| Standard | What it defines | Why it matters |
| X.509 version 3 | Format and content of digital certificates | Without a standard for certificate formats, there’s no way to exchange certificates between vendors |
| CRL version | Formats and content of certificate revocation lists | Sites need to have a way to interchange revocation information |
| PKCS family | Format and behavior for Public key exchange and distribution | Allows different vendors’ implementations to request and move certificates in a way that all understand |
| PKIX | Format and behavior for Public key exchange and distribution | PKIX is an emerging PKI standard that many major vendors and enterprises are adopting in place of the PKCS standard |
| SSL version 3 | Encryption for web sessions | SSL in the best-known and most widely used security protocol on the internet , but it’s subject to export controls |
| SGC | Provides SSL-like security without export complications | SGC allows full 128-bit security and is exportable for certain uses |
| IPSec | Encryption for network sessions using the internet protocol (IP) |
IPSec promises to offer transparent and automatic encryption of network connections |
| PKINIT | Emerging standard for using Public keys to log on to networks that use the Kerberos authentication protocol |
Kerberos identifies users on the network; PKINIT allows Kerberos to use digital certificates on smart cards as credentials |
| PG/SC | Standard for interfacing to smart cards | Any vendor’s smart cards that adhere to this standard can be used under W2K without the need for proprietary software |
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