EVP_KDF-PKCS12KDF(7ossl)

📦
version 3.5.9 · 8 versions
, in alpine 3.23, alpine 3.24

💅 EVP_KDF-PKCS12KDF — the PKCS#12 EVP_KDF implementation

okay so this is the 7ossl page for EVP_KDF-PKCS12KDF, part of the OpenSSL manual set — yes bestie, we're reading the OpenSSL docs today, and honestly? It's giving secure. Let's go 🎀

✨ NAME ✨

EVP_KDF-PKCS12KDF — the PKCS#12 EVP_KDF implementation. That's it, that's the whole name. Short, sweet, iconic. 👑

🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

So, like, this is the support for computing the PKCS#12 password-based KDF through the EVP_KDF API. Slay.

The EVP_KDF-PKCS12KDF algorithm implements the PKCS#12 password-based key derivation function, as described in appendix B of RFC 7292 (PKCS #12: Personal Information Exchange Syntax). It derives a key from a password using a salt, iteration count and the intended usage. Periodt — password goes in, key comes out, everybody claps. 🔥

💜 Identity

"PKCS12KDF" is the name for this implementation, and you can use it with the EVP_KDF_fetch() function. That's literally the name, no cap. Remember it, iykyk.

🦋 Supported parameters

The supported parameters are:

  • "pass" (OSSL_KDF_PARAM_PASSWORD) <octet string> — the password, obviously. Main character energy.
  • "salt" (OSSL_KDF_PARAM_SALT) <octet string> — your salt, the seasoning of cryptography 🍓
  • "iter" (OSSL_KDF_PARAM_ITER) <unsigned integer> — the iteration count, aka how hard we make the attacker work.
  • "properties" (OSSL_KDF_PARAM_PROPERTIES) <UTF8 string> — properties, for property reasons.
  • "digest" (OSSL_KDF_PARAM_DIGEST) <UTF8 string> — your digest of choice.
These parameters work as described in "PARAMETERS" in EVP_KDF(3). Not me repeating myself — the manpage said it, so I said it. 💅
  • "id" (OSSL_KDF_PARAM_PKCS12_ID) <integer> — this one is used to specify the intended usage of the output bits, as per RFC 7292 section B.3. Yes, the output bits have intentions. We love a purposeful bit. ✨

🎀 NOTES 🎀

okay, important stuff, listen up bestie:

This algorithm is not available in the FIPS provider because it is not FIPS approvable. So if you were hoping to slide this into FIPS mode — no. Not happening. 💀

A typical application of this algorithm is to derive keying material for an encryption algorithm from a password in the "pass", a salt in "salt", and an iteration count. Very demure, very PKCS#12. 🫶

Increasing the "iter" parameter slows down the algorithm, which makes it harder for an attacker to perform a brute force attack using a large number of candidate passwords. So like… crank it up? Slower for them, safer for you. The way that math works is honestly iconic. ⭐

No assumption is made regarding the given password; it is simply treated as a byte sequence. No vibes checking, no format drama — bytes are bytes. 🌈

👑 CONFORMING TO 👑

RFC7292 — and it ate, obviously.

🔥 SEE ALSO 🔥

Go read them. For me. 💖

⭐ HISTORY ⭐

This functionality was added in OpenSSL 3.0. Glow-up era. 🌸

Copyright 2020-2023 The OpenSSL Project Authors. All Rights Reserved.

Licensed under the Apache License 2.0 (the "License"). You may not use this file except in compliance with the License. You can obtain a copy in the file LICENSE in the source distribution or at <https://www.openssl.org/source/license.html>.

and that's the whole page bestie, you understood it perfectly, I'm so proud of you 🥹💖

okay last thing, the cute little sign-off at the bottom of the page: this one is version 3.5.9, dated 2026-09-29, and it's the EVP_KDF-PKCS12KDF(7ossl) page of the OpenSSL manual. take care, hydrate, and never roll your own crypto! 💜🦋💅

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