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1<!DOCTYPE html>
2<html lang="en">
3<head>
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5<title>Email Self-Defense - a guide to fighting surveillance with GnuPG
6encryption</title>
7<meta name="keywords" content="GnuPG, GPG, openpgp, surveillance, privacy,
013b81e2 8email, security, GnuPG2, encryption" />
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9<meta name="description" content="Email surveillance violates our fundamental
10rights and makes free speech risky. This guide will teach you email
11self-defense in 40 minutes with GnuPG." />
12<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" />
13<link rel="stylesheet" href="../static/css/main.css" />
14<link rel="shortcut icon"
15href="../static/img/favicon.ico" />
16</head>
e4266c81 17<body>
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18<!--<div style="text-align: center; padding: 2.5px; background-color: #a94442; color:#fcf8e3;"><p>Due to Enigmail's PGP functionality being migrated into Icedove and Thunderbird, steps 2 and 3 of the guide are currently out of date.</p><p> Thank you for your patience while we're working on a new round of updates.</p></div>-->
19
20<!-- PLACE FUNDRAISER MODAL WINDOW HERE -->
21
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22<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ GnuPG Header and introduction text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
23<header class="row" id="header"><div>
24
25
26<h1>Email Self-Defense</h1>
27
28<!-- Language list for browsers that do not have JS enabled -->
29<ul id="languages" class="os">
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30<li><strong><a href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Translation_Guide">
31Translate!</a></strong></li>
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32</ul>
33
34<ul id="menu" class="os">
35<li class="spacer"><a href="index.html" class="current">Set up guide</a></li>
36<!--<li><a href="mac.html">Mac OS</a></li>-->
37<!--<li><a href="windows.html">Windows</a></li>-->
38<li class="spacer"><a href="workshops.html">Teach your friends</a></li>
39<li class="spacer"><a
40href="https://fsf.org/share?u=https://u.fsf.org/zb&amp;t=Email%20encryption%20for%20everyone%20via%20%40fsf">
41Share&nbsp;
42<img src="../static/img/gnu-social.png" class="share-logo"
43alt="[GNU Social]" />&nbsp;
44<img src="../static/img/mastodon.png" class="share-logo"
45alt="[Mastodon]" />&nbsp;
46<img src="../static/img/reddit-alien.png" class="share-logo"
47alt="[Reddit]" />&nbsp;
48<img src="../static/img/hacker-news.png" class="share-logo"
49alt="[Hacker News]" /></a></li>
50</ul>
51
52<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ FSF Introduction ~~~~~~~~~ -->
53<div id="fsf-intro">
54
55<h3><a href="https://u.fsf.org/ys"><img
56alt="Free Software Foundation"
57src="../static/img/fsf-logo.png" />
58</a></h3>
59
e23e0e7a 60<center><p><a href="https://crm.fsf.org/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&amp;id=14&amp;mtm_campaign=email_self_defense&amp;mtm_kwd=guide_donate"><img alt="Donate" src="../static/img/en/donate.png" style="img align: center;"/></a></p></center>
61
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62<div class="fsf-emphasis">
63
64<p>We fight for computer users' rights, and promote the development of free (as
65in freedom) software. Resisting bulk surveillance is very important to us.</p>
66
67<p><strong>Please donate to support Email Self-Defense. We need to keep
68improving it, and making more materials, for the benefit of people around
69the world taking the first step towards protecting their privacy.</strong></p>
70
71</div>
72
2414c5ec 73<script type="text/javascript">
74this.fsf_widget_size = "thin";
75this.fsf_associate_id = "2442";
76</script>
e23e0e7a 77<script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.fsf.org/nosvn/appeal2011/widget2.js"></script>
2414c5ec 78
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79</div><!-- End #fsf-intro -->
80
81<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Guide Introduction ~~~~~~~~~ -->
82<div class="intro">
83
84<p><a id="infographic" href="infographic.html"><img
85src="../static/img/en/infographic-button.png"
86alt="View &amp; share our infographic &rarr;" /></a>
87Bulk surveillance violates our fundamental rights and makes free speech
88risky. This guide will teach you a basic surveillance self-defense skill: email
89encryption. Once you've finished, you'll be able to send and receive emails
90that are scrambled to make sure a surveillance agent or thief intercepting
91your email can't read them. All you need is a computer with an Internet
92connection, an email account, and about forty minutes.</p>
93
94<p>Even if you have nothing to hide, using encryption helps protect the privacy
95of people you communicate with, and makes life difficult for bulk surveillance
96systems. If you do have something important to hide, you're in good company;
97these are the same tools that whistleblowers use to protect their identities
98while shining light on human rights abuses, corruption, and other crimes.</p>
99
100<p>In addition to using encryption, standing up
101to surveillance requires fighting politically for a <a
102href="https://gnu.org/philosophy/surveillance-vs-democracy.html">reduction
103in the amount of data collected on us</a>, but the essential first step is
104to protect yourself and make surveillance of your communication as difficult
105as possible. This guide helps you do that. It is designed for beginners, but
106if you already know the basics of GnuPG or are an experienced free software
107user, you'll enjoy the advanced tips and the <a href="workshops.html">guide
108to teaching your friends</a>.</p>
109
110</div><!-- End .intro -->
111</div></header><!-- End #header -->
112
113<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 1: Get the pieces ~~~~~~~~~ -->
114<section class="row" id="section1"><div>
115
116<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
117<div class="section-intro">
118
119<h2><em>#1</em> Get the pieces</h2>
120
121<p class="notes">This guide relies on software which is <a
122href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html">freely licensed</a>;
123it's completely transparent and anyone can copy it or make their
124own version. This makes it safer from surveillance than proprietary
125software (like Windows or macOS). Learn more about free software at <a
126href="https://u.fsf.org/ys">fsf.org</a>.</p>
127
572e3d5f 128<p>Most GNU/Linux operating systems come with GnuPG installed on them, so if you're running one of these systems, you don't have to download it. If you're running macOS or Windows, steps to download GnuPG are below. Before configuring your encryption setup with this guide, though, you'll need a desktop email program installed on your computer. Many GNU/Linux distributions have one installed already, such as Icedove, which may be under the alternate name "Thunderbird." Programs like these are another way to access the same email accounts you can access in a browser (like Gmail), but provide extra features.</p>
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130</div><!-- End .section-intro -->
131
132<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
133<div id="step-1a" class="step">
134<div class="sidebar">
135
7b371af8 136<p class="large"><img
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137src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step1a-install-wizard.png"
138alt="Step 1.A: Install Wizard" /></p>
139
140</div><!-- /.sidebar -->
141<div class="main">
142
143<h3><em>Step 1.a</em> Set up your email program with your email account</h3>
144
145<p>Open your email program and follow the wizard (step-by-step walkthrough)
146that sets it up with your email account. This usually starts from "Account Settings" &rarr; "Add Mail Account". You should get the email server settings from your systems administrator or the help section of your email account.</p>
df371bd3 147
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148
149<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
150<div class="troubleshooting">
151
152<h4>Troubleshooting</h4>
153
154<dl>
155<dt>The wizard doesn't launch</dt>
156<dd>You can launch the wizard yourself, but the menu option for doing so is
157named differently in each email program. The button to launch it will be in
158the program's main menu, under "New" or something similar, titled something
159like "Add account" or "New/Existing email account."</dd>
160
161<dt>The wizard can't find my account or isn't downloading my mail</dt>
162<dd>Before searching the Web, we recommend you start by asking other people
163who use your email system, to figure out the correct settings.</dd>
164
165<dt>I can't find the menu</dt>
166<dd>In many new email programs, the main menu is represented by an image of
