RFC 3851 (rfc3851) - Page 1 of 36
Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (S/MIME) Version 3
Alternative Format: Original Text Document
Network Working Group B. Ramsdell, Editor
Request for Comments: 3851 Sendmail, Inc.
Obsoletes: 2633 July 2004
Category: Standards Track
Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (S/MIME) Version 3.1
Message Specification
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.
Copyright Notice
Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2004).
Abstract
This document defines Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions
(S/MIME) version 3.1. S/MIME provides a consistent way to send and
receive secure MIME data. Digital signatures provide authentication,
message integrity, and non-repudiation with proof of origin.
Encryption provides data confidentiality. Compression can be used to
reduce data size. This document obsoletes RFC 2633.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.1. Specification Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.2. Terminology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.3. Definitions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.4. Compatibility with Prior Practice of S/MIME. . . . . . . 5
1.5. Changes Since S/MIME v3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2. CMS Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.1. DigestAlgorithmIdentifier. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.2. SignatureAlgorithmIdentifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.3. KeyEncryptionAlgorithmIdentifier . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.4. General Syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.5. Attributes and the SignerInfo Type . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.6. SignerIdentifier SignerInfo Type . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2.7. ContentEncryptionAlgorithmIdentifier . . . . . . . . . . 12
3. Creating S/MIME Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Ramsdell Standards Track