem, not merely a data problem.
3696 This attack can be defeated by the use of Modification
3697 Detection, provided that the implementation does not let the
3698 user naively return the data to the attacker. An implementation
3699 MUST treat an MDC failure as a security problem, not merely a
3702 In either case, the implementation MAY allow the user access to
3703 the erroneous data, but MUST warn the user as to potential
3704 security problems should that data be returned to the sender.
3706 While this attack is somewhat obscure, requiring a special set
3707 of circumstances to create it, it is nonetheless quite serious
3708 as it permits someone to trick a user to decrypt a message.
3709 Consequently, it is important that:
3711 1. Implementers treat MDC errors and decompression failures as
3714 2. Implementers implement Modification Detection with all due
3715 speed and encourage its spread.
3717 3. Users migrate to implementations that support Modification
3718 Detection with all due speed.
3720 * PKCS1 has been found to be vulnerable to attacks in which a
3721 system that reports errors in padding differently from errors in
3722 decryption becomes a random oracle that can leak the private key
3723 in mere millions of queries. Implementations must be aware of
3724 this attack and prevent it from happening. The simplest solution
3725 is report a single error code for all variants of decryption
3726 errors so as not to leak information to an attacker.
3728 * Some technologies mentioned here may be subject to government
3729 control in some countries.
3731 14. Implementation Nits
3733 This section is a collection of comments to help an implementer,
3734 particularly with an eye to backward compatibility. Previous
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3739 implementations of PGP are not OpenPGP-compliant. Often the
3740 differences are small, but small differences are frequently more
3741 vexing than large differences. Thus, this is a non-comprehensive
3742 list of potential problems and gotchas for a developer who is trying
3743 to be backward-compatible.
3745 * The IDEA algorithm is patented, and yet it is required for PGP
3746 2.x interoperability. It is also the defacto preferred algorithm
3747 for a V3 key with a V3 self-signature (or no self-signature).
3749 * When exporting a private key, PGP 2.x generates the header
3750 "BEGIN PGP SECRET KEY BLOCK" instead of "BEGIN PGP PRIVATE KEY
3751 BLOCK". All previous versions ignore the implied data type, and
3752 look directly at the packet data type.
3754 * PGP 2.0 through 2.5 generated V2 Public Key Packets. These are
3755 identical to the deprecated V3 keys except for the version
3756 number. An implementation MUST NOT generate them and may accept
3757 or reject them as it sees fit. Similarly, these versions
3758 generated V2 PKESK packets (Tag 1). An implementation may accept
3759 or reject V2 PKESK packets as it sees fit, and MUST NOT generate
3762 * PGP 2.6.x will not accept key-material packets with versions
3765 * There are many ways possible for two keys to have the same key
3766 material, but different fingerprints (and thus key IDs). Perhaps
3767 the most interesting is an RSA key that has been "upgraded" to
3768 V4 format, but since a V4 fingerprint is constructed by hashing
3769 the key creation time along with other things, two V4 keys
3770 created at different times, yet with the same key material will
3771 have different fingerprints.
3773 * If an implementation is using zlib to interoperate with PGP 2.x,
3774 then the "windowBits" parameter should be set to -13.
3776 * PGP 2.6.X and 5.0 do not trim trailing whitespace from a
3777 "canonical text" signature. They only remove it from cleartext
3778 signatures. These signatures are not OpenPGP compliant --
3779 OpenPGP requires trimming the whitespace. If you wish to
3780 interoperate with PGP 2.6.X or PGP 5, you may wish to accept
3781 these non-compliant signatures.