167three stacked horizontal bars.</dd>
168
169<dt class="feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?</dt>
170<dd class="feedback">Please let us know on the <a
171href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback
172page</a>.</dd>
173</dl>
174
175</div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
176</div><!-- End .main -->
177</div><!-- End #step1-a .step -->
178
179<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
180<div id="step-1b" class="step">
181<div class="main">
182
98681fc5 183<h3><em>Step 1.b</em> Install GnuPG</h3>
a6ffc443 184
98681fc5 185<p>If you are using a GNU/Linux machine, you should already have GnuPG installed, and you can skip to <a href="#section2">Section 2</a>.</p>
a062f9ca 186
98681fc5 187<p>If you are using a macOS or Windows machine, however, you need to first install the GnuPG program. Select your operating system below and follow the instructions. For the rest of this guide, the steps are the same for all operating systems. </p>
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188
189<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ MACOS ~~~~~~~~~ -->
190<div class="troubleshooting">
191
013b81e2 192<h4>macOS</h4>
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193
194<dl>
195<dt>Use a third-party package manager to install GnuPG</dt>
98681fc5 196<dd>
97b7b361 197<p>The default macOS package manager makes it difficult to install GnuPG and other pieces of free software (like Emacs, GIMP, or Inkscape). To make things easier, we recommend setting up the third-party package manager "Homebrew" to install GnuPG. For this, we will use a program called "Terminal," which is pre-installed on macOS.</p>
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198
199<p># Copy the first command on the home page of <a href="https://brew.sh/">Homebrew</a> by clicking on the clipboard icon, and paste it in Terminal. Click "Enter" and wait for the installation to finalize.</p>
200<p># Then install GnuPG by entering the following code in Terminal:<br/>
201<code>brew install gnupg gnupg2</code></p>
202</dd>
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203</dl>
204
205</div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
206
207<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ WINDOWS ~~~~~~~~~ -->
208<div class="troubleshooting">
209
210<h4>Windows</h4>
211
212<dl>
213<dt>Get GnuPG by downloading GPG4Win</dt>
625cf53d 214<dd><p><a href="https://www.gpg4win.org/">GPG4Win</a> is an email and file encryption software package that includes GnuPG. Download and install the latest version, choosing default options whenever asked. After it's installed, you can close any windows that it creates.</p>
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215</dd>
216</dl>
217
218</div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
219</div><!-- End .main -->
220</div><!-- End #step1-b .step -->
221
222<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
223<div id="terminology" class="step">
224<div class="main">
225
226<h3>GnuPG, OpenPGP, what?</h3>
227
228<p>In general, the terms GnuPG, GPG, GNU Privacy Guard, OpenPGP and PGP
229are used interchangeably. Technically, OpenPGP (Pretty Good Privacy) is the
230encryption standard, and GNU Privacy Guard (often shortened to GPG or GnuPG)
231is the program that implements the standard. Most email programs provide an interface for GnuPG. There is also a newer version of GnuPG, called GnuPG2.</p>
232
233</div><!-- End .main -->
234</div><!-- End #terminology.step-->
235
236</div></section><!-- End #section1 -->
237
238<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 2: Make your keys ~~~~~~~~~ -->
239<section id="section2" class="row"><div>
240
241<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
242<div class="section-intro">
243
244<h2><em>#2</em> Make your keys</h2>
7b371af8 245<p class="float medium"><img src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step2a-01-make-keypair.png" alt="A robot with a head shaped like a key holding a private and a public key"/></p>
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246
247<p>To use the GnuPG system, you'll need a public key and a private key (known
248together as a keypair). Each is a long string of randomly generated numbers
249and letters that are unique to you. Your public and private keys are linked
250together by a special mathematical function.</p>
251
252<p>Your public key isn't like a physical key, because it's stored in the open
253in an online directory called a keyserver. People download it and use it,
254along with GnuPG, to encrypt emails they send to you. You can think of the
255keyserver as a phonebook; people who want to send you encrypted email can
256look up your public key.</p>
257
258<p>Your private key is more like a physical key, because you keep it to
259yourself (on your computer). You use GnuPG and your private key together to
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260descramble encrypted emails other people send to you. <strong>You should never share your private key with anyone, under any
261circumstances.</strong></p>
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262
263<p>In addition to encryption and decryption, you can also use these keys to
264sign messages and check the authenticity of other people's signatures. We'll
265discuss this more in the next section.</p>
266
267</div><!-- End .section-intro -->
268
269<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
270<div id="step-2a" class="step">
271<div class="sidebar">
7b371af8 272<p class="large"><img
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273src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step2a-02-make-keypair.png"
274alt="Step 2.A: Make your Keypair" /></p>
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275
276<p class="large"><img
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277src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step2a-03-make-keypair.png"
278alt="Step 2.A: Set your passphrase" /></p>
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279
280</div><!-- /.sidebar -->
281<div class="main">
282
283<h3><em>Step 2.a</em> Make a keypair</h3>
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284
285<h4>Make your keypair</h4>
a6ffc443 286
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287<p>We will use the command line in a terminal to create a keypair using the
288GnuPG program.</p>
a6ffc443 289
a062f9ca 290<p class="notes">Whether on GNU/Linux, macOS or Windows, you can launch your
98681fc5 291terminal ("Terminal" in macOS, "PowerShell" in Windows) from the Applications
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292menu (some GNU/Linux systems respond to the <kbd>Ctrl + Alt + T</kbd>
293shortcut).</p>
b9a7f2fa 294
3fbfca2a 295<p># Enter <code>gpg --full-generate-key</code> to start the process.</p>
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296<p># To answer what kind of key you would like to create, select the default option: <samp>1&nbsp;RSA&nbsp;and&nbsp;RSA</samp>.</p>
297<p># Enter the following keysize: <code>4096</code> for a strong key.</p>
b9a7f2fa 298<p># Choose the expiration date; we suggest <code>2y</code> (2 years).</p>
a6ffc443 299<p>Follow the prompts to continue setting up with your personal details.</p>
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300<p class="notes"> Depending on your version of GPG, you may need to use
301<code>--gen-key</code> instead of <code>--full-generate-key</code>&#65279;.</p>
a6ffc443 302
df371bd3 303<h4>Set your passphrase</h4>
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304<p>On the screen titled "Passphrase," pick a strong password! You can
305do it manually, or you can use the Diceware method. Doing it manually
306is faster but not as secure. Using Diceware takes longer and requires
307dice, but creates a password that is much harder for attackers to figure
308out. To use it, read the section "Make a secure passphrase with Diceware" in <a
309href="https://theintercept.com/2015/03/26/passphrases-can-memorize-attackers-cant-guess/">
310this article</a> by Micah Lee.</p>
311
312
313<p>If you'd like to pick a passphrase manually, come up with something
314you can remember which is at least twelve characters long, and includes
315at least one lower case and upper case letter and at least one number or
316punctuation symbol. Never pick a password you've used elsewhere. Don't use
317any recognizable patterns, such as birthdays, telephone numbers, pets' names,
318song lyrics, quotes from books, and so on.</p>
319
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320<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
321<div class="troubleshooting">
322
323<h4>Troubleshooting</h4>
324<dl>
325<dt>GnuPG is not installed</dt>
326<dd>
a062f9ca 327You can check if this is the case with the command <code>gpg --version</code>&#65279;.
