keytool(1) keytool(1)
NAME
keytool - Key and Certificate Management Tool
Manages a keystore (database) of cryptographic keys, X.509 certifi‐
cate chains, and trusted certificates.
SYNOPSIS
keytool [ commands ]
The keytool command interface has changed in Java SE 6. See the Changes
Section for a detailed description. Note that previously defined com‐
mands are still supported.
DESCRIPTION
keytool is a key and certificate management utility. It allows users to
administer their own public/private key pairs and associated certifi‐
cates for use in self-authentication (where the user authenticates him‐
self/herself to other users/services) or data integrity and authentica‐
tion services, using digital signatures. It also allows users to cache
the public keys (in the form of certificates) of their communicating
peers.
A certificate is a digitally signed statement from one entity (person,
company, etc.), saying that the public key (and some other information)
of some other entity has a particular value. (See Certificates.) When
data is digitally signed, the signature can be verified to check the
data integrity and authenticity. Integrity means that the data has not
been modified or tampered with, and authenticity means the data indeed
comes from whoever claims to have created and signed it.
keytool also enables users to administer secret keys used in symmetric
encryption/decryption (e.g. DES).
keytool stores the keys and certificates in a keystore.
COMMAND AND OPTION NOTES
The various commands and their options are listed and described below .
Note:
o All command and option names are preceded by a minus sign (-).
o The options for each command may be provided in any order.
o All items not italicized or in braces or square brackets are
required to appear as is.
o Braces surrounding an option generally signify that a default
value will be used if the option is not specified on the command
line. Braces are also used around the -v, -rfc, and -J options,
which only have meaning if they appear on the command line (that
is, they don't have any "default" values other than not existing).
o Brackets surrounding an option signify that the user is prompted
for the value(s) if the option is not specified on the command
line. (For a -keypass option, if you do not specify the option on
the command line, keytool will first attempt to use the keystore
password to recover the private/secret key, and if this fails,
will then prompt you for the private/secret key password.)
o Items in italics (option values) represent the actual values that
must be supplied. For example, here is the format of the -print‐
cert command:
keytool -printcert {-file cert_file} {-v}
When specifying a -printcert command, replace cert_file with the
actual file name, as in:
keytool -printcert -file VScert.cer
o Option values must be quoted if they contain a blank (space).
o The -help command is the default. Thus, the command line
keytool
is equivalent to
keytool -help
Option Defaults
Below are the defaults for various option values.
-alias "mykey"
-keyalg
"DSA" (when using -genkeypair)
"DES" (when using -genseckey)
-keysize
1024 (when using -genkeypair)
56 (when using -genseckey and -keyalg is "DES")
168 (when using -genseckey and -keyalg is "DESede")
-validity 90
-keystore the file named .keystore in the user's home directory
-storetype the value of the "keystore.type" property in the security properties file,
which is returned by the static getDefaultType method in java.security.KeyStore
-file stdin if reading, stdout if writing
-protected false
In generating a public/private key pair, the signature algorithm
(-sigalg option) is derived from the algorithm of the underlying
private key: If the underlying private key is of type "DSA", the
-sigalg option defaults to "SHA1withDSA", and if the underlying pri‐
vate key is of type "RSA", -sigalg defaults to "MD5withRSA". Please
consult the Java Cryptography Architecture API Specification & Ref‐
erence @
http://java.sun.com/javase/6/docs/technotes/guides/secu‐
rity/crypto/CryptoSpec.html#AppA for a full list of -keyalg and
-sigalg you can choose from.
Common Options
The -v option can appear for all commands except -help. If it
appears, it signifies "verbose" mode; more information will be out‐
put.
There is also a -Jjavaoption option that may appear for any command.
If it appears, the specified javaoption string is passed through
directly to the Java interpreter. This option should not contain any
spaces. It is useful for adjusting the execution environment or mem‐
ory usage. For a list of possible interpreter options, type java -h
or java -X at the command line.
These options may appear for all commands operating on a keystore:
-storetype storetype
This qualifier specifies the type of keystore to be instanti‐
ated.
-keystore keystore
The keystore location.
If the JKS storetype is used and a keystore file does not yet
exist, then certain keytool commands may result in a new keystore
file being created. For example, if keytool -genkeypair is
invoked and the -keystore option is not specified, the default
keystore file named .keystore in the user's home directory will
be created if it does not already exist. Similarly, if the -key‐
store ks_file option is specified but ks_file does not exist,
then it will be created
Note that the input stream from the -keystore option is passed to
the KeyStore.load method. If NONE is specified as the URL, then a
null stream is passed to the KeyStore.load method. NONE should be
specified if the KeyStore is not file-based (for example, if it
resides on a hardware token device).
-storepass storepass
The password which is used to protect the integrity of the
keystore.
storepass must be at least 6 characters long. It must be provided
to all commands that access the keystore contents. For such com‐
mands, if a -storepass option is not provided at the command
line, the user is prompted for it.
When retrieving information from the keystore, the password is
optional; if no password is given, the integrity of the retrieved
information cannot be checked and a warning is displayed.
-providerName provider_name
Used to identify a cryptographic service provider's name when
listed in the security properties file.
-providerClass provider_class_name
Used to specify the name of cryptographic service provider's
master class file when the service provider is not listed in
the security properties file.
-providerArg provider_arg
Used in conjunction with -providerClass. Represents an
optional string input argument for the constructor of
provider_class_name.
-protected
Either true or false. This value should be specified as true
if a password must be given via a protected authentication
path such as a dedicated PIN reader.
COMMANDS
Creating or Adding Data to the Keystore
-genkeypair {-alias alias} {-keyalg keyalg} {-keysize keysize}
{-sigalg sigalg} [-dname dname] [-keypass keypass] {-validity
valDays} {-storetype storetype} {-keystore keystore} [-storepass
storepass] {-providerClass provider_class_name {-providerArg
provider_arg}} {-v} {-protected} {-Jjavaoption}
Generates a key pair (a public key and associated private key).
Wraps the public key into an X.509 v3 self-signed certificate,
which is stored as a single-element certificate chain. This cer‐
tificate chain and the private key are stored in a new keystore
entry identified by alias.
keyalg specifies the algorithm to be used to generate the key
pair, and keysize specifies the size of each key to be generated.
sigalg specifies the algorithm that should be used to sign the
self-signed certificate; this algorithm must be compatible with
keyalg.
dname specifies the X.500 Distinguished Name to be associated
with alias, and is used as the issuer and subject fields in the
self-signed certificate. If no distinguished name is provided at
the command line, the user will be prompted for one.
keypass is a password used to protect the private key of the gen‐
erated key pair. If no password is provided, the user is prompted
for it. If you press RETURN at the prompt, the key password is
set to the same password as that used for the keystore. keypass
must be at least 6 characters long.
valDays tells the number of days for which the certificate should
be considered valid.
This command was named -genkey in previous releases. This old
name is still supported in this release and will be supported in
future releases, but for clarify the new name, -genkeypair, is
preferred going forward.
