1CERTUTIL(1)                   NSS Security Tools                   CERTUTIL(1)
2
3
4

NAME

6       certutil - Manage keys and certificate in both NSS databases and other
7       NSS tokens
8

SYNOPSIS

10       certutil [options] [[arguments]]
11

STATUS

13       This documentation is still work in progress. Please contribute to the
14       initial review in Mozilla NSS bug 836477[1]
15

DESCRIPTION

17       The Certificate Database Tool, certutil, is a command-line utility that
18       can create and modify certificate and key databases. It can
19       specifically list, generate, modify, or delete certificates, create or
20       change the password, generate new public and private key pairs, display
21       the contents of the key database, or delete key pairs within the key
22       database.
23
24       Certificate issuance, part of the key and certificate management
25       process, requires that keys and certificates be created in the key
26       database. This document discusses certificate and key database
27       management. For information on the security module database management,
28       see the modutil manpage.
29

COMMAND OPTIONS AND ARGUMENTS

31       Running certutil always requires one and only one command option to
32       specify the type of certificate operation. Each command option may take
33       zero or more arguments. The command option -H will list all the command
34       options and their relevant arguments.
35
36       Command Options
37
38       -A
39           Add an existing certificate to a certificate database. The
40           certificate database should already exist; if one is not present,
41           this command option will initialize one by default.
42
43       -B
44           Run a series of commands from the specified batch file. This
45           requires the -i argument.
46
47       -C
48           Create a new binary certificate file from a binary certificate
49           request file. Use the -i argument to specify the certificate
50           request file. If this argument is not used, certutil prompts for a
51           filename.
52
53       -D
54           Delete a certificate from the certificate database.
55
56       --rename
57           Change the database nickname of a certificate.
58
59       -E
60           Add an email certificate to the certificate database.
61
62       -F
63           Delete a private key and the associated certificate from a
64           database. Specify the key to delete with the -n argument or the -k
65           argument. Specify the database from which to delete the key with
66           the -d argument.
67
68           Some smart cards do not let you remove a public key you have
69           generated. In such a case, only the private key is deleted from the
70           key pair.
71
72       -G
73           Generate a new public and private key pair within a key database.
74           The key database should already exist; if one is not present, this
75           command option will initialize one by default. Some smart cards can
76           store only one key pair. If you create a new key pair for such a
77           card, the previous pair is overwritten.
78
79       -H
80           Display a list of the command options and arguments.
81
82       -K
83           List the key ID of keys in the key database. A key ID is the
84           modulus of the RSA key or the publicValue of the DSA key. IDs are
85           displayed in hexadecimal ("0x" is not shown).
86
87       -L
88           List all the certificates, or display information about a named
89           certificate, in a certificate database. Use the -h tokenname
90           argument to specify the certificate database on a particular
91           hardware or software token.
92
93       -M
94           Modify a certificate's trust attributes using the values of the -t
95           argument.
96
97       -N
98           Create new certificate and key databases.
99
100       -O
101           Print the certificate chain.
102
103       -R
104           Create a certificate request file that can be submitted to a
105           Certificate Authority (CA) for processing into a finished
106           certificate. Output defaults to standard out unless you use -o
107           output-file argument. Use the -a argument to specify ASCII output.
108
109       -S
110           Create an individual certificate and add it to a certificate
111           database.
112
113       -T
114           Reset the key database or token.
115
116       -U
117           List all available modules or print a single named module.
118
119       -V
120           Check the validity of a certificate and its attributes.
121
122       -W
123           Change the password to a key database.
124
125       --merge
126           Merge two databases into one.
127
128       --upgrade-merge
129           Upgrade an old database and merge it into a new database. This is
130           used to migrate legacy NSS databases (cert8.db and key3.db) into
131           the newer SQLite databases (cert9.db and key4.db).
132
133       Arguments
134
135       Arguments modify a command option and are usually lower case, numbers,
136       or symbols.
137
138       -a
139           Use ASCII format or allow the use of ASCII format for input or
140           output. This formatting follows RFC 1113. For certificate requests,
141           ASCII output defaults to standard output unless redirected.
142
143       -b validity-time
144           Specify a time at which a certificate is required to be valid. Use
145           when checking certificate validity with the -V option. The format
146           of the validity-time argument is YYMMDDHHMMSS[+HHMM|-HHMM|Z], which
147           allows offsets to be set relative to the validity end time.
148           Specifying seconds (SS) is optional. When specifying an explicit
149           time, use a Z at the end of the term, YYMMDDHHMMSSZ, to close it.
150           When specifying an offset time, use YYMMDDHHMMSS+HHMM or
151           YYMMDDHHMMSS-HHMM for adding or subtracting time, respectively.
152
153           If this option is not used, the validity check defaults to the
