Key management techniques
Cryptographic keys go through a life cycle. From the generation of keys, to their safe destruction, keys have to be managed according to the established policies and procedures.
Key management procedures
Key management consists of four essential procedures concerning public and private keys. They are as follows:
Secure generation of keys: Procedures to ensure that the private and public keys are generated in a secure manner.
Secure storage of keys: Procedures to ensure that keys are stored securely.
Secure distribution of keys: Procedures to ensure that keys are not lost or modified during distribution.
Secure destruction of keys: Procedures to ensure that the keys are destroyed completely once the useful life of the key is over.
Type of keys
NIST Special Publication 800-57, titled Recommendation for Key Management - Part 1: General, specifies the following nineteen types of keys:
Private signature keys: They are private keys of public key pairs and are used to generate...
