RFC 3369 · PROPOSED STANDARD · 2002
WED · 29 JUL 2026
Cryptographic Message Syntax
Overview
RFC 3369, “Cryptographic Message Syntax”, is a Proposed Standard document published in September 2002 by R. Housley. It obsoletes RFC 2630, RFC 3211. It has been obsoleted by RFC 3852 — refer to the newer document for the authoritative version. The canonical text is published by the RFC Editor.
Abstract
This document describes the Cryptographic Message Syntax (CMS). This syntax is used to digitally sign, digest, authenticate, or encrypt arbitrary messages.
What “Proposed Standard” means
An entry-level standards-track specification: stable, peer-reviewed and a solid basis for implementation, though it may still evolve before becoming an Internet Standard.
Read this RFC
The canonical text of RFC 3369 is hosted at rfc-editor.org. Available in TXT,HTML.
Relationships to other RFCs
Other RFCs from 2002
- RFC 3368 The 'go' URI Scheme for the Common Name Resolution Protocol
- RFC 3370 Cryptographic Message Syntax Algorithms
- RFC 3367 Common Name Resolution Protocol
- RFC 3371 Layer Two Tunneling Protocol "L2TP" Management Information Base
- RFC 3366 Advice to link designers on link Automatic Repeat reQuest
- RFC 3372 Session Initiation Protocol for Telephones : Context and Architectures
- RFC 3365 Strong Security Requirements for Internet Engineering Task Force Standard Protocols
- RFC 3373 Three-Way Handshake for Intermediate System to Intermediate System Point-to-Point Adjacencies