154           current system time.
155
156       -c issuer
157           Identify the certificate of the CA from which a new certificate
158           will derive its authenticity. Use the exact nickname or alias of
159           the CA certificate, or use the CA's email address. Bracket the
160           issuer string with quotation marks if it contains spaces.
161
162       -d [prefix]directory
163           Specify the database directory containing the certificate and key
164           database files.
165
166           certutil supports two types of databases: the legacy security
167           databases (cert8.db, key3.db, and secmod.db) and new SQLite
168           databases (cert9.db, key4.db, and pkcs11.txt).
169
170           NSS recognizes the following prefixes:
171
172           ·   sql: requests the newer database
173
174           ·   dbm: requests the legacy database
175
176           If no prefix is specified the default type is retrieved from
177           NSS_DEFAULT_DB_TYPE. If NSS_DEFAULT_DB_TYPE is not set then dbm: is
178           the default.
179
180       --dump-ext-val OID
181           For single cert, print binary DER encoding of extension OID.
182
183       -e
184           Check a certificate's signature during the process of validating a
185           certificate.
186
187       --email email-address
188           Specify the email address of a certificate to list. Used with the
189           -L command option.
190
191       --extGeneric OID:critical-flag:filename[,OID:critical-flag:filename]...
192           Add one or multiple extensions that certutil cannot encode yet, by
193           loading their encodings from external files.
194
195           ·   OID (example): 1.2.3.4
196
197           ·   critical-flag: critical or not-critical
198
199           ·   filename: full path to a file containing an encoded extension
200
201       -f password-file
202           Specify a file that will automatically supply the password to
203           include in a certificate or to access a certificate database. This
204           is a plain-text file containing one password. Be sure to prevent
205           unauthorized access to this file.
206
207       -g keysize
208           Set a key size to use when generating new public and private key
209           pairs. The minimum is 512 bits and the maximum is 16384 bits. The
210           default is 2048 bits. Any size between the minimum and maximum is
211           allowed.
212
213       -h tokenname
214           Specify the name of a token to use or act on. If not specified the
215           default token is the internal database slot.
216
217           The name can also be a PKCS #11 URI. For example, the NSS internal
218           certificate store can be unambiguously specified as
219           "pkcs11:token=NSS%20Certificate%20DB". For details about the
220           format, see RFC 7512.
221
222       -i input_file
223           Pass an input file to the command. Depending on the command option,
224           an input file can be a specific certificate, a certificate request
225           file, or a batch file of commands.
226
227       -k key-type-or-id
228           Specify the type or specific ID of a key.
229
230           The valid key type options are rsa, dsa, ec, or all. The default
231           value is rsa. Specifying the type of key can avoid mistakes caused
232           by duplicate nicknames. Giving a key type generates a new key pair;
233           giving the ID of an existing key reuses that key pair (which is
234           required to renew certificates).
235
236       -l
237           Display detailed information when validating a certificate with the
238           -V option.
239
240       -m serial-number
241           Assign a unique serial number to a certificate being created. This
242           operation should be performed by a CA. If no serial number is
243           provided a default serial number is made from the current time.
244           Serial numbers are limited to integers
245
246       -n nickname
247           Specify the nickname of a certificate or key to list, create, add
248           to a database, modify, or validate. Bracket the nickname string
249           with quotation marks if it contains spaces.
250
251           The nickname can also be a PKCS #11 URI. For example, if you have a
252           certificate named "my-server-cert" on the internal certificate
253           store, it can be unambiguously specified as
254           "pkcs11:token=NSS%20Certificate%20DB;object=my-server-cert". For
255           details about the format, see RFC 7512.
256
257       -o output-file
258           Specify the output file name for new certificates or binary
259           certificate requests. Bracket the output-file string with quotation
260           marks if it contains spaces. If this argument is not used the
261           output destination defaults to standard output.
262
263       -P dbPrefix
264           Specify the prefix used on the certificate and key database file.
265           This argument is provided to support legacy servers. Most
266           applications do not use a database prefix.
267
268       -p phone
269           Specify a contact telephone number to include in new certificates
270           or certificate requests. Bracket this string with quotation marks
271           if it contains spaces.
272
273       -q pqgfile or curve-name
274           Read an alternate PQG value from the specified file when generating
275           DSA key pairs. If this argument is not used, certutil generates its
276           own PQG value. PQG files are created with a separate DSA utility.
277
278           Elliptic curve name is one of the ones from nistp256, nistp384,
279           nistp521, curve25519.
280
281           If a token is available that supports more curves, the foolowing
282           curves are supported as well: sect163k1, nistk163, sect163r1,
283           sect163r2, nistb163, sect193r1, sect193r2, sect233k1, nistk233,
284           sect233r1, nistb233, sect239k1, sect283k1, nistk283, sect283r1,
285           nistb283, sect409k1, nistk409, sect409r1, nistb409, sect571k1,