-genseckey {-alias alias} {-keyalg keyalg} {-keysize keysize}
[-keypass keypass] {-storetype storetype} {-keystore keystore}
[-storepass storepass] {-providerClass provider_class_name
{-providerArg provider_arg}} {-v} {-protected} {-Jjavaoption}
Generates a secret key and stores it in a new Key‐
Store.SecretKeyEntry identified by alias.
keyalg specifies the algorithm to be used to generate the secret
key, and keysize specifies the size of the key to be generated.
keypass is a password used to protect the secret key. If no pass‐
word is provided, the user is prompted for it. If you press
RETURN at the prompt, the key password is set to the same pass‐
word as that used for the keystore. keypass must be at least 6
characters long.
-importcert {-alias alias} {-file cert_file} [-keypass keypass]
{-noprompt} {-trustcacerts} {-storetype storetype} {-keystore
keystore} [-storepass storepass] {-providerName provider_name}
{-providerClass provider_class_name {-providerArg provider_arg}}
{-v} {-protected} {-Jjavaoption}
Reads the certificate or certificate chain (where the latter is
supplied in a PKCS#7 formatted reply) from the file cert_file,
and stores it in the keystore entry identified by alias. If no
file is given, the certificate or PKCS#7 reply is read from
stdin.
keytool can import X.509 v1, v2, and v3 certificates, and PKCS#7
formatted certificate chains consisting of certificates of that
type. The data to be imported must be provided either in binary
encoding format, or in printable encoding format (also known as
Base64 encoding) as defined by the Internet RFC 1421 standard. In
the latter case, the encoding must be bounded at the beginning by
a string that starts with "-----BEGIN", and bounded at the end by
a string that starts with "-----END".
You import a certificate for two reasons:
1. to add it to the list of trusted certificates, or
2. to import a certificate reply received from a CA as the
result of submitting a Certificate Signing Request (see the
-certreq command) to that CA.
Which type of import is intended is indicated by the value of the
-alias option:
1. If the alias does not point to a key entry, then keytool
assumes you are adding a trusted certificate entry. In this
case, the alias should not already exist in the keystore.
If the alias does already exist, then keytool outputs an
error, since there is already a trusted certificate for
that alias, and does not import the certificate.
2. If the alias points to a key entry, then keytool assumes
you are importing a certificate reply.
Importing a New Trusted Certificate
Before adding the certificate to the keystore, keytool tries
to verify it by attempting to construct a chain of trust from
that certificate to a self-signed certificate (belonging to a
root CA), using trusted certificates that are already avail‐
able in the keystore.
If the -trustcacerts option has been specified, additional
certificates are considered for the chain of trust, namely the
certificates in a file named "cacerts".
If keytool fails to establish a trust path from the certifi‐
cate to be imported up to a self-signed certificate (either
from the keystore or the "cacerts" file), the certificate
information is printed out, and the user is prompted to verify
it, e.g., by comparing the displayed certificate fingerprints
with the fingerprints obtained from some other (trusted)
source of information, which might be the certificate owner
himself/herself. Be very careful to ensure the certificate is
valid prior to importing it as a "trusted" certificate! -- see
WARNING Regarding Importing Trusted Certificates. The user
then has the option of aborting the import operation. If the
-noprompt option is given, however, there will be no interac‐
tion with the user.
Importing a Certificate Reply
When importing a certificate reply, the certificate reply is
validated using trusted certificates from the keystore, and
optionally using the certificates configured in the "cacerts"
keystore file (if the -trustcacerts option was specified).
The methods of determining whether the certificate reply is
trusted are described in the following:
o If the reply is a single X.509 certificate, keytool
attempts to establish a trust chain, starting at the cer‐
tificate reply and ending at a self-signed certificate
(belonging to a root CA). The certificate reply and the
hierarchy of certificates used to authenticate the cer‐
tificate reply form the new certificate chain of alias.
If a trust chain cannot be established, the certificate
reply is not imported. In this case, keytool does not
print out the certificate and prompt the user to verify
it, because it is very hard (if not impossible) for a
user to determine the authenticity of the certificate
reply.
o If the reply is a PKCS#7 formatted certificate chain, the
chain is first ordered (with the user certificate first
and the self-signed root CA certificate last), before
keytool attempts to match the root CA certificate pro‐
vided in the reply with any of the trusted certificates
in the keystore or the "cacerts" keystore file (if the
-trustcacerts option was specified). If no match can be
found, the information of the root CA certificate is
printed out, and the user is prompted to verify it, e.g.,
by comparing the displayed certificate fingerprints with
the fingerprints obtained from some other (trusted)
source of information, which might be the root CA itself.
The user then has the option of aborting the import oper‐
ation. If the -noprompt option is given, however, there
will be no interaction with the user.
If the public key in the certificate reply matches the user's
public key already stored with under alias, the old certifi‐
cate chain is replaced with the new certificate chain in the
reply. The old chain can only be replaced if a valid keypass,
the password used to protect the private key of the entry, is
supplied. If no password is provided, and the private key
password is different from the keystore password, the user is
prompted for it.
This command was named -import in previous releases. This old
name is still supported in this release and will be supported in
future releases, but for clarify the new name, -importcert, is
preferred going forward.
-importkeystore -srckeystore srckeystore -destkeystore destkey‐
store {-srcstoretype srcstoretype} {-deststoretype deststoretype}
[-srcstorepass srcstorepass] [-deststorepass deststorepass]
{-srcprotected} {-destprotected} {-srcalias srcalias {-destalias
destalias} [-srckeypass srckeypass] [-destkeypass destkeypass] }
{-noprompt} {-srcProviderName src_provider_name} {-destProvider‐
Name dest_provider_name} {-providerClass provider_class_name
{-providerArg provider_arg}} {-v} {-protected} {-Jjavaoption}
Imports a single entry or all entries from a source keystore to a
destination keystore.
When the srcalias option is provided, the command imports the
single entry identified by the alias to the destination keystore.
If a destination alias is not provided with destalias, then
srcalias is used as the destination alias. If the source entry is
protected by a password, srckeypass will be used to recover the
entry. If srckeypass is not provided, then keytool will attempt
to use srcstorepass to recover the entry. If srcstorepass is
either not provided or is incorrect, the user will be prompted
for a password. The destination entry will be protected using
destkeypass. If destkeypass is not provided, the destination
entry will be protected with the source entry password.
If the srcalias option is not provided, then all entries in the
source keystore are imported into the destination keystore. Each
destination entry will be stored under the alias from the source
entry. If the source entry is protected by a password, src‐
storepass will be used to recover the entry. If srcstorepass is
either not provided or is incorrect, the user will be prompted
for a password. If a source keystore entry type is not supported
in the destination keystore, or if an error occurs while storing
an entry into the destination keystore, the user will be prompted
whether to skip the entry and continue, or to quit. The destina‐
tion entry will be protected with the source entry password.
If the destination alias already exists in the destination key‐
store, the user is prompted to either overwrite the entry, or to
create a new entry under a different alias name.
Note that if -noprompt is provided, the user will not be prompted
for a new destination alias. Existing entries will automatically
be overwritten with the destination alias name. Finally, entries
that can not be imported are automatically skipped and a warning
is output.
