security-and-privacy/gnupg
security-and-privacy/gnupg
1
0
Fork 0
mirror of git://git.gnupg.org/gnupg.git synced 2025-07-02 22:46:30 +02:00
Code Activity

See ChangeLog: Wed Jun 16 20:16:21 CEST 1999 Werner Koch

Browse source
This commit is contained in:
Werner Koch 1999-06-16 18:25:37 +00:00
parent 9da1694e19
commit 1423b4239b
9 changed files with 1328 additions and 735 deletions
Download patch file Download diff file Expand all files Collapse all files

136
README
View file

@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
GnuPG - The GNU Privacy Guard
-------------------------------
Version 0.9.7
GnuPG - The GNU Privacy Guard
-------------------------------
Version 0.9.7
GnuPG is now in Beta test and you should report all bugs to the
mailing list (see below). The 0.9.x versions are released mainly
to fix all remaining serious bugs. As soon as version 1.0 is out,
to fix all remaining serious bugs. As soon as version 1.0 is out,
development will continue with a 1.1 series and bug fixes for the
1.0 version as needed.
@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
"Key fingerprint = 6BD9 050F D8FC 941B 4341 2DCC 68B7 AB89 5754 8DCD"
You may want to add this DSA key to your GnuPG pubring and use it in
the future to verify new releases. Because you verified this README
the future to verify new releases. Because you verified this README
file and _checked_that_it_is_really_my PGP2 key 0C9857A5, you can be
quite sure that the above fingerprint is correct.
@ -60,7 +60,7 @@
Here is a quick summary:
1) "./configure"
1) "./configure"
2) "make"
@ -92,7 +92,7 @@
The normal way to create a key is
gpg --gen-key
gpg --gen-key
This asks some questions and then starts key generation. To create
good random numbers for the key parameters, GnuPG needs to gather
@ -119,7 +119,7 @@
Next, you should create a revocation certificate in case someone
gets knowledge of your secret key or you forgot your passphrase
gpg --gen-revoke your_user_id
gpg --gen-revoke your_user_id
Run this command and store the revocation certificate away. The output
is always ASCII armored, so that you can print it and (hopefully
@ -127,20 +127,20 @@
Now you can use your key to create digital signatures
gpg -s file
gpg -s file
This creates a file "file.gpg" which is compressed and has a
signature attached.
gpg -sa file
gpg -sa file
Same as above, but creates a file "file.asc" which is ASCII armored
and and ready for sending by mail. It is better to use your
and and ready for sending by mail. It is better to use your
mailers features to create signatures (The mailer uses GnuPG to do
this) because the mailer has the ability to MIME encode such
signatures - but this is not a security issue.
gpg -s -o out file
gpg -s -o out file
Creates a signature of "file", but writes the output to the file
"out".
@ -149,7 +149,7 @@
your key by putting it on a key server, a web page or in your .plan
file) is now able to check whether you really signed this text
gpg --verify file
gpg --verify file
GnuPG now checks whether the signature is valid and prints an
appropriate message. If the signature is good, you know at least
@ -160,29 +160,29 @@
create a new file that is identical to the original. gpg can also
run as a filter, so that you can pipe data to verify trough it
cat signed-file | gpg | wc -l
cat signed-file | gpg | wc -l
which will check the signature of signed-file and then display the
number of lines in the original file.
To send a message encrypted to someone you can use
gpg -e -r heine file
gpg -e -r heine file
This encrypts "file" with the public key of the user "heine" and
writes it to "file.gpg"
echo "hello" | gpg -ea -r heine | mail heine
echo "hello" | gpg -ea -r heine | mail heine
Ditto, but encrypts "hello\n" and mails it as ASCII armored message
to the user with the mail address heine.
gpg -se -r heine file
gpg -se -r heine file
This encrypts "file" with the public key of "heine" and writes it
to "file.gpg" after signing it with your user id.
gpg -se -r heine -u Suttner file
gpg -se -r heine -u Suttner file
Ditto, but sign the file with your alternative user id "Suttner"
@ -190,7 +190,7 @@
GnuPG has some options to help you publish public keys. This is
called "exporting" a key, thus
gpg --export >all-my-keys
gpg --export >all-my-keys
exports all the keys in the keyring and writes them (in a binary
format) to "all-my-keys". You may then mail "all-my-keys" as an
@ -201,14 +201,14 @@
To mail a public key or put it on a web page you have to create
the key in ASCII armored format
gpg --export --armor | mail panther@tiger.int
gpg --export --armor | mail panther@tiger.int
This will send all your public keys to your friend panther.
If you have received a key from someone else you can put it
into your public keyring. This is called "importing"
gpg --import [filenames]
gpg --import [filenames]
New keys are appended to your keyring and already existing
keys are updated. Note that GnuPG does not import keys that
@ -222,7 +222,7 @@
every other program used for management of cryptographic keys)
provides other solutions.
gpg --fingerprint <username>
gpg --fingerprint <username>
prints the so called "fingerprint" of the given username which
is a sequence of hex bytes (which you may have noticed in mail
@ -237,43 +237,43 @@
Suppose however that friend of yours knows someone who knows someone
who has met the owner of the public key at some computer conference.
Suppose that all the people between you and the public key holder
may now act as introducers to you. Introducers signing keys thereby
may now act as introducers to you. Introducers signing keys thereby
certify that they know the owner of the keys they sign. If you then
trust all the introducers to have correctly signed other keys, you
