OpenPGP Message Format
RFC 4880

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Network Working Group                                          J. Callas
Request for Comments: 4880                               PGP Corporation
Obsoletes: 1991, 2440                                     L. Donnerhacke
Category: Standards Track                                       IKS GmbH
                                                               H. Finney
                                                         PGP Corporation
                                                                 D. Shaw
                                                               R. Thayer
                                                           November 2007

                         OpenPGP Message Format

Status of This Memo

   This document specifies an Internet standards track protocol for the
   Internet community, and requests discussion and suggestions for
   improvements.  Please refer to the current edition of the "Internet
   Official Protocol Standards" (STD 1) for the standardization state
   and status of this protocol.  Distribution of this memo is unlimited.

Abstract

   This document is maintained in order to publish all necessary
   information needed to develop interoperable applications based on the
   OpenPGP format.  It is not a step-by-step cookbook for writing an
   application.  It describes only the format and methods needed to
   read, check, generate, and write conforming packets crossing any
   network.  It does not deal with storage and implementation questions.
   It does, however, discuss implementation issues necessary to avoid
   security flaws.

   OpenPGP software uses a combination of strong public-key and
   symmetric cryptography to provide security services for electronic
   communications and data storage.  These services include
   confidentiality, key management, authentication, and digital
   signatures.  This document specifies the message formats used in
   OpenPGP.

Callas, et al               Standards Track                     [Page 1]
RFC 4880                 OpenPGP Message Format            November 2007

Table of Contents

   1. Introduction ....................................................5
      1.1. Terms ......................................................5
   2. General functions ...............................................6
      2.1. Confidentiality via Encryption .............................6
      2.2. Authentication via Digital Signature .......................7
      2.3. Compression ................................................7
      2.4. Conversion to Radix-64 .....................................8
      2.5. Signature-Only Applications ................................8
   3. Data Element Formats ............................................8
      3.1. Scalar Numbers .............................................8
      3.2. Multiprecision Integers ....................................9
      3.3. Key IDs ....................................................9
      3.4. Text .......................................................9
      3.5. Time Fields ...............................................10
      3.6. Keyrings ..................................................10
      3.7. String-to-Key (S2K) Specifiers ............................10
           3.7.1. String-to-Key (S2K) Specifier Types ................10
                  3.7.1.1. Simple S2K ................................10
                  3.7.1.2. Salted S2K ................................11
                  3.7.1.3. Iterated and Salted S2K ...................11
           3.7.2. String-to-Key Usage ................................12
                  3.7.2.1. Secret-Key Encryption .....................12
                  3.7.2.2. Symmetric-Key Message Encryption ..........13
   4. Packet Syntax ..................................................13
      4.1. Overview ..................................................13
      4.2. Packet Headers ............................................13
           4.2.1. Old Format Packet Lengths ..........................14
           4.2.2. New Format Packet Lengths ..........................15
                  4.2.2.1. One-Octet Lengths .........................15
                  4.2.2.2. Two-Octet Lengths .........................15
                  4.2.2.3. Five-Octet Lengths ........................15
                  4.2.2.4. Partial Body Lengths ......................16
           4.2.3. Packet Length Examples .............................16
      4.3. Packet Tags ...............................................17
   5. Packet Types ...................................................17
      5.1. Public-Key Encrypted Session Key Packets (Tag 1) ..........17
      5.2. Signature Packet (Tag 2) ..................................19
           5.2.1. Signature Types ....................................19
           5.2.2. Version 3 Signature Packet Format ..................21
           5.2.3. Version 4 Signature Packet Format ..................24