Exporting Data
-certreq {-alias alias} {-sigalg sigalg} {-file certreq_file}
[-keypass keypass] {-storetype storetype} {-keystore keystore}
[-storepass storepass] {-providerName provider_name} {-provider‐
Class provider_class_name {-providerArg provider_arg}} {-v}
{-protected} {-Jjavaoption}
Generates a Certificate Signing Request (CSR), using the PKCS#10
format.
A CSR is intended to be sent to a certificate authority (CA). The
CA will authenticate the certificate requestor (usually off-line)
and will return a certificate or certificate chain, used to
replace the existing certificate chain (which initially consists
of a self-signed certificate) in the keystore.
The private key and X.500 Distinguished Name associated with
alias are used to create the PKCS#10 certificate request. In
order to access the private key, the appropriate password must be
provided, since private keys are protected in the keystore with a
password. If keypass is not provided at the command line, and is
different from the password used to protect the integrity of the
keystore, the user is prompted for it.
sigalg specifies the algorithm that should be used to sign the
CSR.
The CSR is stored in the file certreq_file. If no file is given,
the CSR is output to stdout.
Use the importcert command to import the response from the CA.
-exportcert {-alias alias} {-file cert_file} {-storetype store‐
type} {-keystore keystore} [-storepass storepass] {-providerName
provider_name} {-providerClass provider_class_name {-providerArg
provider_arg}} {-rfc} {-v} {-protected} {-Jjavaoption}
Reads (from the keystore) the certificate associated with alias,
and stores it in the file cert_file.
If no file is given, the certificate is output to stdout.
The certificate is by default output in binary encoding, but will
instead be output in the printable encoding format, as defined by
the Internet RFC 1421 standard, if the -rfc option is specified.
If alias refers to a trusted certificate, that certificate is
output. Otherwise, alias refers to a key entry with an associated
certificate chain. In that case, the first certificate in the
chain is returned. This certificate authenticates the public key
of the entity addressed by alias.
This command was named -export in previous releases. This old
name is still supported in this release and will be supported in
future releases, but for clarify the new name, -exportcert, is
preferred going forward.
Displaying Data
-list {-alias alias} {-storetype storetype} {-keystore keystore}
[-storepass storepass] {-providerName provider_name} {-provider‐
Class provider_class_name {-providerArg provider_arg}} {-v |
-rfc} {-protected} {-Jjavaoption}
Prints (to stdout) the contents of the keystore entry identified
by alias. If no alias is specified, the contents of the entire
keystore are printed.
This command by default prints the MD5 fingerprint of a certifi‐
cate. If the -v option is specified, the certificate is printed
in human-readable format, with additional information such as the
owner, issuer, serial number, and any extensions. If the -rfc
option is specified, certificate contents are printed using the
printable encoding format, as defined by the Internet RFC 1421
standard
You cannot specify both -v and -rfc.
-printcert {-file cert_file} {-v} {-Jjavaoption}
Internet RFC 1421 standard.
Note: This option can be used independently of a keystore.
Managing the Keystore
-storepasswd [-new new_storepass] {-storetype storetype} {-key‐
store keystore} [-storepass storepass] {-providerName
provider_name} {-providerClass provider_class_name {-providerArg
provider_arg}} {-v} {-Jjavaoption}
Changes the password used to protect the integrity of the key‐
store contents. The new password is new_storepass, which must be
at least 6 characters long.
-keypasswd {-alias alias} [-keypass old_keypass] [-new new_key‐
pass] {-storetype storetype} {-keystore keystore} [-storepass
storepass] {-providerName provider_name} {-providerClass
provider_class_name {-providerArg provider_arg}} {-v} {-Jjavaop‐
tion}
Changes the password under which the private/secret key identi‐
fied by alias is protected, from old_keypass to new_keypass,
which must be at least 6 characters long.
If the -keypass option is not provided at the command line, and
the key password is different from the keystore password, the
user is prompted for it.
If the -new option is not provided at the command line, the user
is prompted for it.
-delete [-alias alias] {-storetype storetype} {-keystore key‐
store} [-storepass storepass] {-providerName provider_name}
{-providerClass provider_class_name {-providerArg provider_arg}}
{-v} {-protected} {-Jjavaoption}
Deletes from the keystore the entry identified by alias. The user
is prompted for the alias, if no alias is provided at the command
line.
-changealias {-alias alias} [-destalias destalias] [-keypass key‐
pass] {-storetype storetype} {-keystore keystore} [-storepass
storepass] {-providerName provider_name} {-providerClass
provider_class_name {-providerArg provider_arg}} {-v} {-pro‐
tected} {-Jjavaoption}
Move an existing keystore entry from the specified alias to a new
alias, destalias. If no destination alias is provided, the com‐
mand will prompt for one. If the original entry is protected with
an entry password, the password can be supplied via the "-key‐
pass" option. If no key password is provided, the storepass (if
given) will be attempted first. If that attempt fails, the user
will be prompted for a password.
Getting Help
-help
Lists the basic commands and their options.
EXAMPLES
Suppose you want to create a keystore for managing your public/private
key pair and certificates from entities you trust.
Generating Your Key Pair
The first thing you need to do is create a keystore and generate the
key pair. You could use a command such as the following:
keytool -genkeypair -dname "cn=Mark Jones, ou=JavaSoft, o=Sun, c=US"
-alias business -keypass kpi135 -keystore /working/mykeystore
-storepass ab987c -validity 180
(Please note: This must be typed as a single line. Multiple lines
are used in the examples just for legibility purposes.)
This command creates the keystore named "mykeystore" in the "work‐
ing" directory (assuming it doesn't already exist), and assigns it
the password "ab987c". It generates a public/private key pair for
the entity whose "distinguished name" has a common name of "Mark
Jones", organizational unit of "JavaSoft", organization of "Sun" and
two-letter country code of "US". It uses the default "DSA" key gen‐
eration algorithm to create the keys, both 1024 bits long.
It creates a self-signed certificate (using the default "SHA1with‐
DSA" signature algorithm) that includes the public key and the dis‐
tinguished name information. This certificate will be valid for 180
days, and is associated with the private key in a keystore entry
referred to by the alias "business". The private key is assigned the
password "kpi135".
The command could be significantly shorter if option defaults were
accepted. As a matter of fact, no options are required; defaults are
used for unspecified options that have default values, and you are
prompted for any required values. Thus, you could simply have the
following:
keytool -genkeypair
In this case, a keystore entry with alias "mykey" is created, with a
newly-generated key pair and a certificate that is valid for 90
days. This entry is placed in the keystore named ".keystore" in your
home directory. (The keystore is created if it doesn't already
exist.) You will be prompted for the distinguished name information,
the keystore password, and the private key password.
The rest of the examples assume you executed the -genkeypair command
without options specified, and that you responded to the prompts
with values equal to those given in the first -genkeypair command,
above (a private key password of "kpi135", etc.)