286           nistk571, sect571r1, nistb571, secp160k1, secp160r1, secp160r2,
287           secp192k1, secp192r1, nistp192, secp224k1, secp224r1, nistp224,
288           secp256k1, secp256r1, secp384r1, secp521r1, prime192v1, prime192v2,
289           prime192v3, prime239v1, prime239v2, prime239v3, c2pnb163v1,
290           c2pnb163v2, c2pnb163v3, c2pnb176v1, c2tnb191v1, c2tnb191v2,
291           c2tnb191v3, c2pnb208w1, c2tnb239v1, c2tnb239v2, c2tnb239v3,
292           c2pnb272w1, c2pnb304w1, c2tnb359w1, c2pnb368w1, c2tnb431r1,
293           secp112r1, secp112r2, secp128r1, secp128r2, sect113r1, sect113r2,
294           sect131r1, sect131r2
295
296       -r
297           Display a certificate's binary DER encoding when listing
298           information about that certificate with the -L option.
299
300       -s subject
301           Identify a particular certificate owner for new certificates or
302           certificate requests. Bracket this string with quotation marks if
303           it contains spaces. The subject identification format follows RFC
304           #1485.
305
306       -t trustargs
307           Specify the trust attributes to modify in an existing certificate
308           or to apply to a certificate when creating it or adding it to a
309           database. There are three available trust categories for each
310           certificate, expressed in the order SSL, email, object signing for
311           each trust setting. In each category position, use none, any, or
312           all of the attribute codes:
313
314           ·   p - Valid peer
315
316           ·   P - Trusted peer (implies p)
317
318           ·   c - Valid CA
319
320           ·   C - Trusted CA (implies c)
321
322           ·   T - trusted CA for client authentication (ssl server only)
323
324           The attribute codes for the categories are separated by commas, and
325           the entire set of attributes enclosed by quotation marks. For
326           example:
327
328           -t "TC,C,T"
329
330           Use the -L option to see a list of the current certificates and
331           trust attributes in a certificate database.
332
333           Note that the output of the -L option may include "u" flag, which
334           means that there is a private key associated with the certificate.
335           It is a dynamic flag and you cannot set it with certutil.
336
337       -u certusage
338           Specify a usage context to apply when validating a certificate with
339           the -V option.
340
341           The contexts are the following:
342
343           ·   C (as an SSL client)
344
345           ·   V (as an SSL server)
346
347           ·   L (as an SSL CA)
348
349           ·   A (as Any CA)
350
351           ·   Y (Verify CA)
352
353           ·   S (as an email signer)
354
355           ·   R (as an email recipient)
356
357           ·   O (as an OCSP status responder)
358
359           ·   J (as an object signer)
360
361       -v valid-months
362           Set the number of months a new certificate will be valid. The
363           validity period begins at the current system time unless an offset
364           is added or subtracted with the -w option. If this argument is not
365           used, the default validity period is three months.
366
367       -w offset-months
368           Set an offset from the current system time, in months, for the
369           beginning of a certificate's validity period. Use when creating the
370           certificate or adding it to a database. Express the offset in
371           integers, using a minus sign (-) to indicate a negative offset. If
372           this argument is not used, the validity period begins at the
373           current system time. The length of the validity period is set with
374           the -v argument.
375
376       -X
377           Force the key and certificate database to open in read-write mode.
378           This is used with the -U and -L command options.
379
380       -x
381           Use certutil to generate the signature for a certificate being
382           created or added to a database, rather than obtaining a signature
383           from a separate CA.
384
385       -y exp
386           Set an alternate exponent value to use in generating a new RSA
387           public key for the database, instead of the default value of 65537.
388           The available alternate values are 3 and 17.
389
390       --pss
391           Restrict the generated certificate (with the -S option) or
392           certificate request (with the -R option) to be used with the
393           RSA-PSS signature scheme. This only works when the private key of
394           the certificate or certificate request is RSA.
395
396       --pss-sign
397           Sign the generated certificate with the RSA-PSS signature scheme
398           (with the -C or -S option). This only works when the private key of
399           the signer's certificate is RSA. If the signer's certificate is
400           restricted to RSA-PSS, it is not necessary to specify this option.
401
402       -z noise-file
403           Read a seed value from the specified file to generate a new private
404           and public key pair. This argument makes it possible to use
405           hardware-generated seed values or manually create a value from the
406           keyboard. The minimum file size is 20 bytes.
407
408       -Z hashAlg
409           Specify the hash algorithm to use with the -C, -S or -R command
410           options. Possible keywords:
411
412           ·   MD2
413
414           ·   MD4
415
416           ·   MD5
417
418           ·   SHA1
419
420           ·   SHA224
421
422           ·   SHA256
423
424           ·   SHA384
425
426           ·   SHA512
427
428       -0 SSO_password
429           Set a site security officer password on a token.
430
431       -1 | --keyUsage keyword,keyword
432           Set an X.509 V3 Certificate Type Extension in the certificate.
433           There are several available keywords:
434
435           ·   digitalSignature
436
437           ·   nonRepudiation
438
439           ·   keyEncipherment
440
441           ·   dataEncipherment
442
443           ·   keyAgreement
444