98681fc5 328If GnuPG is not installed, it will bring up the following result on most GNU/Linux operating systems, or something like it:
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329<samp>Command 'gpg' not found, but can be installed with:
330 sudo apt install gnupg</samp>. Follow that command and install the program.</dd>
a6ffc443 331
3fbfca2a 332<dt><i>gpg --full-generate-key</i> command not working</dt>
333<dd>Some distributions use a different version of GPG. When you receive an error code that is something along the lines of: <samp>gpg: Invalid option "--full-generate-key"</samp>, you can try the following commands: <br />
84f4c9ad 334<code>sudo apt update</code><br />
335<code>sudo apt install gnupg2</code><br />
3fbfca2a 336<code>gpg2 --full-generate-key</code><br />
337If this resolved the issue, you need to continue to use the gpg2 identifier instead of gpg throughout the following steps of the guide.
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338<p class="notes"> Depending on your version of GPG, you may need to use
339<code>--gen-key</code> instead of <code>--full-generate-key</code>&#65279;.</p>
3fbfca2a 340</dd>
2a32eee9 341
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342<dt>I took too long to create my passphrase</dt>
343<dd>That's okay. It's important to think about your passphrase. When you're ready, just follow the steps from the beginning again to create your key.</dd>
344
345<dt>How can I see my key?</dt>
346<dd>
98681fc5 347Use the following command to see all keys: <code>gpg --list-keys</code>&#65279;. Yours should be listed in there, and later, so will Edward's (<a href="#section3">Section 3</a>).<br />
a062f9ca 348If you want to see only your key, you can use <code>gpg --list-key [your@email]</code>&#65279;.<br />
df371bd3 349You can also use <code>gpg --list-secret-key</code> to see your own private key.</dd>
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350
351<dt>More resources</dt>
352<dd>For more information about this process, you can also refer to <a
353href="https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual/c14.html#AEN25">The GNU Privacy
354Handbook</a>. Make sure you stick with "RSA and RSA" (the default),
355because it's newer and more secure than the algorithms the documentation
a062f9ca 356recommends. Also make sure your key is at least 4096&nbsp;bits if you
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357want to be secure.</dd>
358
359<dt class="feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?</dt>
360<dd class="feedback">Please let us know on the <a
361href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback
362page</a>.</dd>
363</dl>
364
365</div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
366
367<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
368<div class="troubleshooting">
369
370<h4>Advanced</h4>
371<dl>
372<dt>Advanced key pairs</dt>
373<dd>When GnuPG creates a new keypair, it compartmentalizes
374the encryption function from the signing function through <a
375href="https://wiki.debian.org/Subkeys">subkeys</a>. If you use
376subkeys carefully, you can keep your GnuPG identity more
377secure and recover from a compromised key much more quickly. <a
378href="https://alexcabal.com/creating-the-perfect-gpg-keypair/">Alex Cabal</a>
379and <a href="https://keyring.debian.org/creating-key.html">the Debian wiki</a>
380provide good guides for setting up a secure subkey configuration.</dd>
5e3f938b 381</dl>
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382
383</div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
384</div><!-- End .main -->
385</div><!-- End #step-2a .step -->
386
387<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
388<div id="step-2b" class="step">
389<div class="sidebar">
7b371af8 390<p class="large"><img
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391src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step2b-04-upload-and-certificate.png"
392alt="Step 2.B: Send to server and generate a certificate" /></p>
393
394</div><!-- /.sidebar -->
395<div class="main">
396
397<h3><em>Step 2.b</em> Some important steps following creation</h3>
398
df371bd3 399<h4>Upload your key to a keyserver</h4>
a6ffc443 400<p>We will upload your key to a keyserver, so if someone wants to send you an encrypted message, they can download your public key from the Internet. There are multiple keyservers
7168a8d7 401that you can select from the menu when you upload, but they are mostly all copies
402of each other. Any server will work, but it's good to remember which one you uploaded your key to originally. Also keep in mind, sometimes takes a few hours for them to match each other when a new key is uploaded.</p>
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403<p># Copy your keyID: <code>gpg --list-key [your@email]</code> will list your public ("pub") key information, including your keyID, which is a unique list of numbers and letters. Copy this keyID, so you can use it in the following command.</p>
404<p># Upload your key to a server:
405<code>gpg --send-key [keyID]</code></p>
a6ffc443 406
df371bd3 407<h4>Export your key to a file</h4>
00991279 408<p>Use the following command to export your secret key so you can import it into your email client at the next <a href="#section3">step</a>. To avoid getting your key compromised, store this in a safe place, and make sure that if it is transferred, it is done so in a trusted way. Exporting your keys can be done with the following commands:</p>
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409<p><code>
410$ gpg --export-secret-keys -a [keyID] > my_secret_key.asc<br/>
411$ gpg --export -a [keyID] > my_public_key.asc
412</code></p>
a6ffc443 413
df371bd3 414<h4>Generate a revocation certificate</h4>
98681fc5 415<p>Just in case you lose your key, or it gets compromised, you want to generate a certificate and choose to save it in a safe place on your computer for now (please refer to <a href="#step-6c">Step 6.C</a> for how to best store your revocation cerficate safely). This step is essential for your email self-defense, as you'll learn more about in <a href="#section5">Section 5</a>.</p>
a6ffc443 416
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417<p># Copy your keyID: <code>gpg --list-key [your@email]</code> will list your public ("pub") key information, including your keyID, which is a unique list of numbers and letters. Copy this keyID, so you can use it in the following command.</p>
418<p># Generate a revocation certificate: <code>gpg --gen-revoke --output revoke.asc [keyID]</code></p>
419<p># It will prompt you to give a reason for revocation, we recommend to use <samp>1&nbsp;=&nbsp;key has been compromised</samp>.</p>
a062f9ca 420<p># You don't have to fill in a reason, but you can; then press "Enter" for an empty line, and confirm your selection.</p>
a6ffc443 421
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422
423<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
424<div class="troubleshooting">
425
426<h4>Troubleshooting</h4>
427
428<dl>
84f4c9ad 429<dt>Sending my key to the keyserver is not working</dt>
f68b2d75 430<dd>Instead of using the general command to upload your key to the keyserver, you can use a more specific command and add the keyserver to your command <code>gpg --keyserver keys.openpgp.org --send-key [keyID]</code>&#65279;.</dd>