Requesting a Signed Certificate from a Certification Authority
So far all we've got is a self-signed certificate. A certificate is
more likely to be trusted by others if it is signed by a Certifica‐
tion Authority (CA). To get such a signature, you first generate a
Certificate Signing Request (CSR), via the following:
keytool -certreq -file MarkJ.csr
This creates a CSR (for the entity identified by the default alias
"mykey") and puts the request in the file named "MarkJ.csr". Submit
this file to a CA, such as VeriSign, Inc. The CA will authenticate
you, the requestor (usually off-line), and then will return a cer‐
tificate, signed by them, authenticating your public key. (In some
cases, they will actually return a chain of certificates, each one
authenticating the public key of the signer of the previous certifi‐
cate in the chain.)
Importing a Certificate for the CA
You need to replace your self-signed certificate with a certificate
chain, where each certificate in the chain authenticates the public
key of the signer of the previous certificate in the chain, up to a
"root" CA.
Before you import the certificate reply from a CA, you need one or
more "trusted certificates" in your keystore or in the cacerts key‐
store file (which is described in importcert command):
o If the certificate reply is a certificate chain, you just need
the top certificate of the chain (that is, the "root" CA cer‐
tificate authenticating that CA's public key).
o If the certificate reply is a single certificate, you need a
certificate for the issuing CA (the one that signed it), and if
that certificate is not self-signed, you need a certificate for
its signer, and so on, up to a self-signed "root" CA certifi‐
cate.
The "cacerts" keystore file ships with five VeriSign root CA cer‐
tificates, so you probably won't need to import a VeriSign certifi‐
cate as a trusted certificate in your keystore. But if you request a
signed certificate from a different CA, and a certificate authenti‐
cating that CA's public key hasn't been added to "cacerts", you will
need to import a certificate from the CA as a "trusted certificate".
A certificate from a CA is usually either self-signed, or signed by
another CA (in which case you also need a certificate authenticating
that CA's public key). Suppose company ABC, Inc., is a CA, and you
obtain a file named "ABCCA.cer" that is purportedly a self-signed
certificate from ABC, authenticating that CA's public key.
Be very careful to ensure the certificate is valid prior to import‐
ing it as a "trusted" certificate! View it first (using the keytool
-printcert command, or the keytool -importcert command without the
-noprompt option), and make sure that the displayed certificate fin‐
gerprint(s) match the expected ones. You can call the person who
sent the certificate, and compare the fingerprint(s) that you see
with the ones that they show (or that a secure public key repository
shows). Only if the fingerprints are equal is it guaranteed that the
certificate has not been replaced in transit with somebody else's
(for example, an attacker's) certificate. If such an attack took
place, and you did not check the certificate before you imported it,
you would end up trusting anything the attacker has signed.
If you trust that the certificate is valid, then you can add it to
your keystore via the following:
keytool -importcert -alias abc -file ABCCA.cer
This creates a "trusted certificate" entry in the keystore, with the
data from the file "ABCCA.cer", and assigns the alias "abc" to the
entry.
Importing the Certificate Reply from the CA
Once you've imported a certificate authenticating the public key of
the CA you submitted your certificate signing request to (or there's
already such a certificate in the "cacerts" file), you can import
the certificate reply and thereby replace your self-signed certifi‐
cate with a certificate chain. This chain is the one returned by the
CA in response to your request (if the CA reply is a chain), or one
constructed (if the CA reply is a single certificate) using the cer‐
tificate reply and trusted certificates that are already available
in the keystore where you import the reply or in the "cacerts" key‐
store file.
For example, suppose you sent your certificate signing request to
VeriSign. You can then import the reply via the following, which
assumes the returned certificate is named "VSMarkJ.cer":
keytool -importcert -trustcacerts -file VSMarkJ.cer
Exporting a Certificate Authenticating Your Public Key
Suppose you have used the jarsigner @
http://java.sun.com/javase/6/docs/tooldocs/solaris/jarsigner.html
tool to sign a Java ARchive (JAR) file. Clients that want to use the
file will want to authenticate your signature.
One way they can do this is by first importing your public key cer‐
tificate into their keystore as a "trusted" entry. You can export
the certificate and supply it to your clients. As an example, you
can copy your certificate to a file named MJ.cer via the following,
assuming the entry is aliased by "mykey":
keytool -exportcert -alias mykey -file MJ.cer
Given that certificate, and the signed JAR file, a client can use
the jarsigner tool to authenticate your signature.
Importing Keystore
The command "importkeystore" is used to import an entire keystore
into another keystore, which means all entries from the source key‐
store, including keys and certificates, are all imported to the des‐
tination keystore within a single command. You can use this command
to import entries from a different type of keystore. During the
import, all new entries in the destination keystore will have the
same alias names and protection passwords (for secret keys and pri‐
vate keys). If keytool has difficulties recover the private keys or
secret keys from the source keystore, it will prompt you for a pass‐
word. If it detects alias duplication, it will ask you for a new
one, you can specify a new alias or simply allow keytool to over‐
write the existing one.
For example, to import entries from a normal JKS type keystore
key.jks into a PKCS #11 type hardware based keystore, you can use
the command:
keytool -importkeystore
-srckeystore key.jks -destkeystore NONE
-srcstoretype JKS -deststoretype PKCS11
-srcstorepass changeit -deststorepass topsecret
The importkeystore command can also be used to import a single entry
from a source keystore to a destination keystore. In this case,
besides the options you see in the above example, you need to spec‐
ify the alias you want to import. With the srcalias option given,
you can also specify the desination alias name in the command line,
as well as protection password for a secret/private key and the des‐
tination protection password you want. In this way, you can issue a
keytool command that will never ask you a question. This makes it
very convenient to include a keytool command into a script file,
like this:
keytool -importkeystore
-srckeystore key.jks -destkeystore NONE
-srcstoretype JKS -deststoretype PKCS11
-srcstorepass changeit -deststorepass topsecret
-srcalias myprivatekey -destalias myoldprivatekey
-srckeypass oldkeypass -destkeypass mynewkeypass
-noprompt
TERMINOLOGY and WARNINGS
KeyStore
A keystore is a storage facility for cryptographic keys and certifi‐
cates.
o
o KeyStore Entries
Keystores may have different types of entries. The two most
applicable entry types for keytool include:
1. key entries - each holds very sensitive cryptographic key
information, which is stored in a protected format to pre‐
vent unauthorized access. Typically, a key stored in this
type of entry is a secret key, or a private key accompanied
by the certificate "chain" for the corresponding public
key. The keytool can handle both types od entry, while jar‐
signer tool only handle the latter type of entry, that is
private keys and their associated certificate chains.
2. trusted certificate entries - each contains a single public
key certificate belonging to another party. It is called a
"trusted certificate" because the keystore owner trusts
that the public key in the certificate indeed belongs to
the identity identified by the "subject" (owner) of the
certificate. The issuer of the certificate vouches for
this, by signing the certificate.
o KeyStore Aliases
All keystore entries (key and trusted certificate entries) are
accessed via unique aliases.
An alias is specified when you add an entity to the keystore
using the -genseckey command to generate a secret key, -genkey‐
pair command to generate a key pair (public and private key) or
the -importcert command to add a certificate or certificate chain
to the list of trusted certificates. Subsequent keytool commands
must use this same alias to refer to the entity.
