Using PGP Keys
a day ago
- GPG is a program for encrypting digital files using the PGP standard mandated by IETF.
- Encryption ensures only authorized people can read data; it is used in HTTPS and dates back to the Roman empire.
- Cryptography has two main functions: encrypting data to restrict access and signing data to verify integrity.
- GPG installation varies by OS: Debian/Ubuntu via apt, Windows via GPG4Win, macOS via GPGtools or brew.
- GPG uses asymmetric encryption, allowing anyone to send secure messages but only the key owner to decrypt them.
- To use GPG, you need to generate a key pair (private and public) protected by a passphrase, publish your public key, and start signing things.
- You can sign Git commits, emails (with Thunderbird, Kmail, etc.), or join Keybase for identity verification.
- Key generation requires random bytes and appears to run twice because it creates both private and public keys.