A few posts back I started to talk about PKCS. Well let's finish the discussion. PKCS #9 defines attributes which apply to extended certificates, envelopes, and private key encryption. In other words, it defines details for PKCS #6, #7, and #8.PKCS #10 defines the syntax or format of a request to a certificate authority. PKCS #11 is Cryptoki (crypto key). This is a hardware solution like using smart cards for authentication.
PKCS #12 defines how users can share private keys. PKCS #13 is the advanced topic of elliptical curves. I am not an expert in the technology. From a distance it looks like a lot of math.
PKCS #14 defines a pseudo random number generator. Generating true random numbers is difficult. Finally PKCS #15 covers tokens. That is PKCS in a nutshell. Although it goes up to PKCS #15, there are only 13 distinct parts as #2 and #4 are rolled into the standard for PKCS #1.
Next time I plan to get deep into keys. Stay tuned.