For example, suppose you use the alias duke to generate a new
public/private key pair and wrap the public key into a
self-signed certificate (see Certificate Chains) via the follow‐
ing command:
keytool -genkeypair -alias duke -keypass dukekeypasswd
This specifies an inital password of "dukekeypasswd" required by
subsequent commands to access the private key assocated with the
alias duke. If you later want to change duke's private key pass‐
word, you use a command like the following:
keytool -keypasswd -alias duke -keypass dukekeypasswd -new newpass
This changes the password from "dukekeypasswd" to "newpass".
Please note: A password should not actually be specified on a
command line or in a script unless it is for testing purposes, or
you are on a secure system. If you don't specify a required pass‐
word option on a command line, you will be prompted for it.
o KeyStore Implementation
The KeyStore class provided in the java.security package supplies
well-defined interfaces to access and modify the information in a
keystore. It is possible for there to be multiple different con‐
crete implementations, where each implementation is that for a
particular type of keystore.
Currently, two command-line tools (keytool and jarsigner) and a
GUI-based tool named Policy Tool make use of keystore implementa‐
tions. Since KeyStore is publicly available, users can write
additional security applications that use it.
There is a built-in default implementation, provided by Sun
Microsystems. It implements the keystore as a file, utilizing a
proprietary keystore type (format) named "JKS". It protects each
private key with its individual password, and also protects the
integrity of the entire keystore with a (possibly different)
password.
Keystore implementations are provider-based. More specifically,
the application interfaces supplied by KeyStore are implemented
in terms of a "Service Provider Interface" (SPI). That is, there
is a corresponding abstract KeystoreSpi class, also in the
java.security package, which defines the Service Provider Inter‐
face methods that "providers" must implement. (The term
"provider" refers to a package or a set of packages that supply a
concrete implementation of a subset of services that can be
accessed by the Java Security API.) Thus, to provide a keystore
implementation, clients must implement a "provider" and supply a
KeystoreSpi subclass implementation, as described in How to
Implement a Provider for the Java Cryptography Architecture.
Applications can choose different types of keystore implementa‐
tions from different providers, using the "getInstance" factory
method supplied in the KeyStore class. A keystore type defines
the storage and data format of the keystore information, and the
algorithms used to protect private/secret keys in the keystore
and the integrity of the keystore itself. Keystore implementa‐
tions of different types are not compatible.
keytool works on any file-based keystore implementation. (It
treats the keytore location that is passed to it at the command
line as a filename and converts it to a FileInputStream, from
which it loads the keystore information.) The jarsigner and poli‐
cytool tools, on the other hand, can read a keystore from any
location that can be specified using a URL.
For keytool and jarsigner, you can specify a keystore type at the
command line, via the -storetype option. For Policy Tool, you can
specify a keystore type via the "Keystore" menu.
If you don't explicitly specify a keystore type, the tools choose
a keystore implementation based simply on the value of the key‐
store.type property specified in the security properties file.
The security properties file is called java.security, and it
resides in the security properties directory, java.home/lib/secu‐
rity, where java.home is the runtime environment's directory (the
jre directory in the SDK or the top-level directory of the Java 2
Runtime Environment).
Each tool gets the keystore.type value and then examines all the
currently-installed providers until it finds one that implements
keystores of that type. It then uses the keystore implementation
from that provider.
The KeyStore class defines a static method named getDefaultType
that lets applications and applets retrieve the value of the key‐
store.type property. The following line of code creates an
instance of the default keystore type (as specified in the key‐
store.type property):
KeyStore keyStore = KeyStore.getInstance(KeyStore.getDefaultType());
The default keystore type is "jks" (the proprietary type of the
keystore implementation provided by Sun). This is specified by
the following line in the security properties file:
keystore.type=jks
To have the tools utilize a keystore implementation other than
the default, you can change that line to specify a different key‐
store type.
For example, if you have a provider package that supplies a key‐
store implementation for a keystore type called "pkcs12", change
the line to
keystore.type=pkcs12
Note: case doesn't matter in keystore type designations. For
example, "JKS" would be considered the same as "jks".
Certificate
A certificate (also known as a public-key certificate) is a digi‐
tally signed statement from one entity (the issuer), saying that the
public key (and some other information) of another entity (the sub‐
ject) has some specific value.
o
o Certificate Terms
Public Keys
These are numbers associated with a particular entity, and
are intended to be known to everyone who needs to have
trusted interactions with that entity. Public keys are used
to verify signatures.
Digitally Signed
If some data is digitally signed it has been stored with
the "identity" of an entity, and a signature that proves
that entity knows about the data. The data is rendered
unforgeable by signing with the entity's private key.
Identity
A known way of addressing an entity. In some systems the
identity is the public key, in others it can be anything
from a Unix UID to an Email address to an X.509 Distin‐
guished Name.
Signature
A signature is computed over some data using the private
key of an entity (the signer, which in the case of a cer‐
tificate is also known as the issuer).
Private Keys
These are numbers, each of which is supposed to be known
only to the particular entity whose private key it is (that
is, it's supposed to be kept secret). Private and public
keys exist in pairs in all public key cryptography systems
(also referred to as "public key crypto systems"). In a
typical public key crypto system, such as DSA, a private
key corresponds to exactly one public key. Private keys are
used to compute signatures.
Entity
An entity is a person, organization, program, computer,
business, bank, or something else you are trusting to some
degree.
Basically, public key cryptography requires access to users' pub‐
lic keys. In a large-scale networked environment it is impossible
to guarantee that prior relationships between communicating enti‐
ties have been established or that a trusted repository exists
with all used public keys. Certificates were invented as a solu‐
tion to this public key distribution problem. Now a Certification
Authority (CA) can act as a trusted third party. CAs are entities
(for example, businesses) that are trusted to sign (issue) cer‐
tificates for other entities. It is assumed that CAs will only
create valid and reliable certificates, as they are bound by
legal agreements. There are many public Certification Authori‐
ties, such as VeriSign @
http://www.verisign.com/, Thawte @
http://www.thawte.com/, Entrust @
http://www.entrust.com/, and so on. You can also run your own
Certification Authority using products such as the
Netscape/Microsoft Certificate Servers or the Entrust CA product
for your organization.
Using keytool, it is possible to display, import, and export cer‐
tificates. It is also possible to generate self-signed certifi‐
cates.
keytool currently handles X.509 certificates.
o X.509 Certificates
The X.509 standard defines what information can go into a cer‐
tificate, and describes how to write it down (the data format).
All the data in a certificate is encoded using two related stan‐
dards called ASN.1/DER. Abstract Syntax Notation 1 describes
data. The Definite Encoding Rules describe a single way to store
and transfer that data.
All X.509 certificates have the following data, in addition to
the signature:
Version
This identifies which version of the X.509 standard applies
to this certificate, which affects what information can be
specified in it. Thus far, three versions are defined. key‐
tool can import and export v1, v2, and v3 certificates. It
generates v3 certificates.
X.509 Version 1 has been available since 1988, is widely
deployed, and is the most generic.
X.509 Version 2 introduced the concept of subject and issuer
unique identifiers to handle the possibility of reuse of sub‐
ject and/or issuer names over time. Most certificate profile
documents strongly recommend that names not be reused, and
that certificates should not make use of unique identifiers.