445           ·   certSigning
446
447           ·   crlSigning
448
449           ·   critical
450
451       -2
452           Add a basic constraint extension to a certificate that is being
453           created or added to a database. This extension supports the
454           certificate chain verification process.  certutil prompts for the
455           certificate constraint extension to select.
456
457           X.509 certificate extensions are described in RFC 5280.
458
459       -3
460           Add an authority key ID extension to a certificate that is being
461           created or added to a database. This extension supports the
462           identification of a particular certificate, from among multiple
463           certificates associated with one subject name, as the correct
464           issuer of a certificate. The Certificate Database Tool will prompt
465           you to select the authority key ID extension.
466
467           X.509 certificate extensions are described in RFC 5280.
468
469       -4
470           Add a CRL distribution point extension to a certificate that is
471           being created or added to a database. This extension identifies the
472           URL of a certificate's associated certificate revocation list
473           (CRL).  certutil prompts for the URL.
474
475           X.509 certificate extensions are described in RFC 5280.
476
477       -5 | --nsCertType keyword,keyword
478           Add an X.509 V3 certificate type extension to a certificate that is
479           being created or added to the database. There are several available
480           keywords:
481
482           ·   sslClient
483
484           ·   sslServer
485
486           ·   smime
487
488           ·   objectSigning
489
490           ·   sslCA
491
492           ·   smimeCA
493
494           ·   objectSigningCA
495
496           ·   critical
497
498           X.509 certificate extensions are described in RFC 5280.
499
500       -6 | --extKeyUsage keyword,keyword
501           Add an extended key usage extension to a certificate that is being
502           created or added to the database. Several keywords are available:
503
504           ·   serverAuth
505
506           ·   clientAuth
507
508           ·   codeSigning
509
510           ·   emailProtection
511
512           ·   timeStamp
513
514           ·   ocspResponder
515
516           ·   stepUp
517
518           ·   msTrustListSign
519
520           ·   critical
521
522           X.509 certificate extensions are described in RFC 5280.
523
524       -7 emailAddrs
525           Add a comma-separated list of email addresses to the subject
526           alternative name extension of a certificate or certificate request
527           that is being created or added to the database. Subject alternative
528           name extensions are described in Section 4.2.1.7 of RFC 3280.
529
530       -8 dns-names
531           Add a comma-separated list of DNS names to the subject alternative
532           name extension of a certificate or certificate request that is
533           being created or added to the database. Subject alternative name
534           extensions are described in Section 4.2.1.7 of RFC 3280.
535
536       --extAIA
537           Add the Authority Information Access extension to the certificate.
538           X.509 certificate extensions are described in RFC 5280.
539
540       --extSIA
541           Add the Subject Information Access extension to the certificate.
542           X.509 certificate extensions are described in RFC 5280.
543
544       --extCP
545           Add the Certificate Policies extension to the certificate. X.509
546           certificate extensions are described in RFC 5280.
547
548       --extPM
549           Add the Policy Mappings extension to the certificate. X.509
550           certificate extensions are described in RFC 5280.
551
552       --extPC
553           Add the Policy Constraints extension to the certificate. X.509
554           certificate extensions are described in RFC 5280.
555
556       --extIA
557           Add the Inhibit Any Policy Access extension to the certificate.
558           X.509 certificate extensions are described in RFC 5280.
559
560       --extSKID
561           Add the Subject Key ID extension to the certificate. X.509
562           certificate extensions are described in RFC 5280.
563
564       --extNC
565           Add a Name Constraint extension to the certificate. X.509
566           certificate extensions are described in RFC 5280.
567
568       --extSAN type:name[,type:name]...
569           Create a Subject Alt Name extension with one or multiple names.
570
571           -type: directory, dn, dns, edi, ediparty, email, ip, ipaddr, other,
572           registerid, rfc822, uri, x400, x400addr
573
574       --empty-password
575           Use empty password when creating new certificate database with -N.
576
577       --keyAttrFlags attrflags
578           PKCS #11 key Attributes. Comma separated list of key attribute
579           flags, selected from the following list of choices: {token |
580           session} {public | private} {sensitive | insensitive} {modifiable |
581           unmodifiable} {extractable | unextractable}
582
583       --keyOpFlagsOn opflags, --keyOpFlagsOff opflags
584           PKCS #11 key Operation Flags. Comma separated list of one or more
585           of the following: {token | session} {public | private} {sensitive |
586           insensitive} {modifiable | unmodifiable} {extractable |
587           unextractable}
588
589       --new-n nickname
590           A new nickname, used when renaming a certificate.
591
592       --source-dir certdir
593           Identify the certificate database directory to upgrade.
594
595       --source-prefix certdir
596           Give the prefix of the certificate and key databases to upgrade.
597
598       --upgrade-id uniqueID
599           Give the unique ID of the database to upgrade.
600
601       --upgrade-token-name name
602           Set the name of the token to use while it is being upgraded.
603
604       -@ pwfile
605           Give the name of a password file to use for the database being
606           upgraded.
607