84f4c9ad 431
a6ffc443 432<dt>My key doesn't seem to be working or I get a "permission denied."</dt>
dfee0188 433<dd><p>Like every other file or folder, gpg keys are subject to permissions. If these are not set correctly, your system may not be accepting your keys. You can follow the next steps to check, and update to the right permissions.</p>
a6ffc443 434
df371bd3 435<p># Check your permissions: <code>ls -l ~/.gnupg/*</code></p>
dfee0188 436<p># Set permissions to read, write, execute for only yourself, no others. These are the recommended permissions for your folder. <br/>
df371bd3 437You can use the code: <code>chmod 700 ~/.gnupg</code></p>
dfee0188 438<p># Set permissions to read and write for yourself only, no others. These are the recommended permissions for the keys inside your folder. <br/>
df371bd3 439You can use the code: <code>chmod 600 ~/.gnupg/*</code></p>
a6ffc443 440
dfee0188 441<p class="notes">If you have (for any reason) created your own folders inside ~/.gnupg, you must also additionally apply execute permissions to that folder. Folders require execution privileges to be opened. For more information on permissions, you can check out <a href="https://helpdeskgeek.com/linux-tips/understanding-linux-permissions-chmod-usage/">this detailed information guide</a>.</p>
a6ffc443 442</dd>
84f4c9ad 443
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444<dt class="feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?</dt>
445<dd class="feedback">Please let us know on the <a
446href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback
447page</a>.</dd>
448</dl>
449
450</div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
451
452<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
453<div class="troubleshooting">
454
455<h4>Advanced</h4>
456
457<dl>
458<dt>More about keyservers</dt>
459<dd>You can find some more keyserver information<a
460href="https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual/x457.html"> in this manual</a>. <a
461href="https://sks-keyservers.net/overview-of-pools.php">The sks Web site</a>
462maintains a list of highly interconnected keyservers. You can also <a
463href="https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual/x56.html#AEN64">directly export
464your key</a> as a file on your computer.</dd>
465
466<dt>Transferring your keys</dt>
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467<dd>
468<p>Use the following commands to transfer your keys. To avoid getting your key compromised, store it in a safe place, and make sure that if it is transferred, it is done so in a trusted way. Importing and exporting a key can be done with the following commands:</p>
a6ffc443 469
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470<p><code>
471$ gpg --export-secret-keys -a [keyID] > my_private_key.asc<br />
472$ gpg --export -a [keyID] > my_public_key.asc<br />
473$ gpg --import my_private_key.asc<br />
474$ gpg --import my_public_key.asc
475</code></p>
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476
477<p>Ensure that the keyID printed is the correct one, and if so, then go ahead and add ultimate trust for it:</p>
dfee0188 478
df371bd3 479<p><code>
a6ffc443 480$ gpg --edit-key [your@email]
df371bd3 481</code></p>
a6ffc443 482
99d3c5e1 483<p>Because this is your key, you should choose <code>ultimate</code>&#65279;. You shouldn't trust anyone else's key ultimately.</p>
a6ffc443 484
b9a7f2fa 485<p class="notes"> Refer to <a href="#step-2b">Troubleshooting in Step 2.B</a> for more information on permissions. When transferring keys, your permissions may get mixed, and errors may be prompted. These are easily avoided when your folders and files have the right permissions</p>
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486</dd>
487</dl>
488
489</div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
490</div><!-- End .main -->
491</div><!-- End #step-2b .step -->
492</div></section><!-- End #section2 -->
493
494<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 3: Set up email encryption ~~~~~~~~~ -->
495<section id="section3" class="row"><div>
496
497<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
498<div class="section-intro">
499
500<h2><em>#3</em> Set up email encryption</h2>
5e3f938b 501<p class="notes">The Icedove (or Thunderbird) email program has PGP functionality integrated, which makes it pretty easy to work with. We'll take you through the steps of integrating and using your key in these email clients.</p>
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502
503</div><!-- End .section-intro -->
504
505<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
506<div id="step-3a" class="step">
507<div class="sidebar">
508
7b371af8 509<p class="large"><img src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step3a-open-key-manager.png"
a6ffc443 510alt="Step 3.A: Email Menu" /></p>
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511
512<p class="large"><img src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step3a-import-from-file.png"
a6ffc443 513alt="Step 3.A: Import From File" /></p>
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514
515<p class="large"><img src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step3a-success.png"
a6ffc443 516alt="Step 3.A: Success" /></p>
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517
518<p class="large"><img src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step3a-troubleshoot.png"
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519alt="Step 3.A: Troubleshoot" /></p>
520</div><!-- /.sidebar -->
521<div class="main">
522
523<h3><em>Step 3.a</em> Set up your email with encryption</h3>
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524
525<p>Once you have set up your email with encryption, you can start contributing to encrypted traffic on the Internet. First we'll get your email client to import your secret key, and we will also learn how to get other people's public keys from servers so you can send and receive encrypted email.</p>
a6ffc443 526
685d29d0 527<p># Open your email client and use "Tools" &rarr; <i>OpenPGP Key Manager</i></p>
df371bd3 528<p># Under "File" &rarr; <i>Import Secret Key(s) From File</i></p>
b9a7f2fa 529<p># Select the file you saved under the name [my_secret_key.asc] in <a href="#step-2b">Step 2.B</a> when you exported your key</p>
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530<p># Unlock with your passphrase</p>
531<p># You will receive a "OpenPGP keys successfully imported" window to confirm success</p>
685d29d0 532<p># Go to "Account settings" &rarr; "End-To-End Encryption," and make sure your key is imported and select <i>Treat this key as a Personal Key</i>.</p>
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533
534</div><!-- End .main -->
535
536<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
537<div class="main">
538<div class="troubleshooting">
539<h4>Troubleshooting</h4>
540<dl>
541<dt>I'm not sure the import worked correctly</dt>
542<dd>
a6c4ddc6 543Look for "Account settings" &rarr; "End-To-End Encryption." Here you can see if your personal key associated with this email is found. If it is not, you can try again via the <i>Add key</i> option. Make sure you have the correct, active, secret key file.
