| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 1234.1 | | EVMS::MORONEY | vi vi vi - Editor of the Beast | Thu May 29 1997 13:06 | 16 |
| PGP is a rather flexible encryption system where users have a secret "private
key" and a "public key" that anyone can know. It is, as far as I know,
unbreakable.
It can be used to encrypt something using the recipient's public key so that
only the recipient (or someone with their key) can decode it. Not even the
sender can decode it.
It can also be used, using the private key, to "sign" plain text or encrypted
messages to "prove" the person who claims to send a message actually did so.
That is the source of the annoying gibberish you see. Only the person with the
private key can generate the proper gibberish but anyone with the public key
can verify the person with the private key, rather than someone claiming to be
them, actually did do so.
-Mike
|
| 1234.2 | | PCBUOA::BAYJ | Jim, Portables | Thu May 29 1997 13:40 | 4 |
| What's the currently favored way to post public keys?
jeb
|
| 1234.3 | | QUARK::LIONEL | Free advice is worth every cent | Thu May 29 1997 13:49 | 9 |
| PGP comes with a rather extensive "FAQ" which covers just about all aspects
of usage, and there are web sites with even more info.
There are "public key servers" where you can "register" your key. One
important tip is that you should "sign" your own key before publishing it.
Another is to create a "key revocation certificate" and keep it handy - this
allows you to "revoke" your key in case you lose the private key.
Steve
|
| 1234.4 | | SHRCTR::PJOHNSON | Vaya con huevos. | Thu May 29 1997 15:22 | 4 |
| OK, so *then* what does one do? Does an application of some tool to
that gibberish reveal that I did, in fact, post what is written there?
Pete
|
| 1234.5 | | QUARK::LIONEL | Free advice is worth every cent | Thu May 29 1997 16:21 | 7 |
| Assuming that the reader has a validated copy of your public key on their
"keyring", PGP will automatically find the signature and check it against the
keyring and will let you know if it matches. In any event, it will display
the name of the person who created the signature, not that that means much
without validation.
Steve
|