USAGE AND EXAMPLES

609       Most of the command options in the examples listed here have more
610       arguments available. The arguments included in these examples are the
611       most common ones or are used to illustrate a specific scenario. Use the
612       -H option to show the complete list of arguments for each command
613       option.
614
615       Creating New Security Databases
616
617       Certificates, keys, and security modules related to managing
618       certificates are stored in three related databases:
619
620       ·   cert8.db or cert9.db
621
622       ·   key3.db or key4.db
623
624       ·   secmod.db or pkcs11.txt
625
626       These databases must be created before certificates or keys can be
627       generated.
628
629           certutil -N -d [sql:]directory
630
631       Creating a Certificate Request
632
633       A certificate request contains most or all of the information that is
634       used to generate the final certificate. This request is submitted
635       separately to a certificate authority and is then approved by some
636       mechanism (automatically or by human review). Once the request is
637       approved, then the certificate is generated.
638
639           $ certutil -R -k key-type-or-id [-q pqgfile|curve-name] -g key-size -s subject [-h tokenname] -d [sql:]directory [-p phone] [-o output-file] [-a]
640
641       The -R command options requires four arguments:
642
643       ·   -k to specify either the key type to generate or, when renewing a
644           certificate, the existing key pair to use
645
646       ·   -g to set the keysize of the key to generate
647
648       ·   -s to set the subject name of the certificate
649
650       ·   -d to give the security database directory
651
652       The new certificate request can be output in ASCII format (-a) or can
653       be written to a specified file (-o).
654
655       For example:
656
657           $ certutil -R -k rsa -g 1024 -s "CN=John Smith,O=Example Corp,L=Mountain View,ST=California,C=US" -d sql:$HOME/nssdb -p 650-555-0123 -a -o cert.cer
658
659           Generating key.  This may take a few moments...
660
661
662       Creating a Certificate
663
664       A valid certificate must be issued by a trusted CA. This can be done by
665       specifying a CA certificate (-c) that is stored in the certificate
666       database. If a CA key pair is not available, you can create a
667       self-signed certificate using the -x argument with the -S command
668       option.
669
670           $ certutil -S -k rsa|dsa|ec -n certname -s subject [-c issuer |-x] -t trustargs -d [sql:]directory [-m serial-number] [-v valid-months] [-w offset-months] [-p phone] [-1] [-2] [-3] [-4] [-5 keyword] [-6 keyword] [-7 emailAddress] [-8 dns-names] [--extAIA] [--extSIA] [--extCP] [--extPM] [--extPC] [--extIA] [--extSKID]
671
672       The series of numbers and --ext* options set certificate extensions
673       that can be added to the certificate when it is generated by the CA.
674       Interactive prompts will result.
675
676       For example, this creates a self-signed certificate:
677
678           $ certutil -S -s "CN=Example CA" -n my-ca-cert -x -t "C,C,C" -1 -2 -5 -m 3650
679
680       The interative prompts for key usage and whether any extensions are
681       critical and responses have been ommitted for brevity.
682
683       From there, new certificates can reference the self-signed certificate:
684
685           $ certutil -S -s "CN=My Server Cert" -n my-server-cert -c "my-ca-cert" -t ",," -1 -5 -6 -8 -m 730
686
687       Generating a Certificate from a Certificate Request
688
689       When a certificate request is created, a certificate can be generated
690       by using the request and then referencing a certificate authority
691       signing certificate (the issuer specified in the -c argument). The
692       issuing certificate must be in the certificate database in the
693       specified directory.
694
695           certutil -C -c issuer -i cert-request-file -o output-file [-m serial-number] [-v valid-months] [-w offset-months] -d [sql:]directory [-1] [-2] [-3] [-4] [-5 keyword] [-6 keyword] [-7 emailAddress] [-8 dns-names]
696
697       For example:
698
699           $ certutil -C -c "my-ca-cert" -i /home/certs/cert.req -o cert.cer -m 010 -v 12 -w 1 -d sql:$HOME/nssdb -1 nonRepudiation,dataEncipherment -5 sslClient -6 clientAuth -7 jsmith@example.com
700
701       Listing Certificates
702
703       The -L command option lists all of the certificates listed in the
704       certificate database. The path to the directory (-d) is required.
705
706           $ certutil -L -d sql:/home/my/sharednssdb
707
708           Certificate Nickname                                         Trust Attributes
709                                                                        SSL,S/MIME,JAR/XPI
710
711           CA Administrator of Instance pki-ca1's Example Domain ID     u,u,u
712           TPS Administrator's Example Domain ID                        u,u,u
713           Google Internet Authority                                    ,,
714           Certificate Authority - Example Domain                       CT,C,C
715
716       Using additional arguments with -L can return and print the information
717       for a single, specific certificate. For example, the -n argument passes
718       the certificate name, while the -a argument prints the certificate in
719       ASCII format:
720
721           $ certutil -L -d sql:$HOME/nssdb -a -n my-ca-cert
722           -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
723           MIIB1DCCAT2gAwIBAgICDkIwDQYJKoZIhvcNAQEFBQAwFTETMBEGA1UEAxMKRXhh
724           bXBsZSBDQTAeFw0xMzAzMTMxOTEwMjlaFw0xMzA2MTMxOTEwMjlaMBUxEzARBgNV
725           BAMTCkV4YW1wbGUgQ0EwgZ8wDQYJKoZIhvcNAQEBBQADgY0AMIGJAoGBAJ4Kzqvz
726           JyBVgFqDXRYSyTBNw1DrxUU/3GvWA/ngjAwHEv0Cul/6sO/gsCvnABHiH6unns6x
727           XRzPORlC2WY3gkk7vmlsLvYpyecNazAi/NAwVnU/66HOsaoVFWE+gBQo99UrN2yk
728           0BiK/GMFlLm5dXQROgA9ZKKyFdI0LIXtf6SbAgMBAAGjMzAxMBEGCWCGSAGG+EIB
729           AQQEAwIHADAMBgNVHRMEBTADAQH/MA4GA1UdDwEB/wQEAwICBDANBgkqhkiG9w0B
730           AQUFAAOBgQA6chkzkACN281d1jKMrc+RHG2UMaQyxiteaLVZO+Ro1nnRUvseDf09