can be be sure that the other key really belongs to the one who
claims to own it..
There are 2 steps to validate a key:
1. First check that there is a complete chain
of signed keys from the public key you want to use
and your key and verify each signature.
2. Make sure that you have full trust in the certificates
of all the introduces between the public key holder and
you.
1. First check that there is a complete chain
of signed keys from the public key you want to use
and your key and verify each signature.
2. Make sure that you have full trust in the certificates
of all the introduces between the public key holder and
you.
Step 2 is the more complicated part because there is no easy way
for a computer to decide who is trustworthy and who is not. GnuPG
leaves this decision to you and will ask you for a trust value
(here also referenced as the owner-trust of a key) for every key
needed to check the chain of certificates. You may choose from:
needed to check the chain of certificates. You may choose from:
a) "I don't know" - then it is not possible to use any
of the chains of certificates, in which this key is used
as an introducer, to validate the target key. Use this if
you don't know the introducer.
of the chains of certificates, in which this key is used
as an introducer, to validate the target key. Use this if
you don't know the introducer.
b) "I do not trust" - Use this if you know that the introducer
does not do a good job in certifying other keys. The effect
is the same as with a) but for a) you may later want to
change the value because you got new information about this
introducer.
does not do a good job in certifying other keys. The effect
is the same as with a) but for a) you may later want to
change the value because you got new information about this
introducer.
c) "I trust marginally" - Use this if you assume that the
introducer knows what he is doing. Together with some
other marginally trusted keys, GnuPG validates the target
key then as good.
introducer knows what he is doing. Together with some
other marginally trusted keys, GnuPG validates the target
key then as good.
d) "I fully trust" - Use this if you really know that this
introducer does a good job when certifying other keys.
If all the introducer are of this trust value, GnuPG
normally needs only one chain of signatures to validate
a target key okay. (But this may be adjusted with the help
of some options).
introducer does a good job when certifying other keys.
If all the introducer are of this trust value, GnuPG
normally needs only one chain of signatures to validate
a target key okay. (But this may be adjusted with the help
of some options).
This information is confidential because it gives your personal
opinion on the trustworthiness of someone else. Therefore this data
is not stored in the keyring but in the "trustdb"
@ -286,7 +286,7 @@
Okay, here is how GnuPG helps you with key management. Most stuff
is done with the --edit-key command
gpg --edit-key <keyid or username>
gpg --edit-key <keyid or username>
GnuPG displays some information about the key and then prompts
for a command (enter "help" to see a list of commands and see
@ -326,37 +326,37 @@
* Only by the short keyid (prepend a zero if it begins with A..F):
"234567C4"
"0F34E556E"
"01347A56A"
"0xAB123456
"234567C4"
"0F34E556E"
"01347A56A"
"0xAB123456
* By a complete keyid:
"234AABBCC34567C4"
"0F323456784E56EAB"
"01AB3FED1347A5612"
"0x234AABBCC34567C4"
"234AABBCC34567C4"
"0F323456784E56EAB"
"01AB3FED1347A5612"
"0x234AABBCC34567C4"
* By a fingerprint:
"1234343434343434C434343434343434"
"123434343434343C3434343434343734349A3434"
"0E12343434343434343434EAB3484343434343434"
"1234343434343434C434343434343434"
"123434343434343C3434343434343734349A3434"
"0E12343434343434343434EAB3484343434343434"
The first one is MD5 the others are ripemd160 or sha1.
* By an exact string:
"=Heinrich Heine <heinrichh@uni-duesseldorf.de>"
"=Heinrich Heine <heinrichh@uni-duesseldorf.de>"
* By an email address:
"<heinrichh@uni-duesseldorf.de>"
"<heinrichh@uni-duesseldorf.de>"
* By word match
"+Heinrich Heine duesseldorf"
"+Heinrich Heine duesseldorf"
All words must match excatly (not case sensitive) and appear in
any order in the user ID. Words are any sequences of letters,
@ -364,15 +364,15 @@
* By the Local ID (from the trust DB):
"#34"
"#34"
This may be used by a MUA to specify an exact key after selecting
a key from GnuPG (by using a special option or an extra utility)
* Or by the usual substring:
"Heine"
"*Heine"
"Heine"
"*Heine"
The '*' indicates substring search explicitly.
@ -400,22 +400,22 @@
Esoteric commands
-----------------
gpg --list-packets datafile
gpg --list-packets datafile
Use this to list the contents of a data file. If the file is encrypted
you are asked for the passphrase, so that GnuPG is able to look at the
inner structure of a encrypted packet. This command should list all
kinds of rfc2440 messages.
gpgm --list-trustdb
gpgm --list-trustdb
List the contents of the trust DB in a human readable format
gpgm --list-trustdb <usernames>
gpgm --list-trustdb <usernames>
List the tree of certificates for the given usernames
gpgm --list-trust-path username
gpgm --list-trust-path username
List the possible trust paths for the given username. The length
of such a trust path is limited by the option --max-cert-depth
@ -437,7 +437,7 @@
the normal www.gnu.org webserver.
Please direct bug reports to <gnupg-bugs@gnu.org> or, better,
post them to the mailing list <g10@net.lut.ac.uk> (this is a
post them to the mailing list <gnupg-devel@gnupg.org> (this is a
closed list - subscribe before posting, see above (~line 33)).
Please direct questions about GnuPG to the mailing list or
one of the pgp newsgroups and give me more time to improve