Dear Reader:

This document is my attempt to offer a brief introduction to Secure Email via PGP (“Pretty Good Privacy”) products.

Introduction to PGP and Encrypted Email

(an informal collection of links, chunks of info, and thoughts/opinions/experiences)
(and, most definitely a Work in Progress...)

First off, you can, and should, purchase “PGP Desktop for Windows” from http://www.pgp.com/solutions/smb.html

A one-year license, per computer, is about $65.00.    A lifetime license, with updates and support included, is about $150.

Introduction:

PGP is a very popular and universal method of securely encrypting electronic documents, such as Email, so that only the intended recipient can read them.

The Recipient needs to have a Public Key, which they distribute to whomever wants to send Email to them.

You, the Sender, use the Recipient’s Public Key, and the PGP Desktop program, whenever you want to send Email to the Recipient.

You, in turn, send your Public Key to anybody that you want to have send you encrypted Emails.

The PGP Desktop program helps you generate your Key Pair, when you first install the program, and adds a few buttons to your Outlook, to make the procedures for sending and receiving encrypted Email, nearly automatic.

When you have some spare time, let me know, you can find my Public Key here, and I can help you get a PGP program installed on your computer, so you can try out these processes, and get comfortable with sending and receiving "armored" Email.

You do NOT need to understand any of the underpinnings of Public Key Encryption, or PGP, to use these tools.

If you do want to learn more:

Information, Handouts, Background:

Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) basics
http://blog.anta.net/blog/_archives/2007/5/24/2971715.html

"How Encryption Works" from HowStuffWorks.com:
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/encryption.htm

The Wikipedia, on PGP:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pretty_Good_Privacy

PGP Corporation, Executive Briefs:
http://www.pgp.com/insight/executive_briefs/

The creator of PGP: Phil Zimmermann:
http://philzimmermann.com/EN/background/index.html

Special Note:  Phil Zimmermann's FAQ's, including "is there a Back Door in PGP?":
http://philzimmermann.com/EN/faq/index.html

Image Credit: CPU Magazine

More Advanced Materials:

Introduction to Cryptography (from Network Associates, the previous owner of PGP Corp.), dated 1999:
ftp://hacktic.nl/pub/crypto/pgp/pgp_pdf_files/IntrotoCrypto.pdf

By the way, that same FTP server is a GREAT place to get gobs of info and software on Crypto:
ftp://hacktic.nl/pub/crypto/pgp/

 

Bill Thomassen
Novelty Hill Networks
www.noveltyhill.net

Last Updated on January 30^th, 2009