731           XKYFwPMJjWCihVku6bw/ihZfuMHhxK22Nue6inNQ6eDu7WmrqL8z3iUrQwxs+WiF
732           ob2rb8XRVVJkzXdXxlk4uo3UtNvw8sAz7sWD71qxKaIHU5q49zijfg==
733           -----END CERTIFICATE-----
734
735       For a human-readable display
736
737           $ certutil -L -d sql:$HOME/nssdb -n my-ca-cert
738           Certificate:
739               Data:
740                   Version: 3 (0x2)
741                   Serial Number: 3650 (0xe42)
742                   Signature Algorithm: PKCS #1 SHA-1 With RSA Encryption
743                   Issuer: "CN=Example CA"
744                   Validity:
745                       Not Before: Wed Mar 13 19:10:29 2013
746                       Not After : Thu Jun 13 19:10:29 2013
747                   Subject: "CN=Example CA"
748                   Subject Public Key Info:
749                       Public Key Algorithm: PKCS #1 RSA Encryption
750                       RSA Public Key:
751                           Modulus:
752                               9e:0a:ce:ab:f3:27:20:55:80:5a:83:5d:16:12:c9:30:
753                               4d:c3:50:eb:c5:45:3f:dc:6b:d6:03:f9:e0:8c:0c:07:
754                               12:fd:02:ba:5f:fa:b0:ef:e0:b0:2b:e7:00:11:e2:1f:
755                               ab:a7:9e:ce:b1:5d:1c:cf:39:19:42:d9:66:37:82:49:
756                               3b:be:69:6c:2e:f6:29:c9:e7:0d:6b:30:22:fc:d0:30:
757                               56:75:3f:eb:a1:ce:b1:aa:15:15:61:3e:80:14:28:f7:
758                               d5:2b:37:6c:a4:d0:18:8a:fc:63:05:94:b9:b9:75:74:
759                               11:3a:00:3d:64:a2:b2:15:d2:34:2c:85:ed:7f:a4:9b
760                           Exponent: 65537 (0x10001)
761                   Signed Extensions:
762                       Name: Certificate Type
763                       Data: none
764
765                       Name: Certificate Basic Constraints
766                       Data: Is a CA with no maximum path length.
767
768                       Name: Certificate Key Usage
769                       Critical: True
770                       Usages: Certificate Signing
771
772               Signature Algorithm: PKCS #1 SHA-1 With RSA Encryption
773               Signature:
774                   3a:72:19:33:90:00:8d:db:cd:5d:d6:32:8c:ad:cf:91:
775                   1c:6d:94:31:a4:32:c6:2b:5e:68:b5:59:3b:e4:68:d6:
776                   79:d1:52:fb:1e:0d:fd:3d:5c:a6:05:c0:f3:09:8d:60:
777                   a2:85:59:2e:e9:bc:3f:8a:16:5f:b8:c1:e1:c4:ad:b6:
778                   36:e7:ba:8a:73:50:e9:e0:ee:ed:69:ab:a8:bf:33:de:
779                   25:2b:43:0c:6c:f9:68:85:a1:bd:ab:6f:c5:d1:55:52:
780                   64:cd:77:57:c6:59:38:ba:8d:d4:b4:db:f0:f2:c0:33:
781                   ee:c5:83:ef:5a:b1:29:a2:07:53:9a:b8:f7:38:a3:7e
782               Fingerprint (MD5):
783                   86:D8:A5:8B:8A:26:BE:9E:17:A8:7B:66:10:6B:27:80
784               Fingerprint (SHA1):
785                   48:78:09:EF:C5:D4:0C:BD:D2:64:45:59:EB:03:13:15:F7:A9:D6:F7
786
787               Certificate Trust Flags:
788                   SSL Flags:
789                       Valid CA
790                       Trusted CA
791                       User
792                   Email Flags:
793                       Valid CA
794                       Trusted CA
795                       User
796                   Object Signing Flags:
797                       Valid CA
798                       Trusted CA
799                       User
800
801
802       Listing Keys
803
804       Keys are the original material used to encrypt certificate data. The
805       keys generated for certificates are stored separately, in the key
806       database.
807
808       To list all keys in the database, use the -K command option and the
809       (required) -d argument to give the path to the directory.
810
811           $ certutil -K -d sql:$HOME/nssdb
812           certutil: Checking token "NSS Certificate DB" in slot "NSS User Private Key and Certificate Services                  "
813           < 0> rsa      455a6673bde9375c2887ec8bf8016b3f9f35861d   Thawte Freemail Member's Thawte Consulting (Pty) Ltd. ID
814           < 1> rsa      40defeeb522ade11090eacebaaf1196a172127df   Example Domain Administrator Cert
815           < 2> rsa      1d0b06f44f6c03842f7d4f4a1dc78b3bcd1b85a5   John Smith user cert
816
817       There are ways to narrow the keys listed in the search results:
818
819       ·   To return a specific key, use the -n name argument with the name of
820           the key.
821
822       ·   If there are multiple security devices loaded, then the -h
823           tokenname argument can search a specific token or all tokens.
824
825       ·   If there are multiple key types available, then the -k key-type
826           argument can search a specific type of key, like RSA, DSA, or ECC.
827
828       Listing Security Modules
829
830       The devices that can be used to store certificates -- both internal
831       databases and external devices like smart cards -- are recognized and
832       used by loading security modules. The -U command option lists all of
833       the security modules listed in the secmod.db database. The path to the
834       directory (-d) is required.
835
836           $ certutil -U -d sql:/home/my/sharednssdb
837
838               slot: NSS User Private Key and Certificate Services
839              token: NSS Certificate DB
840                uri: pkcs11:token=NSS%20Certificate%20DB;manufacturer=Mozilla%20Foundation;serial=0000000000000000;model=NSS%203
841
842               slot: NSS Internal Cryptographic Services
843              token: NSS Generic Crypto Services
844                uri: pkcs11:token=NSS%20Generic%20Crypto%20Services;manufacturer=Mozilla%20Foundation;serial=0000000000000000;model=NSS%203
845
846       Adding Certificates to the Database
847
848       Existing certificates or certificate requests can be added manually to
849       the certificate database, even if they were generated elsewhere. This
850       uses the -A command option.
851
852           certutil -A -n certname -t trustargs -d [sql:]directory [-a] [-i input-file]
853
854       For example:
855
856           $ certutil -A -n "CN=My SSL Certificate" -t ",," -d sql:/home/my/sharednssdb -i /home/example-certs/cert.cer