3783 15. Authors and Working Group Chair
3785 The working group can be contacted via the current chair:
3788 IHTFP Consulting, Inc.
3790 Somerville, MA 02144 USA
3792 Callas, et al. Expires May 23, 2005 [Page 68]
3793 INTERNET-DRAFT OpenPGP Message Format Nov 23, 2004
3795 Email: derek@ihtfp.com
3796 Tel: +1 617 623 3745
3798 The principal authors of this draft are:
3802 Email: jon@callas.org
3803 Tel: +1 (408) 448-6801
3810 EMail: lutz@iks-jena.de
3811 Tel: +49-3641-675642
3814 Network Associates, Inc.
3816 Santa Clara, CA 95054, USA
3818 Email: hal@finney.org
3822 Email: rodney@tillerman.to
3824 This memo also draws on much previous work from a number of other
3825 authors who include: Derek Atkins, Charles Breed, Dave Del Torto,
3826 Marc Dyksterhouse, Gail Haspert, Gene Hoffman, Paul Hoffman, Raph
3827 Levien, Colin Plumb, Will Price, David Shaw, William Stallings, Mark
3828 Weaver, and Philip R. Zimmermann.
3830 16. References (Normative)
3833 [AES] Advanced Encryption Standards Questions and Answers
3834 <http://csrc.nist.gov/encryption/aes/round2/
3837 <http://csrc.nist.gov/encryption/aes/round2/
3838 r2algs.html#Rijndael>
3840 [BLOWFISH] Schneier, B. "Description of a New Variable-Length
3841 Key, 64-Bit Block Cipher (Blowfish)" Fast Software
3842 Encryption, Cambridge Security Workshop Proceedings
3843 (December 1993), Springer-Verlag, 1994, pp191-204
3844 <http://www.counterpane.com/bfsverlag.html>
3848 Callas, et al. Expires May 23, 2005 [Page 69]
3849 INTERNET-DRAFT OpenPGP Message Format Nov 23, 2004
3851 [BZ2] J. Seward, jseward@acm.org, "The Bzip2 and libbzip2
3853 <http://sources.redhat.com/bzip2/>
3854 [ELGAMAL] T. Elgamal, "A Public-Key Cryptosystem and a
3855 Signature Scheme Based on Discrete Logarithms,"
3856 IEEE Transactions on Information Theory, v. IT-31,
3857 n. 4, 1985, pp. 469-472.
3858 [IDEA] Lai, X, "On the design and security of block
3859 ciphers", ETH Series in Information Processing,
3860 J.L. Massey (editor), Vol. 1, Hartung-Gorre Verlag
3861 Knostanz, Technische Hochschule (Zurich), 1992
3862 [ISO10646] ISO/IEC 10646-1:1993. International Standard --
3863 Information technology -- Universal Multiple-Octet
3864 Coded Character Set (UCS) -- Part 1: Architecture
3865 and Basic Multilingual Plane.
3866 [JFIF] JPEG File Interchange Format (Version 1.02).
3867 Eric Hamilton, C-Cube Microsystems, Milpitas, CA,
3870 [MENEZES] Alfred Menezes, Paul van Oorschot, and Scott
3871 Vanstone, "Handbook of Applied Cryptography," CRC
3873 [RFC822] Crocker, D., "Standard for the format of ARPA
3874 Internet text messages", STD 11, RFC 822, August
3876 [RFC1423] Balenson, D., "Privacy Enhancement for Internet
3877 Electronic Mail: Part III: Algorithms, Modes, and
3878 Identifiers", RFC 1423, October 1993.
3879 [RFC1641] Goldsmith, D. and M. Davis, "Using Unicode with
3880 MIME", RFC 1641, July 1994.
3881 [RFC1750] Eastlake, D., Crocker, S. and J. Schiller,
3882 "Randomness Recommendations for Security", RFC
3883 1750, December 1994.
