Subject: Re: [media-types] Going to register - Internet media type application/pkcs12; request review

From: Sean Leonard <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2015 09:51:45 -0800

Hello media-types:

Just following up on this thread. I intend to register 
application/pkcs12 next week unless there are further revisions.

Best regards,

Sean

************
Registration Template [DRAFT prefinal]

Type name: application

Subtype name: pkcs12

Required parameters: N/A

Optional parameters: N/A

Encoding considerations: binary

Security considerations:
PKCS #12 data typically contains one or more private keys encrypted with 
a password using a key derivation function. Poor password choices, weak 
algorithms, or improper parameter selections (e.g., insufficient salting 
rounds) will make the confidential payloads much easier to compromise. 
Additionally, PFX was subject to criticism for being too obtuse and 
cumbersome to implement (see Gutmann, P., PFX - How Not to Design a 
Crypto Protocol/Standard, 
<https://www.cs.auckland.ac.nz/~pgut001/pubs/pfx.html>). Many of these 
(editorial) shortcomings have been addressed in the latest publications 
of PKCS #12.

Interoperability considerations:
PKCS #12 (formerly PFX, Personal Information Exchange) is a widely 
recognized format for exchange of secret (personal identity) information 
on all modern cryptographic stacks. The format is primarily used for the 
exchange of private keys and certificates, but can also be used to 
exchange symmetric keys, miscellaneous secrets, attributed objects, and 
extensions.

Published specification:
PKCS #12 v1.0, June 1999; PKCS #12 v1.1 (RFC 7292), July 2014

Applications that use this media type:

Machines, applications, browsers, Internet kiosks, and so on, that 
support this standard allow a user to import, export, and exercise a 
single set of personal identity information.

Fragment identifier considerations: N/A

Additional information:

  Deprecated alias names for this type: N/A
  Magic number(s): None.
  File extension(s): .p12, .pfx
  Macintosh file type code(s): N/A

Person & email address to contact for further information:
  Sean Leonard <[email-masked]>

Intended usage: COMMON

Restrictions on usage: None.

Author:
RSA, EMC, IETF

Change controller: The IESG

Provisional registration? (standards tree only): No