[openssl-users] Password protect EC private key

[Robert Moskowitz]

Thank you, Viktor.

On 08/10/2017 02:27 PM, Viktor Dukhovni wrote:
> On Thu, Aug 10, 2017 at 12:03:31PM -0400, Robert Moskowitz wrote:
>
>> openssl ecparam -name secp256k1 -genkey -noout -out private/ca.key.pem
>>
>> But openssl ecparam does not have any option equivalent (that I can find) to -aes256
> Yes, this command does not currently support key encryption.
>
>> What am I missing.
> The command that does is:
>
>     $  openssl genpkey -aes256 -algorithm ec \
> 	-pkeyopt ec_paramgen_curve:secp256k1 \
> 	-pkeyopt ec_param_enc:named_curve \
> 	-out private/ca.key.pem

So I see that I use this for the CA(s) key generation, but what about a 
Server or Client key pair to feed into a CSR?  I probably do not want 
those keys encrypted (well I do, but we sacrifice protection for easy of 
use, sigh).


> Are you sure you want secp256k1?  By far the more common choice is
> prime256r1 (aka P-256 or secp256r1).

Thanks, I read things wrong and selected the wrong curve.  Yes, I want 
prime256r1.

>
>> openssl ecparam -in private/ca.key.pem -text -noout
> EC keys are read with "openssl ec" not "openssl ecparam".
>

Ah.  I will give this a try.

Bob