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544</dd>
545
546<dt class="feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?</dt>
547<dd class="feedback">Please let us know on the <a
548href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback
549page</a>.</dd>
550</dl>
551
552</div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
553</div><!-- End .main -->
554</div><!-- End #step3-a .step -->
555</div></section><!-- End #section3 -->
556
557<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 4: Try it out ~~~~~~~~~ -->
558<section class="row" id="section4"><div>
559
560<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
561<div class="section-intro">
562
563<h2><em>#4</em> Try it out!</h2>
7b371af8 564<p class="float small"><img src="../static/img/en/screenshots/section3-try-it-out.png" alt="Illustration of a person in a house with a cat connected to a server"/></p>
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565<p>Now you'll try a test correspondence with an FSF computer program named Edward,
566who knows how to use encryption. Except where noted, these are the same
567steps you'd follow when corresponding with a real, live person.</p>
568
569<!-- <p>NOTE: Edward is currently having some technical difficulties, so he
570may take a long time to respond, or not respond at all. We're sorry about
571this and we're working hard to fix it. Your key will still work even without
572testing with Edward.</p> -->
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573
574<div style="clear: both"></div>
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575</div><!-- End .section-intro -->
576
577<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
578<div id="step-4a" class="step">
579<div class="sidebar">
580
7b371af8 581<p class="large"><img
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582src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step4a-send-key-to-Edward.png"
583alt="Step 4.A Send key to Edward." /></p>
584
585</div><!-- /.sidebar -->
586<div class="main">
587
588<h3><em>Step 4.a</em> Send Edward your public key</h3>
589
590<p>This is a special step that you won't have to do when corresponding
591with real people. In your email program's menu, go to "Tools" &rarr; "OpenPGP Key
592Manager." You should see your key in the list that pops up. Right click
df371bd3 593on your key and select <i>Send Public Keys by Email</i>. This will create a new draft message, as if you had just hit the "Write" button, but in the attachment you will find your public keyfile.</p>
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594
595<p>Address the message to <a
596href="mailto:edward-en@fsf.org">edward-en@fsf.org</a>. Put at least one word
597(whatever you want) in the subject and body of the email. Don't send yet.</p>
598
df371bd3 599<p>We want Edward to be able to open the email with your keyfile, so we want this first special message to be unencrypted. Make sure encryption is turned off by using the dropdown menu "Security" and select <i>Do Not Encrypt</i>. Once encryption is off, hit Send.</p>
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600
601<p class="notes">It may take two or three minutes for Edward to
602respond. In the meantime, you might want to skip ahead and check out the <a
603href="#section6">Use it Well</a> section of this guide. Once you have received a response,
604head to the next step. From here on, you'll be doing just the same thing as
605when corresponding with a real person.</p>
606
607<p>When you open Edward's reply, GnuPG may prompt you for your passphrase
608before using your private key to decrypt it.</p>
609
610</div><!-- End .main -->
611</div><!-- End #step-4a .step -->
612
613<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
614<div id="step-4b" class="step">
615<div class="sidebar">
616
7b371af8 617<p class="large"><img
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618src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step4b-option1-verify-key.png"
619alt="Step 4.B Option 1. Verify key" /></p>
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620
621<p class="large"><img
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622src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step4b-option2-import-key.png"
623alt="Step 4.B Option 2. Import key" /></p>
624</div><!-- /.sidebar -->
625
626<div class="main">
627
628<h3><em>Step 4.b</em> Send a test encrypted email</h3>
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629
630<h4>Get Edward's key</h4>
631
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632<p>To encrypt an email to Edward, you need its public key, so now you'll have
633to download it from a keyserver. You can do this in two different ways:</p>
a6c4ddc6 634<p><strong>Option 1.</strong> In the email answer you received from Edward as a response to your first email, Edward's public key was included. On the right of the email, just above the writing area, you will find an "OpenPGP" button that has a lock and a little wheel next to it. Click that, and select <i>Discover</i> next to the text: "This message was signed with a key that you don't yet have." A popup with Edward's key details will follow.</p>
a6ffc443 635
685d29d0 636<p><strong>Option 2.</strong> Open your OpenPGP Key manager, and under "Keyserver" choose <i>Discover Keys Online</i>. Here, fill in Edward's email address, and import Edward's key.</p>
a6ffc443 637
df371bd3 638<p>The option <i>Accepted (unverified)</i> will add this key to your key manager, and now it can be used to send encrypted emails and to verify digital signatures from Edward.</p>
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639
640<p class="notes">In the popup window confirming if you want to import Edward's key, you'll see many different emails that are all associated with its key. This is correct; you can safely import the key.</p>
641
642<p class="notes">Since you encrypted this email with Edward's public key,
643Edward's private key is required to decrypt it. Edward is the only one with
644its private key, so no one except Edward can decrypt it.</p>
645
df371bd3 646<h4>Send Edward an encrypted email</h4>
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647
648<p> Write a new email in your email program, addressed to <a
649href="mailto:edward-en@fsf.org">edward-en@fsf.org</a>. Make the subject
650"Encryption test" or something similar and write something in the body.</p>
651
df371bd3 652<p>This time, make sure encryption is turned on by using the dropdown menu "Security" and select <i>Require Encryption</i>. Once encryption is on, hit Send.</p>
a6ffc443 653
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654
655<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
656<div class="troubleshooting">
657
658<h4>Troubleshooting</h4>
659
660<dl>
661<dt>"Recipients not valid, not trusted or not found"</dt>
05d7f3ed 662<dd>You could get the above error message, or something along these lines: "Unable to send this message with end-to-end encryption, because there are problems with the keys of the following recipients: ..." In these cases, you may be trying to send an encrypted email to someone when you do not have their public key yet. Make sure you follow the steps above to import the key to your key manager. Open the OpenPGP Key Manager to make sure the recipient is listed there.</dd>
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663
664<dt>Unable to send message</dt>
df371bd3 665<dd>You could get the following message when trying to send your encrypted email: "Unable to send this message with end-to-end encryption, because there are problems with the keys of the following recipients: edward-en@fsf.org." This usually means you imported the key with the "unaccepted (unverified) option." Go to the "key properties" of this key by right clicking on the key in the OpenPGP Key Manager, and select the option <i>Yes, but I have not verified that this is the correct key</i> in the "Acceptance" option at the bottom of this window. Resend the email.</dd>
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666
667<dt>I can't find Edward's key</dt>
668<dd>Close the pop-ups that have appeared since you clicked Send. Make sure
05d7f3ed 669you are connected to the Internet and try again. If that doesn't work, you can download the key manually from <a href="https://keys.openpgp.org/search?q=edward-en%40fsf.org">the keyserver</a>, and import it by using the <i>Import Public Key(s) from File</i> option in the OpenPGP Key Manager.</dd>
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670
671<dt>Unscrambled messages in the Sent folder</dt>
672<dd>Even though you can't decrypt messages encrypted to someone else's key,
673your email program will automatically save a copy encrypted to your public key,
674which you'll be able to view from the Sent folder like a normal email. This