Version 2 certificates are not widely used.
X.509 Version 3 is the most recent (1996) and supports the
notion of extensions, whereby anyone can define an extension
and include it in the certificate. Some common extensions in
use today are: KeyUsage (limits the use of the keys to partic‐
ular purposes such as "signing-only") and AlternativeNames
(allows other identities to also be associated with this pub‐
lic key, e.g. DNS names, Email addresses, IP addresses).
Extensions can be marked critical to indicate that the exten‐
sion should be checked and enforced/used. For example, if a
certificate has the KeyUsage extension marked critical and set
to "keyCertSign" then if this certificate is presented during
SSL communication, it should be rejected, as the certificate
extension indicates that the associated private key should
only be used for signing certificates and not for SSL use.
Serial Number
The entity that created the certificate is responsible for
assigning it a serial number to distinguish it from other
certificates it issues. This information is used in numer‐
ous ways, for example when a certificate is revoked its
serial number is placed in a Certificate Revocation List
(CRL).
Signature Algorithm Identifier
This identifies the algorithm used by the CA to sign the
certificate.
Issuer Name
The X.500 Distinguished Name of the entity that signed the
certificate. This is normally a CA. Using this certificate
implies trusting the entity that signed this certificate.
(Note that in some cases, such as root or top-level CA cer‐
tificates, the issuer signs its own certificate.)
Validity Period
Each certificate is valid only for a limited amount of
time. This period is described by a start date and time and
an end date and time, and can be as short as a few seconds
or almost as long as a century. The validity period chosen
depends on a number of factors, such as the strength of the
private key used to sign the certificate or the amount one
is willing to pay for a certificate. This is the expected
period that entities can rely on the public value, if the
associated private key has not been compromised.
Subject Name
The name of the entity whose public key the certificate
identifies. This name uses the X.500 standard, so it is
intended to be unique across the Internet. This is the
X.500 Distinguished Name (DN) of the entity, for example,
CN=Java Duke, OU=Java Software Division, O=Sun Microsystems Inc, C=US
(These refer to the subject's Common Name, Organizational
Unit, Organization, and Country.)
Subject Public Key Information
This is the public key of the entity being named, together
with an algorithm identifier which specifies which public
key crypto system this key belongs to and any associated
key parameters.
o Certificate Chains
keytool can create and manage keystore "key" entries that each
contain a private key and an associated certificate "chain". The
first certificate in the chain contains the public key corre‐
sponding to the private key.
When keys are first generated (see the -genkeypair command), the
chain starts off containing a single element, a self-signed cer‐
tificate. A self-signed certificate is one for which the issuer
(signer) is the same as the subject (the entity whose public key
is being authenticated by the certificate). Whenever the -genkey‐
pair command is called to generate a new public/private key pair,
it also wraps the public key into a self-signed certificate.
Later, after a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) has been gener‐
ated (see the -certreq command) and sent to a Certification
Authority (CA), the response from the CA is imported (see
-importcert), and the self-signed certificate is replaced by a
chain of certificates. At the bottom of the chain is the certifi‐
cate (reply) issued by the CA authenticating the subject's public
key. The next certificate in the chain is one that authenticates
the CA's public key.
In many cases, this is a self-signed certificate (that is, a cer‐
tificate from the CA authenticating its own public key) and the
last certificate in the chain. In other cases, the CA may return
a chain of certificates. In this case, the bottom certificate in
the chain is the same (a certificate signed by the CA, authenti‐
cating the public key of the key entry), but the second certifi‐
cate in the chain is a certificate signed by a different CA,
authenticating the public key of the CA you sent the CSR to.
Then, the next certificate in the chain will be a certificate
authenticating the second CA's key, and so on, until a
self-signed "root" certificate is reached. Each certificate in
the chain (after the first) thus authenticates the public key of
the signer of the previous certificate in the chain.
Many CAs only return the issued certificate, with no supporting
chain, especially when there is a flat hierarchy (no intermedi‐
ates CAs). In this case, the certificate chain must be estab‐
lished from trusted certificate information already stored in the
keystore.
A different reply format (defined by the PKCS#7 standard) also
includes the supporting certificate chain, in addition to the
issued certificate. Both reply formats can be handled by keytool.
The top-level (root) CA certificate is self-signed. However, the
trust into the root's public key does not come from the root cer‐
tificate itself (anybody could generate a self-signed certificate
with the distinguished name of say, the VeriSign root CA!), but
from other sources like a newspaper. The root CA public key is
widely known. The only reason it is stored in a certificate is
because this is the format understood by most tools, so the cer‐
tificate in this case is only used as a "vehicle" to transport
the root CA's public key. Before you add the root CA certificate
to your keystore, you should view it (using the -printcert
option) and compare the displayed fingerprint with the well-known
fingerprint (obtained from a newspaper, the root CA's webpage,
etc.).
o The cacerts Certificates File
A certificates file named "cacerts" resides in the security prop‐
erties directory, java.home/lib/security, where java.home is the
runtime environment's directory (the jre directory in the SDK or
the top-level directory of the Java 2 Runtime Environment).
