HOWTO: Quick & Easy GPG Key

[kassetra]

Note: For this HOWTO you will need to have basic command line/terminal experience, and you will also need the following installed: gnupg, gnupg-agent. In order to create a key, you will also need a real email address.

This HOWTO will take you through a quick & basic PGP Key creation, submission to key servers, and setup in Evolution.

1. Open a terminal.
2. type in the following code:

gpg --gen-key

3. Then enter a "1" - to create a standard DSA/ElGamal key. Press Enter.
4. Type in 1024. Press Enter.
5. Type in 0. Press Enter.
6. Enter a y. Press Enter.
7. Type in your Real Name. Press Enter.
8. Type in your REAL email address. Press Enter.
9. Type in Your First Name, followed by "'s PGP Key". Press Enter.
10. Type O. Press Enter. It will now create your Key.
11. You will have to give it a "Pass Phrase" ... usually a short sentence or phrase that isn't birthdays, names, etc. of people in your family. I will say this to you, because when it comes to pass phrases, they're not easy sometimes... so write it down. Because what you DON'T want to do is forget it!!

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When it's finished creating your Key, follow these steps:
1. Open a terminal.
2. Type in the following code:

gpg --export -a "User Name" > public.key

3. Open a nautilus window.
4. Find the file "public.key" in your home directory.
5. Right click on the file, left click on open in text editor.
6. Press CTRL+A, then CTRL+C (Select All, Copy)
7. Open http://pgp.mit.edu in a browser window.
8. In the box under the label, "Submit a key" - right click in the box and then left click on paste.
9. Click on "Submit this key to the keyserver!"
10. Go back to http://pgp.mit.edu
11. Type in your name in the Search String box.
12. Highlight and Copy the section of the result page under "User ID" (It should be your name, comment, and email address.)

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Ok, now that your key has been submitted, add it to your evolution profile:
1. Open Evolution.
2. Go to Edit->Preferences.
3. Choose your email account, click on it, and then click Edit.
4. Click on the security tab.
5. In the PGP/GPG Key ID: box, paste the User ID from the web page result.
6. Click OK. Click Close.
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If you want to use your key in any new email, simply click on the "Security" menu item in your new mail message, and then click on "PGP Sign" ...


That's it. You now have your own GPG key.

[RastaMahata]

great guide! I'll follow it right now. I've always wanted a GPG key, as I've heard about security and stuff involving them...
But how does it work? I've heard about pen drive security and other stuff.. (I'll google, but if anyone wants to answer... )

[kassetra]

Originally Posted by RastaMahata great guide! I'll follow it right now. I've always wanted a GPG key, as I've heard about security and stuff involving them... But how does it work? I've heard about pen drive security and other stuff.. (I'll google, but if anyone wants to answer... )

It works in two separate, but closely related ways:
1. You can now "sign" an email / document, similar to when you sign something in the real world, and because you are the master of the secret key, the recipient of the email / document can be fairly sure that it came from you, and
2. You can also encrypt an email / document (usually done along with signing it as well) so that your message isn't viewed in transit.

[Kyral]

Why do I sense a new fad coming on?

But I'll give it a whirl. Oh, what would the email look like to the person getting it I wonder?

And how would you setup Thunderbird to use this?

[Ali_Baba]

This is interesting HOWTO,I read about Linux Journal that you got a private secret key and a public key.You use secret key to encrypt and then you give your public key to your friend so he/she can decrypt and see your mail using the key. Have to try this myself also

[Fass]

Originally Posted by Ali_Baba This is interesting HOWTO,I read about Linux Journal that you got a private secret key and a public key.You use secret key to encrypt and then you give your public key to your friend so he/she can decrypt and see your mail using the key. Have to try this myself also

I understood it to work in the completely opposite way. You use other people's public key to encrypt messages to them, and they use their private key to decrypt.

[word_virus]

Originally Posted by Fass I understood it to work in the completely opposite way. You use other people's public key to encrypt messages to them, and they use their private key to decrypt.

Correct. If you're new to GPG, make sure it's your public key you're giving out to others !

[kassetra]

Originally Posted by Kyral Why do I sense a new fad coming on? But I'll give it a whirl. Oh, what would the email look like to the person getting it I wonder? And how would you setup Thunderbird to use this?

Well, if you just sign it, then it just has this funky little signature thing attached...

Thunderbird. Hmmmm. I'm wondering if the procedure is similar, maybe with different menu items and such.

[oritpro]

Excellent guide, thank you!

Does anybody happen to know of a Linux equivalent to PGP's Encrypted Disk? Preferrably something that can be installed via Synaptic.

[Druke]

Originally Posted by RastaMahata great guide! I'll follow it right now. I've always wanted a GPG key, as I've heard about security and stuff involving them... But how does it work? I've heard about pen drive security and other stuff.. (I'll google, but if anyone wants to answer... )

It works by use of the RSA (i beleive) one way function basicly your message is transfored to ascii and then a "one way encryption" is performed, this si done by using modular math and a formula that i wont post because i cant find the book where i learned it from anyways after alice usees her private key to act upon her message, bob can decrypt it by using the public key to act upon the (secret key ecrypted) ciphertext.

Anyways my question is how do i encrypt the messages :-p i know how it works i just dont know how to make it work.

thanks in advance