scope:

This part of ISO/IEC 11770 specifies key establishment mechanisms for multiple entities to provide procedures for handling cryptographic keying material used in symmetric or asymmetric cryptographic algorithms according to the security policy in force.

It defines symmetric key based key establishment mechanisms for multiple entities with a key distribution centre (KDC), and defines symmetric key establishment mechanisms based on a general tree based structure with both individual rekeying and batched rekeying. It also defines key establishment mechanisms based on a key chain with both unlimited forward key chain and limited forward key chain. The two types of key establishment mechanisms can be combined by applications.

This part of ISO/IEC 11770 also describes the required content of messages which carry keying material or are necessary to set up the conditions under which the keying material can be established.