The first of these standards, RFC 2459, profiles the X.509 version 3 certificates and version 2 CRLs for use in the Internet. The working group is now embarking on additional standards work to develop protocols that are either integral to PKI management, or that are otherwise closely related to PKI use.
Work is ongoing on alternative certificate revocation methods.
Finally, work is underway on protocols for time stamping and data certification. These protocols are designed primarily to support non-repudiation, making use of certificates and CRLs, and are so tightly bound to PKI use that they warrant coverage under this working group. Additional work will be initiated on a profile for X.509 attribute certificates, resulting in a new RFC and, perhaps, in extensions to existing certificate management standards to accommodate differences between attribute certificates and public-key certificates. Return to working group directory. Return to IETF home page.