Key Management#
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Key Slots#
The PIV application can hold certificates for different purposes. For each purpose the private key and its corresponding certificate are stored in a key slot.
Slot |
Application |
Description |
|---|---|---|
82-95 |
Retired Key Management |
The private keys and certificates in these slots were used for key management applications and are still there to provide backward compatibility. |
9a |
Authentication |
The private key and certificate in this slot are used to authenticate the cardholder. |
9c |
Signature |
The private key and certificate in this slot are used to sign emails and files. |
9d |
Key Management |
The private key and certificate in this slot are used to encrypt emails and files. |
9e |
Card Authentication |
The private key and certificate in this slot are used for physical operations, such as building access or time recording. Support from the respective system is a prerequisite. |
Algorithms#
The PIV application uses asymmetric and symmetric algorithms. The asymmetric algorithms are used for the user private keys and the symmetric algorithms for the management key.
Supported asymmetric key algorithms:
RSA 2048
nistp256
Supported symmetric key algorithms:
AES 256
3DES (TDES)
Warning
It is not recommended to use the 3DES (TDES) algorithm.
Generate Key#
The PIV application can generate a new private key on the Nitrokey.
The command below will create private key in key slot 9a for the user with the subject name John Doe and subject alternative name jd@nitrokey.local.
nitropy nk3 piv generate-key --key-slot 9a --subject-name "John Doe" --subject-alt-name-upn "jd@nitrokey.local"