857
858       A related command option, -E, is used specifically to add email
859       certificates to the certificate database. The -E command has the same
860       arguments as the -A command. The trust arguments for certificates have
861       the format SSL,S/MIME,Code-signing, so the middle trust settings relate
862       most to email certificates (though the others can be set). For example:
863
864           $ certutil -E -n "CN=John Smith Email Cert" -t ",P," -d sql:/home/my/sharednssdb -i /home/example-certs/email.cer
865
866       Deleting Certificates to the Database
867
868       Certificates can be deleted from a database using the -D option. The
869       only required options are to give the security database directory and
870       to identify the certificate nickname.
871
872           certutil -D -d [sql:]directory -n "nickname"
873
874       For example:
875
876           $ certutil -D -d sql:/home/my/sharednssdb -n "my-ssl-cert"
877
878       Validating Certificates
879
880       A certificate contains an expiration date in itself, and expired
881       certificates are easily rejected. However, certificates can also be
882       revoked before they hit their expiration date. Checking whether a
883       certificate has been revoked requires validating the certificate.
884       Validation can also be used to ensure that the certificate is only used
885       for the purposes it was initially issued for. Validation is carried out
886       by the -V command option.
887
888           certutil -V -n certificate-name [-b time] [-e] [-u cert-usage] -d [sql:]directory
889
890       For example, to validate an email certificate:
891
892           $ certutil -V -n "John Smith's Email Cert" -e -u S,R -d sql:/home/my/sharednssdb
893
894       Modifying Certificate Trust Settings
895
896       The trust settings (which relate to the operations that a certificate
897       is allowed to be used for) can be changed after a certificate is
898       created or added to the database. This is especially useful for CA
899       certificates, but it can be performed for any type of certificate.
900
901           certutil -M -n certificate-name -t trust-args -d [sql:]directory
902
903       For example:
904
905           $ certutil -M -n "My CA Certificate" -d sql:/home/my/sharednssdb -t "CT,CT,CT"
906
907       Printing the Certificate Chain
908
909       Certificates can be issued in chains because every certificate
910       authority itself has a certificate; when a CA issues a certificate, it
911       essentially stamps that certificate with its own fingerprint. The -O
912       prints the full chain of a certificate, going from the initial CA (the
913       root CA) through ever intermediary CA to the actual certificate. For
914       example, for an email certificate with two CAs in the chain:
915
916           $ certutil -d sql:/home/my/sharednssdb -O -n "jsmith@example.com"
917           "Builtin Object Token:Thawte Personal Freemail CA" [E=personal-freemail@thawte.com,CN=Thawte Personal Freemail CA,OU=Certification Services Division,O=Thawte Consulting,L=Cape Town,ST=Western Cape,C=ZA]
918
919             "Thawte Personal Freemail Issuing CA - Thawte Consulting" [CN=Thawte Personal Freemail Issuing CA,O=Thawte Consulting (Pty) Ltd.,C=ZA]
920
921               "(null)" [E=jsmith@example.com,CN=Thawte Freemail Member]
922
923       Resetting a Token
924
925       The device which stores certificates -- both external hardware devices
926       and internal software databases -- can be blanked and reused. This
927       operation is performed on the device which stores the data, not
928       directly on the security databases, so the location must be referenced
929       through the token name (-h) as well as any directory path. If there is
930       no external token used, the default value is internal.
931
932           certutil -T -d [sql:]directory -h token-name -0 security-officer-password
933
934       Many networks have dedicated personnel who handle changes to security
935       tokens (the security officer). This person must supply the password to
936       access the specified token. For example:
937
938           $ certutil -T -d sql:/home/my/sharednssdb -h nethsm -0 secret
939
940       Upgrading or Merging the Security Databases
941
942       Many networks or applications may be using older BerkeleyDB versions of
943       the certificate database (cert8.db). Databases can be upgraded to the
944       new SQLite version of the database (cert9.db) using the --upgrade-merge
945       command option or existing databases can be merged with the new
946       cert9.db databases using the ---merge command.
947
948       The --upgrade-merge command must give information about the original
949       database and then use the standard arguments (like -d) to give the
950       information about the new databases. The command also requires
951       information that the tool uses for the process to upgrade and write
952       over the original database.
953
954           certutil --upgrade-merge -d [sql:]directory [-P dbprefix] --source-dir directory --source-prefix dbprefix --upgrade-id id --upgrade-token-name name [-@ password-file]
955
956       For example:
957
958           $ certutil --upgrade-merge -d sql:/home/my/sharednssdb --source-dir /opt/my-app/alias/ --source-prefix serverapp- --upgrade-id 1 --upgrade-token-name internal
959
960       The --merge command only requires information about the location of the
961       original database; since it doesn't change the format of the database,
962       it can write over information without performing interim step.
963
964           certutil --merge -d [sql:]directory [-P dbprefix] --source-dir directory --source-prefix dbprefix [-@ password-file]
965
966       For example:
967
968           $ certutil --merge -d sql:/home/my/sharednssdb --source-dir /opt/my-app/alias/ --source-prefix serverapp-
969
970       Running certutil Commands from a Batch File
971
972       A series of commands can be run sequentially from a text file with the
973       -B command option. The only argument for this specifies the input file.
974
975           $ certutil -B -i /path/to/batch-file
976

