5 . 5 . 3 Secret Key Packet Formats 5 . 6 Compressed Data Packet ( Tag 8 ) 5 . 7

This document is maintained in order to publish all necessary information needed to develop interoperable applications based on the OP format. It is not a step-by-step cookbook for writing an application, it describes only the format and methods needed to read, check, generate and write conforming packets crossing any network. It does not deal with storing and implementation questions albeit it is necessary to avoid security flaws. OP (Open-PGP) software uses a combination of strong public-key and conventional cryptography to provide security services for electronic communications and data storage. These services include confidentiality, key management, authentication and digital signatures. This document specifies the message formats used in OP. Callas, et. al. Expires May 1998 [Page 1] Internet Draft OpenPGP Message Format Nov 1998 Table of