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I am really confused over PKCS. I saw this question but I do not have enough reputation to leave a comment so I am asking a new question to clarify.

I am trying to understand what exactly PKCS and in extension what CMS is. I have stumbled on the line from the RFC mentioned in the aforementioned question.

This syntax is used to digitally sign, digest, authenticate, or encrypt arbitrary message content.

How can a syntax be used to digitally sign stuff?!! I can understand if it states it is a syntax used to describe digitally signed stuff...but signing? how can a syntax be used to sign?

This all tie into my confusion with PKCS/CMS and x509. I understand that x509 is a standard that describes what should make up a certificate, how is this different from PKCS/CMS?

Edit

The Wikipedia entry for CMS does not also help. For example it says:

It [CMS] can be used by cryptographic schemes and protocols to digitally sign, digest, authenticate or encrypt any form of digital data.

Okay is CMS an encryption algorithm like RSA? No!! so why then say it is a protocol used to digitally sign or encrypt stuff?

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  • $\begingroup$ So no, CMS is not an algorithm, it is a container format for cryptographic messages. Those messages may be encrypted or signed using RSA, in which case CMS will reference the RSA algorithm. You can use the command openssl asn1parse or openssl -cmsout -print to view what the structure is and what's stored inside. You may have to use -inform DER if the input is binary instead of a textual PEM file (header, base 64 and footer). --> Can you please provide the command line script like how cms signing process happens internally ? $\endgroup$
    – smilly
    Commented Oct 5, 2021 at 8:08

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PKCS stands for Public Key Cryptography Standards. The name was part of RSA Laboratories that managed to create and publish a very long list of standards, including:

  • PKCS#1 : RSA with various schemes for encryption + signature generation and schemes
  • PKCS#5 : Password Based Encryption or PBE
  • PKCS#7 : The Cryptographic Message Syntax or CMS
  • PKCS#8 : A scheme for storing / describing and and encrypting private keys
  • PKCS#11 : Cryptoki, a C based API for HSM's
  • PKCS#12 : A key & trust store format

PKCS in itself is not a scheme though. Many of these schemes use a language called ASN.1 that is used to describe data structures. It originated in the telco industries. For cryptographic purposes those data structures can be encoded using BER / DER binary encoding.

As RSA Labs was acquired by companies that seemingly didn't have any interest in extending or maintaining the standards, most of these standards have been supplanted by RFCs by now, including CMS, although you still see many mentions of PKCS#7, PKCS7, .pk7 and similar.

As the name implies, CMS is a structure of cryptographic messages, described in ASN.1. As such it doesn't describe a method of creating signatures, it just describes how to store signatures and the signed content. Or indeed, how to store encrypted messages, possibly after signing them. CMS is a so called container format that describes what's inside, a bit like an archive or zip file but for cryptographic use.

Furthermore, it also describes how you can store X.509 certificates with the message that can be used to verify it. Verifying parties may not have the leaf / user certificate that was used to sign the document, but they may have a trusted CA certificate that can be used to create a certificate chain. X.509 certificates use a different structure also defined using ASN.1. Since certificates are basically also signed documents there are of course many similarities with CMS. CMS is sometimes even used as a container format for certificates, similar to PKCS#12.

So no, CMS is not an algorithm, it is a container format for cryptographic messages. Those messages may be encrypted or signed using RSA, in which case CMS will reference the RSA algorithm. You can use the command openssl asn1parse or openssl -cmsout -print to view what the structure is and what's stored inside. You may have to use -inform DER if the input is binary instead of a textual PEM file (header, base 64 and footer).

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  • $\begingroup$ Thanks for this answer. I now have a better mental model of things. If I were a junior engineer, and you want to give me a task that would help in getting a more hands on feel for CMS...what task would you suggest I do? $\endgroup$
    – Finlay Weber
    Commented Apr 17, 2020 at 6:04
  • $\begingroup$ Also what are your thoughts on those phrases from wikipedia and the rfcs i mentioned in the questions..are they just outright wrong? $\endgroup$
    – Finlay Weber
    Commented Apr 17, 2020 at 6:14
  • $\begingroup$ No, they are not outright wrong. In a sense they are ways of signing, but they are reliant on the signature generation algorithms used. They should be cleared up, I agree. As for a task: create a key pair and X.509 self signed certificate (plenty of tutorials on that) and then sign a message. You have to start somewhere I guess. My first task was to sign a Java Applet using a HSM and key tool. Then I had to recreate the entire protocol to sign the applet. In case you think your first crypto task is hard ;) I was hired in that first month though. $\endgroup$
    – Maarten Bodewes ♦
    Commented Apr 17, 2020 at 22:46

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