675is normal, and it doesn't mean that your email was not sent encrypted.</dd>
676
677<dt class="feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?</dt>
678<dd class="feedback">Please let us know on the <a
679href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback
680page</a>.</dd>
681</dl>
682
683</div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
684
685<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
686<div class="troubleshooting">
687
688<h4>Advanced</h4>
689
690<dl>
691<dt>Encrypt messages from the command line</dt>
692<dd>You can also encrypt and decrypt messages and files from the <a
693href="https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual/x110.html">command line</a>,
694if that's your preference. The option --armor makes the encrypted output
695appear in the regular character set.</dd>
696</dl>
697
698</div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
699</div><!-- End .main -->
700</div><!-- End #step-4b .step -->
701
702<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
703<div id="step-headers_unencrypted" class="step">
704<div class="main">
705
706<h3><em>Important:</em> Security tips</h3>
707
708<p>Even if you encrypt your email, the subject line is not encrypted, so
709don't put private information there. The sending and receiving addresses
710aren't encrypted either, so a surveillance system can still figure out who
711you're communicating with. Also, surveillance agents will know that you're
712using GnuPG, even if they can't figure out what you're saying. When you
713send attachments, you can choose to encrypt them or not,
714independent of the actual email.</p>
715
716<p>For greater security against potential attacks, you can turn off
717HTML. Instead, you can render the message body as plain text. In order
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718to do this in Icedove or Thunderbird, go to "View" &rarr; "Message Body As" &rarr; <i>Plain
719Text</i>.</p>
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720
721</div><!-- End .main -->
722</div><!-- End #step-headers_unencrypted .step-->
723
724<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
725<div id="step-4c" class="step">
726<div class="sidebar">
727
7b371af8 728<p class="large"><img
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729src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step4c-Edward-response.png"
730alt="Step 4.C Edward's response" /></p>
731
732</div><!-- /.sidebar -->
733
734<div class="main">
735
736<h3><em>Step 4.c</em> Receive a response</h3>
737
738<p>When Edward receives your email, it will use its private key to decrypt
739it, then reply to you. </p>
740
741<p class="notes">It may take two or three minutes for Edward to
742respond. In the meantime, you might want to skip ahead and check out the <a
743href="#section6">Use it Well</a> section of this guide.</p>
744
8df3fe60 745<p>Edward will send you an encrypted email back saying your email was received and decrypted. Your email client will automatically decrypt Edward's message.</p>
a6ffc443 746
2a2a4521 747<p class="notes">The OpenPGP button in the email will show a little green checkmark over the lock symbol to show the message is encrypted, and a little orange warning sign which means that you have accepted the key, but not verified it. When you have not yet accepted the key, you will see a little question mark there. Clicking the prompts in this button will lead you to key properties as well.</p>
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748
749</div><!-- End .main -->
750</div><!-- End #step-4c .step -->
751
752<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
753<div id="step-4d" class="step">
754<div class="main">
755
756<h3><em>Step 4.d</em> Send a signed test email</h3>
757
758<p>GnuPG includes a way for you to sign messages and files, verifying that
759they came from you and that they weren't tampered with along the way. These
760signatures are stronger than their pen-and-paper cousins -- they're impossible
761to forge, because they're impossible to create without your private key
762(another reason to keep your private key safe).</p>
763
764<p>You can sign messages to anyone, so it's a great way to make people
765aware that you use GnuPG and that they can communicate with you securely. If
766they don't have GnuPG, they will be able to read your message and see your
767signature. If they do have GnuPG, they'll also be able to verify that your
768signature is authentic.</p>
769
770<p>To sign an email to Edward, compose any message to the email address and click the
771pencil icon next to the lock icon so that it turns gold. If you sign a
772message, GnuPG may ask you for your password before it sends the message,
773because it needs to unlock your private key for signing.</p>
774
df371bd3 775<p>In "Account Settings" &rarr; "End-To-End-Encryption" you can opt to <i>add digital signature by default</i>.</p>
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776
777</div><!-- End .main -->
778</div><!-- End #step-4d .step -->
779
780<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
781<div id="step-4e" class="step">
782<div class="main">
783
784<h3><em>Step 4.e</em> Receive a response</h3>
785
786<p>When Edward receives your email, he will use your public key (which
787you sent him in <a href="#step-3a">Step 3.A</a>) to verify the message
788you sent has not been tampered with and to encrypt a reply to you.</p>
789
790<p class="notes">It may take two or three minutes for Edward to
791respond. In the meantime, you might want to skip ahead and check out the <a
792href="#section6">Use it Well</a> section of this guide.</p>
793
794<p>Edward's reply will arrive encrypted, because he prefers to use encryption
795whenever possible. If everything goes according to plan, it should say
796"Your signature was verified." If your test signed email was also encrypted,
797he will mention that first.</p>
798
799<p>When you receive Edward's email and open it, your email client will
800automatically detect that it is encrypted with your public key, and
801then it will use your private key to decrypt it.</p>
802
803</div><!-- End .main -->
804</div><!-- End #step-4e .step -->
805</div></section>
806
807<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 5: Learn About the Web of Trust ~~~~~~~~~ -->
808<section class="row" id="section5"><div>
809
810<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
811<div class="section-intro">
812
813<h2><em>#5</em> Learn about the Web of Trust</h2>
7b371af8 814<p class="float small"><img src="../static/img/en/screenshots/section5-web-of-trust.png" alt="Illustration of keys all interconnected with a web of lines"/></p>
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815
816<p>Email encryption is a powerful technology, but it has a weakness:
817it requires a way to verify that a person's public key is actually
818theirs. Otherwise, there would be no way to stop an attacker from making
819an email address with your friend's name, creating keys to go with it, and
820impersonating your friend. That's why the free software programmers that
821developed email encryption created keysigning and the Web of Trust.</p>
822
823<p>When you sign someone's key, you are publicly saying that you've verified
824that it belongs to them and not someone else.</p>
825
826<p>Signing keys and signing messages use the same type of mathematical
827operation, but they carry very different implications. It's a good practice
828to generally sign your email, but if you casually sign people's keys, you
b8ee01bf 829may accidentally end up vouching for the identity of an imposter.</p>
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830
831<p>People who use your public key can see who has signed it. Once you've
832used GnuPG for a long time, your key may have hundreds of signatures. You
833can consider a key to be more trustworthy if it has many signatures from
834people that you trust. The Web of Trust is a constellation of GnuPG users,
835connected to each other by chains of trust expressed through signatures.</p>
836
837</div><!-- End .section-intro -->
838
839<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
840<div id="step-5a" class="step">
841<div class="sidebar">
842
7b371af8 843<p class="large"><img
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844src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step5a-key-properties.png"
845alt="Section 5: trusting a key" /></p>
846
847</div><!-- /.sidebar -->
848<div class="main">
849
850<h3><em>Step 5.a</em> Sign a key</h3>
851
df371bd3 852<p>In your email program's menu, go to OpenPGP Key Manager and select <i>Key properties</i> by right clicking on Edward's key.</p>
a6ffc443 853
df371bd3 854<p>Under "Your Acceptance," you can select <i>Yes, I've verified in person this key has the correct fingerprint"</i>.</p>
