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Security Fundamentals & Crypto · Advanced

Public Key Cryptography Standards (PKCS)

Set of standards originally published by RSA Laboratories for public key cryptography formats and operations.

Definition

Notable PKCS standards include #1 (RSA), #5 (password-based cryptography, PBKDF2), #7 (CMS), #8 (private key format), #10 (CSR), #11 (cryptographic token interface for HSMs), and #12 (key/certificate archive). Many are now published as IETF RFCs. PKCS #11 is the common API for interacting with HSMs and smart cards.

Example

An application uses a PKCS #11 library to sign data with a key stored in an HSM.

Exam tip

Remember #10 = CSR, #12 = PFX, #11 = HSM interface.

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