---
name: "PKCS8_encrypt"
section: "3ssl"
platform: "linux"
package: "openssl"
version: "3.6.5-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/PKCS8_encrypt"
---

# PKCS8\_encrypt(3ssl)

PKCS8 encrypt/decrypt functions

## NAME

PKCS8\_decrypt, PKCS8\_decrypt\_ex, PKCS8\_encrypt, PKCS8\_encrypt\_ex, PKCS8\_set0\_pbe, PKCS8\_set0\_pbe\_ex - PKCS8 encrypt/decrypt functions

## SYNOPSIS

```
 #include <openssl/x509.h>
 PKCS8_PRIV_KEY_INFO *PKCS8_decrypt(const X509_SIG *p8, const char *pass,
                                    int passlen);
 PKCS8_PRIV_KEY_INFO *PKCS8_decrypt_ex(const X509_SIG *p8, const char *pass,
                                       int passlen, OSSL_LIB_CTX *ctx,
                                       const char *propq);
 X509_SIG *PKCS8_encrypt(int pbe_nid, const EVP_CIPHER *cipher,
                         const char *pass, int passlen, unsigned char *salt,
                         int saltlen, int iter, PKCS8_PRIV_KEY_INFO *p8);
 X509_SIG *PKCS8_encrypt_ex(int pbe_nid, const EVP_CIPHER *cipher,
                            const char *pass, int passlen, unsigned char *salt,
                            int saltlen, int iter, PKCS8_PRIV_KEY_INFO *p8,
                            OSSL_LIB_CTX *ctx, const char *propq);
 X509_SIG *PKCS8_set0_pbe(const char *pass, int passlen,
                         PKCS8_PRIV_KEY_INFO *p8inf, X509_ALGOR *pbe);
 X509_SIG *PKCS8_set0_pbe_ex(const char *pass, int passlen,
                             PKCS8_PRIV_KEY_INFO *p8inf, X509_ALGOR *pbe,
                             OSSL_LIB_CTX *ctx);
```

## DESCRIPTION

**PKCS8\_encrypt()** and **PKCS8\_encrypt\_ex()** perform encryption of an object *p8* using the password *pass* of length *passlen*, salt *salt* of length *saltlen* and iteration count *iter*. The resulting **X509\_SIG** contains the encoded algorithm parameters and encrypted key.

**PKCS8\_decrypt()** and **PKCS8\_decrypt\_ex()** perform decryption of an **X509\_SIG** in *p8* using the password *pass* of length *passlen* along with algorithm parameters obtained from the *p8*.

**PKCS8\_set0\_pbe()** and **PKCS8\_set0\_pbe\_ex()** perform encryption of the *p8inf* using the password *pass* of length *passlen* and parameters *pbe*.

Functions ending in **\_ex()** allow for a library context *ctx* and property query *propq* to be used to select algorithm implementations.

## RETURN VALUES

**PKCS8\_encrypt()**, **PKCS8\_encrypt\_ex()**, **PKCS8\_set0\_pbe()** and **PKCS8\_set0\_pbe\_ex()** return an encrypted key in a **X509\_SIG** structure or NULL if an error occurs.

**PKCS8\_decrypt()** and **PKCS8\_decrypt\_ex()** return a **PKCS8\_PRIV\_KEY\_INFO** or NULL if an error occurs.

## CONFORMING TO

IETF RFC 7292 (\<https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7292\>)

## SEE ALSO

[**crypto**(7)](/crypto/7.md)

## HISTORY

**PKCS8\_decrypt\_ex()**, **PKCS8\_encrypt\_ex()** and **PKCS8\_set0\_pbe\_ex()** were added in OpenSSL 3.0.

## COPYRIGHT

Copyright 2021 The OpenSSL Project Authors. All Rights Reserved.

Licensed under the Apache License 2.0 (the "License").  You may not use this file except in compliance with the License.  You can obtain a copy in the file LICENSE in the source distribution or at \<https://www.openssl.org/source/license.html\>.