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File formats:

Status:

PROPOSED STANDARD

Obsoletes:

RFC 1991,RFC 2440

Obsoleted by:

RFC 9580

Updated by:

RFC 5581

Authors:

J. Callas
L. Donnerhacke
H. Finney
D. Shaw
R. Thayer

Stream:

IETF

Source:

openpgp (sec)

Cite this RFC:TXT  | XML  |  BibTeX

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.17487/RFC4880

Discuss this RFC: Send questions or comments to the mailing listopenpgp@ietf.org

Other actions:View Errata  | Submit Errata  | Find IPR Disclosures from the IETF  | View History of RFC 4880

Abstract

This document is maintained in order to publish all necessaryinformation needed to develop interoperable applications based onthe OpenPGP format. It is not a step-by-step cookbook for writing anapplication. It describes only the format and methods needed toread, check, generate, and write conforming packets crossing anynetwork. It does not deal with storage and implementation questions.It does, however, discuss implementation issues necessary to avoidsecurity flaws.

OpenPGP software uses a combination of strong public-key andsymmetric cryptography to provide security services for electroniccommunications and data storage. These services includeconfidentiality, key management, authentication, and digitalsignatures. This document specifies the message formats used inOpenPGP. [STANDARDS-TRACK]

For the definition ofStatus,seeRFC 2026.

For the definition ofStream, seeRFC 8729.