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855
856<p class="notes">You've just effectively said "I trust that Edward's public
857key actually belongs to Edward." This doesn't mean much because Edward isn't
858a real person, but it's good practice, and for real people it is important. You can read more about signing a person's key in the <a href="#check-ids-before-signing">check IDs before signing</a> section.</p>
859
860<!--<div id="pgp-pathfinder">
861
862<form enctype="application/x-www-form-urlencoded" action="/mk_path.cgi"
863method="get">
864
865<p><strong>From:</strong><input type="text" value="xD41A008"
866name="FROM"></p>
867
868<p><strong>To:</strong><input type="text" value="50BD01x4" name="TO"></p>
869
870<p class="buttons"><input type="submit" value="trust paths" name="PATHS"><input
871type="reset" value="reset" name=".reset"></p>
872
873</form>
874
875</div>End #pgp-pathfinder -->
876</div><!-- End .main -->
877</div><!-- End #step-5a .step -->
878
879<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
880<div id="step-identify_keys" class="step">
881<div class="main">
882
883<h3>Identifying keys: Fingerprints and IDs</h3>
884
885<p>People's public keys are usually identified by their key fingerprint,
886which is a string of digits like F357AA1A5B1FA42CFD9FE52A9FF2194CC09A61E8
887(for Edward's key). You can see the fingerprint for your public key, and
888other public keys saved on your computer, by going to OpenPGP Key
889Management in your email program's menu, then right clicking on the key
890and choosing Key Properties. It's good practice to share your fingerprint
891wherever you share your email address, so that people can double-check that
892they have the correct public key when they download yours from a keyserver.</p>
893
894<p class="notes">You may also see public keys referred to by a shorter
895keyID. This keyID is visible directly from the Key Management
896window. These eight character keyIDs were previously used for
897identification, which used to be safe, but is no longer reliable. You
898need to check the full fingerprint as part of verifying you have the
899correct key for the person you are trying to contact. Spoofing, in
900which someone intentionally generates a key with a fingerprint whose
901final eight characters are the same as another, is unfortunately
902common.</p>
903
904</div><!-- End .main -->
905</div><!-- End #step-identify_keys .step-->
906
907<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
908<div id="check-ids-before-signing" class="step">
909<div class="main">
910
911<h3><em>Important:</em> What to consider when signing keys</h3>
912
913<p>Before signing a person's key, you need to be confident that it actually
914belongs to them, and that they are who they say they are. Ideally, this
915confidence comes from having interactions and conversations with them over
916time, and witnessing interactions between them and others. Whenever signing
917a key, ask to see the full public key fingerprint, and not just the shorter
918keyID. If you feel it's important to sign the key of someone you've just
919met, also ask them to show you their government identification, and make
920sure the name on the ID matches the name on the public key.</p>
921
922<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
923<div class="troubleshooting">
924
925<h4>Advanced</h4>
926
927<dl>
928<dt>Master the Web of Trust</dt>
929<dd>Unfortunately, trust does not spread between users the way <a
930href="https://fennetic.net/irc/finney.org/~hal/web_of_trust.html">many people
931think</a>. One of the best ways to strengthen the GnuPG community is to deeply <a
932href="https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual/x334.html">understand</a> the Web of
933Trust and to carefully sign as many people's keys as circumstances permit.</dd>
934</dl>
935
936</div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
937</div><!-- End .main -->
938</div><!-- End #check-ids-before-signing .step-->
939</div></section><!-- End #section5 -->
940
941<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 6: Use it well ~~~~~~~~~ -->
942<section id="section6" class="row"><div>
943
944<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
945<div class="section-intro">
946
947<h2><em>#6</em> Use it well</h2>
948
949<p>Everyone uses GnuPG a little differently, but it's important to follow
950some basic practices to keep your email secure. Not following them, you
951risk the privacy of the people you communicate with, as well as your own,
952and damage the Web of Trust.</p>
953
954</div><!-- End .section-intro -->
955
956<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
957<div id="step-6a" class="step">
958<div class="sidebar">
959
7b371af8 960<p class="medium"><img
a6ffc443
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961src="../static/img/en/screenshots/section6-01-use-it-well.png"
962alt="Section 6: Use it Well (1)" /></p>
963
964</div><!-- /.sidebar -->
965<div class="main">
966
967<h3>When should I encrypt? When should I sign?</h3>
968
969<p>The more you can encrypt your messages, the better. If you only encrypt
970emails occasionally, each encrypted message could raise a red flag for
971surveillance systems. If all or most of your email is encrypted, people
972doing surveillance won't know where to start. That's not to say that only
973encrypting some of your email isn't helpful -- it's a great start and it
974makes bulk surveillance more difficult.</p>
975
976<p>Unless you don't want to reveal your own identity (which requires other
977protective measures), there's no reason not to sign every message, whether or
978not you are encrypting. In addition to allowing those with GnuPG to verify
979that the message came from you, signing is a non-intrusive way to remind
980everyone that you use GnuPG and show support for secure communication. If you
981often send signed messages to people that aren't familiar with GnuPG, it's
982nice to also include a link to this guide in your standard email signature
983(the text kind, not the cryptographic kind).</p>
984
985</div><!-- End .main -->
986</div><!-- End #step-6a .step -->
987
988<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
989<div id="step-6b" class="step">
990<div class="sidebar">
991
7b371af8 992<p class="medium"><img
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993src="../static/img/en/screenshots/section6-02-use-it-well.png"
994alt="Section 6: Use it Well (2)" /></p>
995
996</div><!-- /.sidebar -->
997<div class="main">
998
999<h3>Be wary of invalid keys</h3>
1000
1001<p>GnuPG makes email safer, but it's still important to watch out for invalid
1002keys, which might have fallen into the wrong hands. Email encrypted with
1003invalid keys might be readable by surveillance programs.</p>
1004
1005<p>In your email program, go back to the first encrypted email that Edward
1006sent you. Because Edward encrypted it with your public key, it will have a
1007green checkmark a at the top "OpenPGP" button.</p>
1008
df371bd3 1009<p><strong>When using GnuPG, make a habit of glancing at that button. The program
a6ffc443 1010will warn you there if you get an email signed with a key that can't
df371bd3 1011be trusted.</strong></p>
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1012
1013</div><!-- End .main -->
1014</div><!-- End #step-6b .step -->
1015
1016<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1017<div id="step-6c" class="step">
1018<div class="main">
1019
1020<h3>Copy your revocation certificate to somewhere safe</h3>
1021
1022<p>Remember when you created your keys and saved the revocation certificate
1023that GnuPG made? It's time to copy that certificate onto the safest storage that you have -- a flash drive, disk, or hard drive stored in a safe place in your home could work, not on a device you carry with you regularly. The safest way we know is actually to print the revocation certificate and store it in a safe place.</p>
1024
1025<p>If your private key ever gets lost or stolen, you'll need this certificate
1026file to let people know that you are no longer using that keypair.</p>
1027
1028</div><!-- End .main -->
1029</div><!-- End #step-6c .step -->
1030
1031<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1032<div id="step-lost_key" class="step">
1033<div class="main">
1034
1035<h3><em>IMPORTANT:</em> ACT SWIFTLY if someone gets your private key</h3>
1036
1037<p>If you lose your private key or someone else gets a hold
1038of it (say, by stealing or cracking your computer), it's
1039important to revoke it immediately before someone else uses
1040it to read your encrypted email or forge your signature. This
1041guide doesn't cover how to revoke a key, but you can follow these <a
1042href="https://www.hackdiary.com/2004/01/18/revoking-a-gpg-key/">instructions</a>.