The "cacerts" file represents a system-wide keystore with CA cer‐
tificates. System administrators can configure and manage that
file using keytool, specifying "jks" as the keystore type. The
"cacerts" keystore file ships with several root CA certificates
with the following aliases and X.500 owner distinguished names:
* Alias: thawtepersonalfreemailca
Owner DN: EmailAddress=personal-freemail@thawte.com,
CN=Thawte Personal Freemail CA,
OU=Certification Services Division,
O=Thawte Consulting, L=Cape Town, ST=Western Cape, C=ZA
* Alias: thawtepersonalbasicca
Owner DN: EmailAddress=personal-basic@thawte.com,
CN=Thawte Personal Basic CA,
OU=Certification Services Division,
O=Thawte Consulting, L=Cape Town, ST=Western Cape, C=ZA
* Alias: thawtepersonalpremiumca
Owner DN: EmailAddress=personal-premium@thawte.com,
CN=Thawte Personal Premium CA,
OU=Certification Services Division,
O=Thawte Consulting, L=Cape Town, ST=Western Cape, C=ZA
* Alias: thawteserverca
Owner DN: EmailAddress=server-certs@thawte.com,
CN=Thawte Server CA, OU=Certification Services Division,
O=Thawte Consulting cc, L=Cape Town, ST=Western Cape, C=ZA
* Alias: thawtepremiumserverca
Owner DN: EmailAddress=premium-server@thawte.com,
CN=Thawte Premium Server CA,
OU=Certification Services Division,
O=Thawte Consulting cc, L=Cape Town, ST=Western Cape, C=ZA
* Alias: verisignclass1ca
Owner DN: OU=Class 1 Public Primary Certification Authority,
O="VeriSign, Inc.", C=US
* Alias: verisignclass2ca
Owner DN: OU=Class 2 Public Primary Certification Authority,
O="VeriSign, Inc.", C=US
* Alias: verisignclass3ca
Owner DN: OU=Class 3 Public Primary Certification Authority,
O="VeriSign, Inc.", C=US
* Alias: verisignserverca
Owner DN: OU=Secure Server Certification Authority,
O="RSA Data Security, Inc.", C=US
* Alias: verisignclass1g2ca
Owner DN: OU=VeriSign Trust Network,
OU="(c) 1998 VeriSign, Inc. - For authorized use only",
OU=Class 1 Public Primary Certification Authority - G2,
O="VeriSign, Inc.", C=US
* Alias: verisignclass1g3ca
Owner DN: CN=VeriSign Class 1 Public Primary Certification
Authority - G3, OU="(c) 1999 VeriSign, Inc. - For authorized
use only",
OU=VeriSign Trust Network,
O="VeriSign, Inc.", C=US
* Alias: verisignclass2g2ca
Owner DN: OU=VeriSign Trust Network,
OU="(c) 1998 VeriSign, Inc. - For authorized use only",
OU=Class 2 Public Primary Certification Authority - G2,
O="VeriSign, Inc.", C=US
* Alias: verisignclass2g3ca
Owner DN: CN=VeriSign Class 2 Public Primary Certification
Authority - G3,
OU="(c) 1999 VeriSign, Inc. - For authorized use only",
OU=VeriSign Trust Network,
O="VeriSign, Inc.", C=US
* Alias: verisignclass3g2ca
Owner DN: OU=VeriSign Trust Network,
OU="(c) 1998 VeriSign, Inc. - For authorized use only",
OU=Class 3 Public Primary Certification Authority - G2,
O="VeriSign, Inc.", C=US
* Alias: verisignclass3g3ca
Owner DN: CN=VeriSign Class 3 Public Primary Certification
Authority - G3,
OU="(c) 1999 VeriSign, Inc. - For authorized use only",
OU=VeriSign Trust Network,
O="VeriSign, Inc.", C=US
* Alias: baltimorecodesigningca
Owner DN: CN=Baltimore CyberTrust Code Signing Root,
OU=CyberTrust, O=Baltimore, C=IE
* Alias: gtecybertrustglobalca
Owner DN: CN=GTE CyberTrust Global Root,
OU="GTE CyberTrust Solutions, Inc.", O=GTE Corporation, C=US
* Alias: baltimorecybertrustca
Owner DN: CN=Baltimore CyberTrust Root,
OU=CyberTrust, O=Baltimore, C=IE
* Alias: gtecybertrustca
Owner DN: CN=GTE CyberTrust Root,
O=GTE Corporation, C=US
* Alias: gtecybertrust5ca
Owner DN: CN=GTE CyberTrust Root 5,
OU="GTE CyberTrust Solutions, Inc.", O=GTE Corporation, C=US
* Alias: entrustclientca
Owner DN: CN=Entrust.net Client Certification Authority,
OU=(c) 1999 Entrust.net Limited,
OU=www.entrust.net/Client_CA_Info/CPS incorp. by ref. limits
liab.,
O=Entrust.net, C=US
* Alias: entrustglobalclientca
Owner DN: CN=Entrust.net Client Certification Authority,
OU=(c) 2000 Entrust.net Limited,
OU=www.entrust.net/GCCA_CPS incorp. by ref. (limits liab.),
O=Entrust.net
* Alias: entrust2048ca
Owner DN: CN=Entrust.net Certification Authority (2048),
OU=(c) 1999 Entrust.net Limited,
OU=www.entrust.net/CPS_2048 incorp. by ref. (limits liab.),
O=Entrust.net
* Alias: entrustsslca
Owner DN: CN=Entrust.net Secure Server Certification Author‐
ity,
OU=(c) 1999 Entrust.net Limited,
OU=www.entrust.net/CPS incorp. by ref. (limits liab.),
O=Entrust.net, C=US
* Alias: entrustgsslca
Owner DN: CN=Entrust.net Secure Server Certification Author‐
ity,
OU=(c) 2000 Entrust.net Limited,
OU=www.entrust.net/SSL_CPS incorp. by ref. (limits liab.),
O=Entrust.net
* Alias: godaddyclass2ca
Owner DN: OU=Go Daddy Class 2 Certification Authority,
O="The Go Daddy Group, Inc.", C=US
* Alias: starfieldclass2ca
Owner DN: OU=Starfield Class 2 Certification Authority,
O="Starfield Technologies, Inc.", C=US
* Alias: valicertclass2ca
Owner DN: EMAILADDRESS=info@valicert.com,
CN=http://www.valicert.com/,
OU=ValiCert Class 2 Policy Validation Authority,
O="ValiCert, Inc.", L=ValiCert Validation Network
* Alias: geotrustglobalca
Owner DN: CN=GeoTrust Global CA,
O=GeoTrust Inc., C=US
* Alias: equifaxsecureca
Owner DN: OU=Equifax Secure Certificate Authority,
O=Equifax, C=US
* Alias: equifaxsecureebusinessca1
Owner DN: CN=Equifax Secure eBusiness CA-1,
O=Equifax Secure Inc., C=US
* Alias: equifaxsecureebusinessca2
Owner DN: OU=Equifax Secure eBusiness CA-2,
O=Equifax Secure, C=US
* Alias: equifaxsecureglobalebusinessca1
Owner DN: CN=Equifax Secure Global eBusiness CA-1,
O=Equifax Secure Inc., C=US
* Alias: soneraclass1ca
Owner DN: CN=Sonera Class1 CA, O=Sonera, C=FI
* Alias: soneraclass2ca
Owner DN: CN=Sonera Class2 CA, O=Sonera, C=FI
* Alias: comodoaaaca
Owner DN: CN=AAA Certificate Services,
O=Comodo CA Limited, L=Salford, ST=Greater Manchester, C=GB
* Alias: addtrustclass1ca
Owner DN: CN=AddTrust Class 1 CA Root,
OU=AddTrust TTP Network, O=AddTrust AB, C=SE
* Alias: addtrustexternalca
Owner DN: CN=AddTrust External CA Root,
OU=AddTrust External TTP Network, O=AddTrust AB, C=SE
* Alias: addtrustqualifiedca
Owner DN: CN=AddTrust Qualified CA Root,
OU=AddTrust TTP Network, O=AddTrust AB, C=SE
* Alias: utnuserfirsthardwareca
Owner DN: CN=UTN-USERFirst-Hardware,
OU=http://www.usertrust.com, O=The USERTRUST Network,
L=Salt Lake City, ST=UT, C=US
* Alias: utnuserfirstclientauthemailca
Owner DN: CN=UTN-USERFirst-Client Authentication and Email,
OU=http://www.usertrust.com, O=The USERTRUST Network,
L=Salt Lake City, ST=UT, C=US
* Alias: utndatacorpsgcca
Owner DN: CN=UTN - DATACorp SGC,
OU=http://www.usertrust.com, O=The USERTRUST Network,
L=Salt Lake City, ST=UT, C=US
* Alias: utnuserfirstobjectca
Owner DN: CN=UTN-USERFirst-Object,
OU=http://www.usertrust.com, O=The USERTRUST Network,
L=Salt Lake City, ST=UT, C=US
The initial password of the "cacerts" keystore file is
"changeit". System administrators should change that password and
the default access permission of that file upon installing the
SDK.
