RFC 5280, "Internet X.509 Public Key Infrastructure Certificate and Certificate Revocation List (CRL) Profile", May 2008

Errata ID: 3986
Status: Reported
Type: Technical
Publication Format(s) : TEXT
Reported By: Sandra Murphy
Date Reported: 2014-05-13

Section 4.1.1.3 says:

4.1.1.3.  signatureValue

   The signatureValue field contains a digital signature computed upon
   the ASN.1 DER encoded tbsCertificate.  The ASN.1 DER encoded
   tbsCertificate is used as the input to the signature function.  This
   signature value is encoded as a BIT STRING and included in the
   signature field.  The details of this process are specified for each
   of the algorithms listed in [RFC3279], [RFC4055], and [RFC4491].

It should say:

4.1.1.3.  signatureValue

   The signatureValue field contains a digital signature computed upon
   the ASN.1 DER encoded tbsCertificate.  The ASN.1 DER encoded
   tbsCertificate is used as the input to the signature function. The 
   output of the signature function is encoded as a BIT STRING and 
   included in the signatureValue field.  The details of this process 
   are specified for each of the algorithms listed in [RFC3279], 
   [RFC4055], and [RFC4491].

Notes:

The "included in the signature field" should have been "included in the signatureValue field". A field called "signature" does exist in the 5280 structure, but it is not intended to hold the value of the result of the signature function. The sentence was reworded for word flow (and to avoid using "signature value" and "signatureValue" in the same sentence).

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