From TNPC issue #4.23...

Practical PGP: Part 2

by Dan Butler
November 15, 2001

Many of you have installed PGP but are still wondering how you actually use it. In this article you'll learn how to distribute your PGP key and how to send an encrypted email to a friend.

First things first, you have to install PGP. If you haven't installed PGP yet read my first article in this series. Pay attention to the cautions I outline in that article or you may find that you won't be able to connect to the Internet!
http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/423/tr.cgi?dan1

During that installation, PGP should have prompted you to create your own key pair. If you did not create a key pair you'll need to do that right away. To check if you already have a key pair, open PGPKeys and look for a key made with your email address. If you don't have a key select the Keys, New Key menu and follow the instructions. Be sure to use a passphrase you will remember! Read the cautions in my earlier articles if you need to.

Okay, you've installed PGP and you have your public/private key pair created. The next step is to exchange public keys with your friend. You can both follow the same procedure:

- open PGPKeys
- select your key by clicking it
- select Edit, Copy
- switch to your email client
- start a new message
- paste the key into the body of the message
- send that message

--- TIP ---
If you are going to send your key to many people, make email stationary out of this message.
--- TIP ---

When your friend receives the message he or she add the key to their Keyring:

- select the key in the email inbox
- select Edit, Copy
- switch to PGPKeys
- select Edit, Paste
- verify you are importing the right key
- select Import

When you get the message from your friend you do the same steps.

That's all you need to do. It may seem like a complicated process but it only takes seconds. Now that you have your friend's public key, send them an encrypted email. The actual details depends on your email client. Look on your toolbar or menu for a PGP entry. If you find one just select the "Encrypt" option. If you don't have PGP entries or just want to encrypt something you've typed elsewhere, follow these steps:

- create a new message addressed to your friend
- type your message text
- select the whole message then choose Edit, Cut
- on the PGP Tray icon choose Clipboard, Encrypt
- switch back to your email client then choose Edit, Paste

You should now be seeing an email that is incomprehensible without being decrypted. You should also note that at this point even you will not be able to read the message unless you have the private key and passphrase associated with it. The steps I outlined above destroy the original message.

--- Tip ---
If you need to retain a readable copy of the message save it in a text file on your local computer before you encrypt.
--- Tip ---

To decrypt a message you receive, again look for PGP toolbar/menu items. One should be "Decrypt". If you have it, choose it. PGP will ask for your passphrase. Type it in then you should be looking at the message. If you don't have a menu item follow these steps:

- copy the whole PGP message to your clipboard
- on the PGP Tray icon choose Clipboard, Decrypt & Verify
- type in your passphrase
- read the message

It's all pretty simple really and a far cry from the arcane and complex command line procedures needed by PGP just a few years ago. Practice sending a few encrypted messages to yourself just to get the hang of things before exchanging them with others. It won't be long until you feel comfortable with the whole system. Next time I'll detail how you can use PGP to keep individual documents away from prying eyes.

You can reach Dan Butler at:
mailto:DanButler@TheNakedPC.com

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