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PGP User's Guide, Volume II: Special Topics

Phil's Pretty Good Software presents PGP(tm) Pretty Good(tm) Privacy. Public key encryption for the masses. Document revised 11 October 94 for PGP version 2.6.2 -- 11 Oct 94. Software by Philip Zimmermann, and many others.

Synopsis: PGP(tm) uses public-key encryption to protect E-mail and data files. Communicate securely with people you've never met, with no secure channels needed for prior exchange of keys. PGP is well featured and fast, with sophisticated key management, digital signatures, data compression, and good ergonomic design.

Software and documentation © Copyright 1990--1994 Philip Zimmermann. All rights reserved. For information on PGP licensing, distribution, copyrights, patents, trademarks, liability limitations, and export controls, see the "Legal Issues" section. Distributed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

  • Quick overview
  • Special topics
  • Selecting keys via key ID
  • Separating signatures from messages
  • Decrypting the message and leaving the signature on it
  • Sending ASCII text files across different machine environments
  • Using PGP as a better uuencode
  • Leaving no traces of plaintext on the disk
  • Displaying decrypted plaintext on your screen
  • Making a message for her eyes only
  • Preserving the original plaintext filename
  • Editing your user ID or pass phrase
  • Editing the trust parameters for a public key
  • Checking if everything is OK on your public key ring
  • Verifying a public key over the phone
  • Handling large public keyrings
  • Using PGP as a Unix-style filter
  • Suppressing unnecessary questions: BATCHMODE
  • Force "Yes" answer to confirmation questions: FORCE
  • PGP returns exit status to the shell
  • Environmental variable for pass phrase
  • Setting parameters in the PGP configuration file
  • A peek under the hood
  • Compatibility with previous versions of PGP
  • Vulnerabilities
  • Compromised pass phrase and secret key
  • Public key tampering
  • "Not quite deleted" files
  • Viruses and trojan horses
  • Physical security breach
  • Tempest attacks
  • Exposure on multi-user systems
  • Traffic analysis
  • Protecting against bogus timestamps
  • Cryptanalysis
  • Legal issues
  • Trademarks, copyrights, and warranties
  • Patent rights on the algorithms
  • Freeware status and restrictions
  • Restrictions on Commercial Use of PGP
  • Other Licensing Restrictions
  • Distribution
  • Export Controls
  • Philip Zimmermann's Legal Situation
  • Other sources of information on PGP
  • Where to get a commercial version of PGP
  • Reporting PGP bugs
  • Fan mail, updates, and news
  • Computer-related political groups
  • Recommended readings
  • To contact the author
  • where to get PGP
    • Comments and suggestions concerning this WWW page should be mailed to arne@acm.org.

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