IMPORTANT: Verify Your cacerts File
Since you trust the CAs in the cacerts file as entities for
signing and issuing certificates to other entities, you must
manage the cacerts file carefully. The cacerts file should
contain only certificates of the CAs you trust. It is your
responsibility to verify the trusted root CA certificates bun‐
dled in the cacerts file and make your own trust decisions. To
remove an untrusted CA certificate from the cacerts file, use
the delete option of the keytool command. You can find the
cacerts file in the JRE installation directory. Contact your
system administrator if you do not have permission to edit
this file.
o The Internet RFC 1421 Certificate Encoding Standard
Certificates are often stored using the printable encoding format
defined by the Internet RFC 1421 standard, instead of their
binary encoding. This certificate format, also known as "Base 64
encoding", facilitates exporting certificates to other applica‐
tions by email or through some other mechanism.
Certificates read by the -importcert and -printcert commands can
be in either this format or binary encoded.
The -exportcert command by default outputs a certificate in
binary encoding, but will instead output a certificate in the
printable encoding format, if the -rfc option is specified.
The -list command by default prints the MD5 fingerprint of a cer‐
tificate. If the -v option is specified, the certificate is
printed in human-readable format, while if the -rfc option is
specified, the certificate is output in the printable encoding
format.
In its printable encoding format, the encoded certificate is
bounded at the beginning by
-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
and at the end by
-----END CERTIFICATE-----
X.500 Distinguished Names
X.500 Distinguished Names are used to identify entities, such as
those which are named by the subject and issuer (signer) fields of
X.509 certificates. keytool supports the following subparts:
o commonName - common name of a person, e.g., "Susan Jones"
o organizationUnit - small organization (e.g, department or divi‐
sion) name, e.g., "Purchasing"
o organizationName - large organization name, e.g., "ABCSystems,
Inc."
o localityName - locality (city) name, e.g., "Palo Alto"
o stateName - state or province name, e.g., "California"
o country - two-letter country code, e.g., "CH"
When supplying a distinguished name string as the value of a -dname
option, as for the -genkeypair command, the string must be in the
following format:
CN=cName, OU=orgUnit, O=org, L=city, S=state, C=countryCode
where all the italicized items represent actual values and the above
keywords are abbreviations for the following:
CN=commonName
OU=organizationUnit
O=organizationName
L=localityName
S=stateName
C=country
A sample distinguished name string is
CN=Mark Smith, OU=JavaSoft, O=Sun, L=Cupertino, S=California, C=US
and a sample command using such a string is
keytool -genkeypair -dname "CN=Mark Smith, OU=JavaSoft, O=Sun, L=Cupertino,
S=California, C=US" -alias mark
Case does not matter for the keyword abbreviations. For example,
"CN", "cn", and "Cn" are all treated the same.
Order matters; each subcomponent must appear in the designated
order. However, it is not necessary to have all the subcomponents.
You may use a subset, for example:
CN=Steve Meier, OU=SunSoft, O=Sun, C=US
If a distinguished name string value contains a comma, the comma
must be escaped by a "\" character when you specify the string on a
command line, as in
cn=peter schuster, o=Sun Microsystems\, Inc., o=sun, c=us
It is never necessary to specify a distinguished name string on a
command line. If it is needed for a command, but not supplied on the
command line, the user is prompted for each of the subcomponents. In
this case, a comma does not need to be escaped by a "\".
WARNING Regarding Importing Trusted Certificates
IMPORTANT: Be sure to check a certificate very carefully before
importing it as a trusted certificate!
View it first (using the -printcert command, or the -importcert com‐
mand without the -noprompt option), and make sure that the displayed
certificate fingerprint(s) match the expected ones. For example,
suppose someone sends or emails you a certificate, and you put it in
a file named /tmp/cert. Before you consider adding the certificate
to your list of trusted certificates, you can execute a -printcert
command to view its fingerprints, as in
keytool -printcert -file /tmp/cert
Owner: CN=ll, OU=ll, O=ll, L=ll, S=ll, C=ll
Issuer: CN=ll, OU=ll, O=ll, L=ll, S=ll, C=ll
Serial Number: 59092b34
Valid from: Thu Sep 25 18:01:13 PDT 1997 until: Wed Dec 24 17:01:13 PST 1997
Certificate Fingerprints:
MD5: 11:81:AD:92:C8:E5:0E:A2:01:2E:D4:7A:D7:5F:07:6F
SHA1: 20:B6:17:FA:EF:E5:55:8A:D0:71:1F:E8:D6:9D:C0:37:13:0E:5E:FE
Then call or otherwise contact the person who sent the certificate,
and compare the fingerprint(s) that you see with the ones that they
show. Only if the fingerprints are equal is it guaranteed that the
certificate has not been replaced in transit with somebody else's
(for example, an attacker's) certificate. If such an attack took
place, and you did not check the certificate before you imported it,
you would end up trusting anything the attacker has signed (for
example, a JAR file with malicious class files inside).
Note: it is not required that you execute a -printcert command prior
to importing a certificate, since before adding a certificate to the
list of trusted certificates in the keystore, the -importcert com‐
mand prints out the certificate information and prompts you to ver‐
ify it. You then have the option of aborting the import operation.
Note, however, this is only the case if you invoke the -importcert
command without the -noprompt option. If the -noprompt option is
given, there is no interaction with the user.
Warning Regarding Passwords
Most commands operating on a keystore require the store password.
Some commands require a private/secret key password.
Passwords can be specified on the command line (in the -storepass
and -keypass options, respectively). However, a password should not
be specified on a command line or in a script unless it is for test‐
ing purposes, or you are on a secure system.
If you don't specify a required password option on a command line,
you will be prompted for it.
SEE ALSO
o jar @
http://java.sun.com/javase/6/docs/tooldocs/solaris/jar.html tool
documentation
o jarsigner @
http://java.sun.com/javase/6/docs/tooldocs/solaris/jarsigner.html
tool documentation
o the Security @
http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/security/index.html trail
of the Java Tutorial @
http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/trailmap.html for examples
of the use of keytool
CHANGES
The command interface for keytool changed in Java SE 6.
keytool no longer displays password input when entered by users. Since
password input can no longer be viewed when entered, users will be
prompted to re-enter passwords any time a password is being set or
changed (for example, when setting the initial keystore password, or
when changing a key password).
Some commands have simply been renamed, and other commands deemed obso‐
lete are no longer listed in this document. All previous commands (both
renamed and obsolete) are still supported in this release and will con‐
tinue to be supported in future releases. The following summarizes all
of the changes made to the keytool command interface:
Renamed commands:
o -export, renamed to -exportcert
o -genkey, renamed to -genkeypair
o -import, renamed to -importcert
Commands deemed obsolete and no longer documented:
o -keyclone @
http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.5.0/docs/tooldocs/solaris/key‐
tool.html#keycloneCmd
o -identitydb @
http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.5.0/docs/tooldocs/solaris/key‐
tool.html#identitydbCmd
o -selfcert @
http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.5.0/docs/tooldocs/solaris/key‐
tool.html#selfcertCmd
07 Aug 2006 keytool(1)
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
keytool
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