S/MIME Mail Security (smime)

Last Modified: 2007-05-21

Additional information is available at tools.ietf.org/wg/smime

Chair(s):

Sean Turner <turners@ieca.com>

Blake Ramsdell <blake@sendmail.com>

Security Area Director(s):

Tim Polk <tim.polk@nist.gov>

Sam Hartman <hartmans-ietf@mit.edu>

Security Area Advisor:

Tim Polk <tim.polk@nist.gov>

Mailing Lists:

General Discussion: ietf-smime@imc.org
To Subscribe: ietf-smime-request@imc.org
Archive: http://www.imc.org/ietf-smime/

Description of Working Group:

The S/MIME WG was established in the winter of 1997 to define MIME
encapsulation techniques of objects whose format was based on PKCS#7
(RFC2315). These encapsulation techniques can be used to provide
security services for an arbitrary encapsulated content.

Initially the Cryptographic Message Syntax (CMS) (RFC2630) was not
algorithm independent; however, the 1st revision separated the syntax
(RFC3369) and the algorithms (RFC3370) to allow the two to be
updated without affecting one another. Since this split, other
documents have been written to document the use of CMS with other
algorithms (e.g., ECDSA, AES, GOST). Also since the initial CMS,
additional key management techniques (e.g., password-based and an
extensible type) and encapsulation techniques (e.g., compression) have
been added and other documents have been written to add additional
security services. CMS is also transport independent, and documents
have been written to define a consistent way to transport MIME objects.

The S/MIME specifications, one for the message specification and
another for certificate handling, have been updated to migrate
algorithms over time.

Appropriate WG topics are as follows:

- Specifications for the use of additional cryptographic algorithms
with CMS.
- Specifications that define additional CMS content types.
- Specifications to document algorithm migration of S/MIME.
- With the approval of the area director, specifications that define
additional CMS security services.

The WG will perform interoperability testing to progress the CMS and
S/MIME Specifications to Draft Standard.

Goals and Milestones:

Done		First draft of security label usage specification.
Done		First draft of CMS RecipientInfo extension.
Done		Last call on KEA and SKIPJACK algorithm specification.
Done		Last call on small subgroup attack avoidance
Done		First draft of CAST algorithm specification.
Done		Last call on certificate distribution specification.
Done		First draft of mail list key distribution.
Done		Submit KEA and SKIPJACK algorithm specification as Informational RFC.
Done		Submit small subgroup attack avoidance as Informational RFC
Done		Last call on CAST algorithm specification.
Done		Updated draft of domain security services document.
Done		Last call on security label usage specification.
Done		Last call on IDEA algorithm specification.
Done		Last call on CMS RecipientInfo extension.
Done		Last call on mail list key distribution.
Done		Submit CAST algorithm specification as Informational RFC.
Done		Submit security label usage specification as Informational RFC.
Done		Submit IDEA algorithm specification as Informational RFC.
Done		Submit CMS RecipientInfo extension to IESG for consideration as a Proposed Standard.
Done		Last call on domain security services document.
Done		Submit domain security services as Experimental RFC.
Done		Submit mail list key distribution as a Proposed Standard
Done		Submit X.400 CMS wrapper specification as a Proposed Standard
Done		Submit HMAC key wrap description as Proposed Standard
Done		Submit RSA OAEP algorithm specification as Proposed Standard
Done		Sumbit AES algorithm specification as Proposed Standard
Done		Submit X.400 transport as a Proposed Standard
Done		Last call on CMS and ESS examples document
Done		First draft of RSA KEM algorithm specification
Done		Submit update to MSG as Proposed Standard
Done		Submit update to CERT as Proposed Standard
Done		Last call on RSA PSS algorithm specification
Done		Submit RSA PSS algorithm specification as Proposed Standard
Done		First draft of S/MIME Capabilities Certificate Extension
Done		Working Group Last Call for S/MIME Capabilities Certificate Extension
Done		Submit S/MIME Capabilities Certificate Extension as Informational RFC
Dec 2007		Submit SHA-2 algorithms with CMS as Proposed Standard
Dec 2007		Submit S/MIME Certificate Handling as Proposed Standard
Dec 2007		Submit S/MIME Message Specification as Proposed Standard
Dec 2008		Submit CMS as Draft Standard
Dec 2008		Submit necessary algorithms documents* as Draft Standard
Dec 2008		Submit Enhanced Security Services as Draft Standard
Dec 2008		Submit S/MIME Message Specification as Draft Standard
Dec 2008		Submit S/MIME Certificate Handling as Draft Standard

Internet-Drafts:

CMS Symmetric Key Management and Distribution (212424 bytes)
CMS Advanced Electronic Signatures (CAdES) (299493 bytes)
ESS Update: Adding CertID Algorithm Agility (32701 bytes)
Identity-based Encryption Architecture (55224 bytes)
Using the Boneh-Franklin and Boneh-Boyen identity-based encryption algorithms with the Cryptographic Message Syntax (CMS) (31712 bytes)
Multiple Signatures in S/MIME (35595 bytes)
Cryptographic Message Syntax (CMS) Authenticated-Enveloped-Data Content Type (23002 bytes)
Using AES-CCM and AES-GCM Authenticated Encryption in the Cryptographic Message Syntax (CMS) (21914 bytes)
Using SHA2 Algorithms with Cryptographic Message Syntax (11554 bytes)

Request For Comments:

IETF Secretariat - Please send questions, comments, and/or suggestions to ietf-web@ietf.org.

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