1 This describes the key/certificate revocation list format for OpenSSH.
5 The KRL consists of a header and zero or more sections. The header is:
7 #define KRL_MAGIC 0x5353484b524c0a00ULL /* "SSHKRL\n\0" */
8 #define KRL_FORMAT_VERSION 1
11 uint32 KRL_FORMAT_VERSION
18 Where "krl_version" is a version number that increases each time the KRL
19 is modified, "generated_date" is the time in seconds since 1970-01-01
20 00:00:00 UTC that the KRL was generated, "comment" is an optional comment
21 and "reserved" an extension field whose contents are currently ignored.
22 No "flags" are currently defined.
24 Following the header are zero or more sections, each consisting of:
29 Where "section_type" indicates the type of the "section_data". An exception
30 to this is the KRL_SECTION_SIGNATURE section, that has a slightly different
33 The available section types are:
35 #define KRL_SECTION_CERTIFICATES 1
36 #define KRL_SECTION_EXPLICIT_KEY 2
37 #define KRL_SECTION_FINGERPRINT_SHA1 3
38 #define KRL_SECTION_SIGNATURE 4
39 #define KRL_SECTION_FINGERPRINT_SHA256 5
40 #define KRL_SECTION_EXTENSION 255
42 2. Certificate section
44 These sections use type KRL_SECTION_CERTIFICATES to revoke certificates by
45 serial number or key ID. The consist of the CA key that issued the
46 certificates to be revoked and a reserved field whose contents is currently
52 Where "ca_key" is the standard SSH wire serialisation of the CA's
53 public key. Alternately, "ca_key" may be an empty string to indicate
54 the certificate section applies to all CAs (this is most useful when
57 Followed by one or more sections:
59 byte cert_section_type
60 string cert_section_data
62 The certificate section types are:
64 #define KRL_SECTION_CERT_SERIAL_LIST 0x20
65 #define KRL_SECTION_CERT_SERIAL_RANGE 0x21
66 #define KRL_SECTION_CERT_SERIAL_BITMAP 0x22
67 #define KRL_SECTION_CERT_KEY_ID 0x23
68 #define KRL_SECTION_CERT_EXTENSION 0x39
70 2.1 Certificate serial list section
72 This section is identified as KRL_SECTION_CERT_SERIAL_LIST. It revokes
73 certificates by listing their serial numbers. The cert_section_data in this
76 uint64 revoked_cert_serial
79 This section may appear multiple times.
81 2.2. Certificate serial range section
83 These sections use type KRL_SECTION_CERT_SERIAL_RANGE and hold
84 a range of serial numbers of certificates:
89 All certificates in the range serial_min <= serial <= serial_max are
92 This section may appear multiple times.
94 2.3. Certificate serial bitmap section
96 Bitmap sections use type KRL_SECTION_CERT_SERIAL_BITMAP and revoke keys
97 by listing their serial number in a bitmap.
100 mpint revoked_keys_bitmap
102 A bit set at index N in the bitmap corresponds to revocation of a keys with
103 serial number (serial_offset + N).
105 This section may appear multiple times.
107 2.4. Revoked key ID sections
109 KRL_SECTION_CERT_KEY_ID sections revoke particular certificate "key
110 ID" strings. This may be useful in revoking all certificates
111 associated with a particular identity, e.g. a host or a user.
116 This section must contain at least one "key_id". This section may appear
119 2.5. Certificate Extension subsections
121 This subsection type provides a generic extension mechanism to the
122 certificates KRL section that may be used to provide optional or critical
125 Extensions are stored in subsections of type
126 KRL_SECTION_CERT_EXTENSION with the following contents:
128 string extension_name
130 string extension_contents.
132 Where "extension_name" describes the type of extension. It is
133 recommended that user extensions follow "cert-name@domain.org" naming.
135 The "is_critical" indicates whether this extension is mandatory or
136 optional. If true, then any unsupported extension encountered should
137 result in KRL parsing failure. If false, then it may be safely be
140 The "extension_contents" contains the body of the extension.
142 3. Explicit key sections
144 These sections, identified as KRL_SECTION_EXPLICIT_KEY, revoke keys
145 (not certificates). They are less space efficient than serial numbers,
146 but are able to revoke plain keys.
148 string public_key_blob[0]
151 This section must contain at least one "public_key_blob". The blob
152 must be a raw key (i.e. not a certificate).
154 This section may appear multiple times.
156 4. SHA1/SHA256 fingerprint sections
158 These sections, identified as KRL_SECTION_FINGERPRINT_SHA1 and
159 KRL_SECTION_FINGERPRINT_SHA256, revoke plain keys (i.e. not
160 certificates) by listing their hashes:
162 string public_key_hash[0]
165 This section must contain at least one "public_key_hash". The hash blob
166 is obtained by taking the SHA1 or SHA256 hash of the public key blob.
167 Hashes in this section must appear in numeric order, treating each hash
168 as a big-endian integer.
170 This section may appear multiple times.
172 5. Extension sections
174 This section type provides a generic extension mechanism to the KRL
175 format that may be used to provide optional or critical data.
177 Extensions are recorded in sections of type KRL_SECTION_EXTENSION
178 with the following contents:
180 string extension_name
182 string extension_contents.
184 Where "extension_name" describes the type of extension. It is
185 recommended that user extensions follow "name@domain.org" naming.
187 The "is_critical" indicates whether this extension is mandatory or
188 optional. If true, then any unsupported extension encountered should
189 result in KRL parsing failure. If false, then it may be safely be
192 The "extension_contents" contains the body of the extension.
194 6. KRL signature sections
196 Note: KRL signatures are not supported by OpenSSH. OpenSSH >= 9.4 will
197 refuse to load KRLs that contain signatures. We recommend the use
198 of SSHSIG (`ssh-keygen -Y sign ...`) style signatures for KRLs instead.
200 The KRL_SECTION_SIGNATURE section serves a different purpose to the
201 preceding ones: to provide cryptographic authentication of a KRL that
202 is retrieved over a channel that does not provide integrity protection.
203 Its format is slightly different to the previously-described sections:
204 in order to simplify the signature generation, it includes as a "body"
205 two string components instead of one.
207 byte KRL_SECTION_SIGNATURE
211 The signature is calculated over the entire KRL from the KRL_MAGIC
212 to this subsection's "signature_key", including both and using the
213 signature generation rules appropriate for the type of "signature_key".
215 This section must appear last in the KRL. If multiple signature sections
216 appear, they must appear consecutively at the end of the KRL file.
218 Implementations that retrieve KRLs over untrusted channels must verify
219 signatures. Signature sections are optional for KRLs distributed by
222 $OpenBSD: PROTOCOL.krl,v 1.7 2023/07/17 04:01:10 djm Exp $