1043After you're done revoking, make a new key and send an email to everyone
1044with whom you usually use your key to make sure they know, including a copy
1045of your new key.</p>
1046
1047</div><!-- End .main -->
1048</div><!-- End #step-lost_key .step-->
1049
1050<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1051<div id="webmail-and-GnuPG" class="step">
1052<div class="main">
1053
1054<h3>Webmail and GnuPG</h3>
1055
1056<p>When you use a web browser to access your email, you're using webmail,
1057an email program stored on a distant website. Unlike webmail, your desktop
1058email program runs on your own computer. Although webmail can't decrypt
1059encrypted email, it will still display it in its encrypted form. If you
1060primarily use webmail, you'll know to open your email client when you receive
1061a scrambled email.</p>
1062
1063</div><!-- End .main -->
1064</div><!-- End #webmail-and-GnuPG .step-->
1065
1066<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1067<div id="step-6d" class="step">
1068<div class="main">
1069
1070<h3>Make your public key part of your online identity</h3>
1071
1072<p> First add your public key fingerprint to your email signature, then
1073compose an email to at least five of your friends, telling them you just
1074set up GnuPG and mentioning your public key fingerprint. Link to this guide
1075and ask them to join you. Don't forget that there's also an awesome <a
1076href="infographic.html">infographic to share.</a></p>
1077
1078<p class="notes">Start writing your public key fingerprint anywhere someone
1079would see your email address: your social media profiles, blog, Website,
1080or business card. (At the Free Software Foundation, we put ours on our
1081<a href="https://fsf.org/about/staff">staff page</a>.) We need to get our
1082culture to the point that we feel like something is missing when we see an
1083email address without a public key fingerprint.</p>
1084
1085</div><!-- End .main-->
1086</div><!-- End #step-6d .step-->
1087</div></section><!-- End #section6 -->
1088
1089<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 7: Next steps ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1090<section class="row" id="section7">
1091<div id="step-click_here" class="step">
1092<div class="main">
1093
1094<h2><a href="next_steps.html">Great job! Check out the next steps.</a></h2>
1095
1096</div><!-- End .main -->
1097</div><!-- End #step-click_here .step-->
1098</section><!-- End #section7 -->
1099
1100<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ FAQ ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1101<!-- When un-commenting this section go to main.css and search
1102for /* Guide Sections Background */ then add #faq to the desired color
1103<section class="row" id="faq"><div>
1104<div class="sidebar">
1105
1106<h2>FAQ</h2>
1107
1108</div>
1109<div class="main">
1110
1111<dl>
1112<dt>My key expired</dt>
1113<dd>Answer coming soon.</dd>
1114
1115<dt>Who can read encrypted messages? Who can read signed ones?</dt>
1116<dd>Answer coming soon.</dd>
1117
1118<dt>My email program is opening at times I don't want it to open/is now my
1119default program and I don't want it to be.</dt>
1120<dd>Answer coming soon.</dd>
1121</dl>
1122
1123</div>
1124</div>
1125</section> --><!-- End #faq -->
1126
1127<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Footer ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1128<footer class="row" id="footer"><div>
1129<div id="copyright">
1130
1131<h4><a href="https://u.fsf.org/ys"><img
1132alt="Free Software Foundation"
1133src="../static/img/fsf-logo.png" /></a></h4>
1134
1135<p>Copyright &copy; 2014-2021 <a
1136href="https://u.fsf.org/ys">Free Software Foundation</a>, Inc. <a
1137href="https://my.fsf.org/donate/privacypolicy.html">Privacy Policy</a>. Please
1138support our work by <a href="https://u.fsf.org/yr">joining us as an associate
1139member.</a></p>
1140
1141<p>The images on this page are under a <a
1142href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">Creative Commons
1143Attribution 4.0 license (or later version)</a>, and the rest of it is under
1144a <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0">Creative Commons
1145Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license (or later version)</a>. Download the <a
1146href="https://agpl.fsf.org/emailselfdefense.fsf.org/edward/CURRENT/edward.tar.gz">
1147source code of Edward reply bot</a> by Andrew Engelbrecht
1148&lt;andrew@engelbrecht.io&gt; and Josh Drake &lt;zamnedix@gnu.org&gt;,
1149available under the GNU Affero General Public License. <a
1150href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html#OtherLicenses">Why these
1151licenses?</a></p>
1152
1153<p>Fonts used in the guide &amp; infographic: <a
1154href="https://www.google.com/fonts/specimen/Dosis">Dosis</a> by Pablo
1155Impallari, <a href="https://www.google.com/fonts/specimen/Signika">Signika</a>
1156by Anna Giedry&#347;, <a
1157href="https://www.google.com/fonts/specimen/Archivo+Narrow">Archivo
1158Narrow</a> by Omnibus-Type, <a
1159href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Graphics_Howto#Pitfalls">PXL-2000</a>
1160by Florian Cramer.</p>
1161
1162<p>Download the <a href="emailselfdefense_source.zip">source package</a>
1163for this guide, including fonts, image source files and the text of Edward's
1164messages.</p>
1165
1166<p>This site uses the Weblabels standard for labeling <a
1167href="https://www.fsf.org/campaigns/freejs">free JavaScript</a>. View
1168the JavaScript <a href="https://weblabels.fsf.org/emailselfdefense.fsf.org/"
1169rel="jslicense">source code and license information</a>.</p>
1170
1171</div><!-- /#copyright -->
1172
1173<p class="credits">Infographic and guide design by <a rel="external"
1174href="https://jplusplus.org"><strong>Journalism++</strong><img
1175src="static/img/jplusplus.png"
1176alt="Journalism++" /></a></p><!-- /.credits -->
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