RFC 9936 - Use of ML-KEM in the Cryptographic Message Syntax (CMS)
- Status: Proposed Standard
- Published: March 2026
- Stream: IETF
- Errata: No Errata
Abstract
Module-Lattice-Based Key-Encapsulation Mechanism (ML-KEM) is a quantum-resistant Key Encapsulation Mechanism (KEM). Three parameter sets for the ML-KEM algorithm are specified by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in FIPS 203. In order of increasing security strength (and decreasing performance), these parameter sets are ML-KEM-512, ML-KEM-768, and ML-KEM-1024. This document specifies the conventions for using ML-KEM with the Cryptographic Message Syntax (CMS) using the KEMRecipientInfo structure defined in "Using Key Encapsulation Mechanism (KEM) Algorithms in the Cryptographic Message Syntax (CMS)" (RFC 9629).
Related Resources
- Official Text: RFC 9936
- Official Page: RFC 9936 DataTracker
- Errata: RFC Editor Errata