3884 [RFC1951] Deutsch, P., "DEFLATE Compressed Data Format
3885 Specification version 1.3.", RFC 1951, May 1996.
3886 [RFC1991] Atkins, D., Stallings, W. and P. Zimmermann, "PGP
3887 Message Exchange Formats", RFC 1991, August 1996.
3888 [RFC2045] Borenstein, N. and N. Freed, "Multipurpose Internet
3889 Mail Extensions (MIME) Part One: Format of Internet
3890 Message Bodies.", RFC 2045, November 1996.
3891 [RFC2144] Adams, C., "The CAST-128 Encryption Algorithm", RFC
3893 [RFC2279] Yergeau., F., "UTF-8, a transformation format of
3894 Unicode and ISO 10646", RFC 2279, January 1998.
3895 [RFC2437] B. Kaliski and J. Staddon, " PKCS #1: RSA
3896 Cryptography Specifications Version 2.0",
3897 RFC 2437, October 1998.
3898 [RFC3156] M. Elkins, D. Del Torto, R. Levien, T. Roessler,
3899 "MIME Security with OpenPGP", RFC 3156,
3901 [SCHNEIER] Schneier, B., "Applied Cryptography Second Edition:
3902 protocols, algorithms, and source code in C", 1996.
3904 Callas, et al. Expires May 23, 2005 [Page 70]
3905 INTERNET-DRAFT OpenPGP Message Format Nov 23, 2004
3907 [TWOFISH] B. Schneier, J. Kelsey, D. Whiting, D. Wagner, C.
3908 Hall, and N. Ferguson, "The Twofish Encryption
3909 Algorithm", John Wiley & Sons, 1999.
3911 17. References (Non-Normative)
3914 [BLEICHENBACHER] Bleichenbacher, Daniel, "Generating Elgamal
3915 signatures without knowing the secret key,"
3916 Eurocrypt 96. Note that the version in the
3917 proceedings has an error. A revised version is
3918 available at the time of writing from
3919 <ftp://ftp.inf.ethz.ch/pub/publications/papers/ti
3921 [DONNERHACKE] Donnerhacke, L., et. al, "PGP263in - an improved
3922 international version of PGP", ftp://ftp.iks-
3923 jena.de/mitarb/lutz/crypt/software/pgp/
3924 [JKS02] Kahil Jallad, Jonathan Katz, Bruce Schneier
3925 "Implementation of Chosen-Ciphertext Attacks
3926 against PGP and GnuPG"
3927 http://www.counterpane.com/pgp-attack.html
3929 [RFC1983] Malkin, G., "Internet Users' Glossary", FYI 18, RFC
3931 [RFC2119] Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate
3932 Requirement Level", BCP 14, RFC 2119, March 1997.
3933 [FIPS186-2] "Digital Signature Standard", FIPS 186-2, January
3935 [RSA] Menezes, A., et al. "Handbook of Applied
3936 Cryptography", Section 8.2., October 1996.
3940 18. Full Copyright Statement
3942 Copyright 2004 by The Internet Society. All Rights Reserved.
3944 This document is subject to the rights, licenses and restrictions
3945 contained in BCP 78, and except as set forth therein, the authors
3946 retain all their rights.
3948 This document and the information contained herein are provided on
3949 an "AS IS" basis and the contributor, the organization he/she
3950 represents or is sponsored by (if any), the internet society and the
3951 internet engineering task force disclaim all warranties, express or
3952 implied, including but not limited to any warranty that the use of
3953 the information herein will not infringe any rights or any implied
3954 warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
3956 This document and translations of it may be copied and furnished to
3957 others, and derivative works that comment on or otherwise explain it
3958 or assist in its implementation may be prepared, copied, published
3959 and distributed, in whole or in part, without restriction of any
3960 kind, provided that the above copyright notice and this paragraph
3961 are included on all such copies and derivative works. However, this
3962 document itself may not be modified in any way, such as by removing
3964 Callas, et al. Expires May 23, 2005 [Page 71]
3965 INTERNET-DRAFT OpenPGP Message Format Nov 23, 2004
3967 the copyright notice or references to the Internet Society or other
3968 Internet organizations, except as needed for the purpose of
3969 developing Internet standards in which case the procedures for
3970 copyrights defined in the Internet Standards process must be
3971 followed, or as required to translate it into languages other than
3974 The limited permissions granted above are perpetual and will not be
3975 revoked by the Internet Society or its successors or assigns.
4020 Callas, et al. Expires May 23, 2005 [Page 72]