NSS DATABASE TYPES

978       NSS originally used BerkeleyDB databases to store security information.
979       The last versions of these legacy databases are:
980
981       ·   cert8.db for certificates
982
983       ·   key3.db for keys
984
985       ·   secmod.db for PKCS #11 module information
986
987       BerkeleyDB has performance limitations, though, which prevent it from
988       being easily used by multiple applications simultaneously. NSS has some
989       flexibility that allows applications to use their own, independent
990       database engine while keeping a shared database and working around the
991       access issues. Still, NSS requires more flexibility to provide a truly
992       shared security database.
993
994       In 2009, NSS introduced a new set of databases that are SQLite
995       databases rather than BerkeleyDB. These new databases provide more
996       accessibility and performance:
997
998       ·   cert9.db for certificates
999
1000       ·   key4.db for keys
1001
1002       ·   pkcs11.txt, a listing of all of the PKCS #11 modules, contained in
1003           a new subdirectory in the security databases directory
1004
1005       Because the SQLite databases are designed to be shared, these are the
1006       shared database type. The shared database type is preferred; the legacy
1007       format is included for backward compatibility.
1008
1009       By default, the tools (certutil, pk12util, modutil) assume that the
1010       given security databases follow the more common legacy type. Using the
1011       SQLite databases must be manually specified by using the sql: prefix
1012       with the given security directory. For example:
1013
1014           $ certutil -L -d sql:/home/my/sharednssdb
1015
1016       To set the shared database type as the default type for the tools, set
1017       the NSS_DEFAULT_DB_TYPE environment variable to sql:
1018
1019           export NSS_DEFAULT_DB_TYPE="sql"
1020
1021       This line can be set added to the ~/.bashrc file to make the change
1022       permanent.
1023
1024       Most applications do not use the shared database by default, but they
1025       can be configured to use them. For example, this how-to article covers
1026       how to configure Firefox and Thunderbird to use the new shared NSS
1027       databases:
1028
1029       ·   https://wiki.mozilla.org/NSS_Shared_DB_Howto
1030
1031       For an engineering draft on the changes in the shared NSS databases,
1032       see the NSS project wiki:
1033
1034       ·   https://wiki.mozilla.org/NSS_Shared_DB
1035

SEE ALSO

1037       pk12util (1)
1038
1039       modutil (1)
1040
1041       certutil has arguments or operations that use features defined in
1042       several IETF RFCs.
1043
1044       ·   http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc5280
1045
1046       ·   http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1113
1047
1048       ·   http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1485
1049
1050       The NSS wiki has information on the new database design and how to
1051       configure applications to use it.
1052
1053       ·   https://wiki.mozilla.org/NSS_Shared_DB_Howto
1054
1055       ·   https://wiki.mozilla.org/NSS_Shared_DB
1056

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

1058       For information about NSS and other tools related to NSS (like JSS),
1059       check out the NSS project wiki at
1060       http://www.mozilla.org/projects/security/pki/nss/. The NSS site relates
1061       directly to NSS code changes and releases.
1062
1063       Mailing lists: https://lists.mozilla.org/listinfo/dev-tech-crypto
1064
1065       IRC: Freenode at #dogtag-pki
1066

AUTHORS

1068       The NSS tools were written and maintained by developers with Netscape,
1069       Red Hat, Sun, Oracle, Mozilla, and Google.
1070
1071       Authors: Elio Maldonado <emaldona@redhat.com>, Deon Lackey
1072       <dlackey@redhat.com>.
1073

LICENSE

1075       Licensed under the Mozilla Public License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL
1076       was not distributed with this file, You can obtain one at
1077       http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
1078

NOTES

1080        1. Mozilla NSS bug 836477
1081           https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=836477
1082
1083
1084
1085nss-tools                       5 October 2017                     CERTUTIL(1)
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