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252 <i class=
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254 <h2>Join us and make an impact!
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261 Our associate members are the heart of the FSF's commitment to a society where software respects our freedom and dignity. Every individual that takes a stand will help us reach our goal to welcome
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416 <!-- end fsf-modal-window-elem campaign element -->
418 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ GnuPG Header and introduction text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
419 <header class=
"row" id=
"header"><div>
421 <h1>Email Self-Defense
</h1>
423 <!-- Language list for browsers that do not have JS enabled -->
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425 <li><a class=
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442 <strong><span style=
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445 <ul id=
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446 <li class=
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447 <li><a href=
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448 <li><a href=
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449 <li class=
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"workshops.html">Teach your friends
</a></li>
450 <li class=
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451 href=
"https://fsf.org/share?u=https://u.fsf.org/zb&t=Email encryption for everyone via %40fsf">
453 <img src=
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454 alt=
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455 <img src=
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456 alt=
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457 <img src=
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458 alt=
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459 <img src=
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"share-logo"
460 alt=
"[Hacker News]" /></a></li>
463 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ FSF Introduction ~~~~~~~~~ -->
466 <h3><a href=
"http://u.fsf.org/ys"><img
467 alt=
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468 src=
"//static.fsf.org/nosvn/enc-dev0/img/fsf-logo.png" />
471 <div class=
"fsf-emphasis">
473 <p>We fight for computer users' rights, and promote the development of free (as
474 in freedom) software. Resisting bulk surveillance is very important to us.
</p>
476 <p><strong>Please donate to support Email Self-Defense. We need to keep
477 improving it, and making more materials, for the benefit of people around
478 the world taking the first step towards protecting their privacy.
</strong></p>
483 href=
"https://crm.fsf.org/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=14&pk_campaign=email_self_defense&pk_kwd=guide_donate"><img
485 src=
"//static.fsf.org/nosvn/enc-dev0/img/en/donate.png" /></a></p>
487 </div><!-- End #fsf-intro -->
489 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Guide Introduction ~~~~~~~~~ -->
492 <p><a id=
"infographic" href=
"infographic.html"><img
493 src=
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494 alt=
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495 Bulk surveillance violates our fundamental rights and makes free speech
496 risky. This guide will teach you a basic surveillance self-defense skill: email
497 encryption. Once you've finished, you'll be able to send and receive emails
498 that are scrambled to make sure a surveillance agent or thief intercepting
499 your email can't read them. All you need is a computer with an Internet
500 connection, an email account, and about forty minutes.
</p>
502 <p>Even if you have nothing to hide, using encryption helps protect the privacy
503 of people you communicate with, and makes life difficult for bulk surveillance
504 systems. If you do have something important to hide, you're in good company;
505 these are the same tools that whistleblowers use to protect their identities
506 while shining light on human rights abuses, corruption and other crimes.
</p>
508 <p>In addition to using encryption, standing up
509 to surveillance requires fighting politically for a
<a
510 href=
"http://gnu.org/philosophy/surveillance-vs-democracy.html">reduction
511 in the amount of data collected on us
</a>, but the essential first step is
512 to protect yourself and make surveillance of your communication as difficult
513 as possible. This guide helps you do that. It is designed for beginners, but
514 if you already know the basics of GnuPG or are an experienced free software
515 user, you'll enjoy the advanced tips and the
<a href=
"workshops.html">guide
516 to teaching your friends
</a>.
</p>
518 </div><!-- End .intro -->
519 </div></header><!-- End #header -->
521 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 1: Get the pieces ~~~~~~~~~ -->
522 <section class=
"row" id=
"section1"><div>
524 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
525 <div class=
"section-intro">
527 <h2><em>#
1</em> Get the pieces
</h2>
529 <p class=
"notes">This guide relies on software which is
<a
530 href=
"https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html">freely licensed
</a>;
531 it's completely transparent and anyone can copy it or make their
532 own version. This makes it safer from surveillance than proprietary
533 software (like Windows). Learn more about free software at
<a
534 href=
"https://u.fsf.org/ys">fsf.org
</a>.
</p>
536 <p>Most GNU/Linux operating systems come with GnuPG installed on them,
537 so you don't have to download it. Before configuring GnuPG though, you'll
538 need the IceDove desktop email program installed on your computer. Most
539 GNU/Linux distributions have IceDove installed already, though it may be
540 under the alternate name
"Thunderbird." Email programs are another way to
541 access the same email accounts you can access in a browser (like Gmail),
542 but provide extra features.
</p>
544 <p>If you already have an email program, you can skip to
<a
545 href=
"#step-1b">Step
1.b
</a>.
</p>
547 </div><!-- End .section-intro -->
549 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
550 <div id=
"step-1a" class=
"step">
551 <div class=
"sidebar">
554 src=
"//static.fsf.org/nosvn/enc-dev0/img/en/screenshots/step1a-install-wizard.png"
555 alt=
"Step 1.A: Install Wizard" /></p>
557 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
560 <h3><em>Step
1.a
</em> Set up your email program with your email account
</h3>
562 <p>Open your email program and follow the wizard (step-by-step walkthrough)
563 that sets it up with your email account.
</p>
565 <p>Look for the letters SSL, TLS, or STARTTLS to the right of the servers
566 when you're setting up your account. If you don't see them, you will still
567 be able to use encryption, but this means that the people running your email
568 system are running behind the industry standard in protecting your security
569 and privacy. We recommend that you send them a friendly email asking them
570 to enable SSL, TLS, or STARTTLS for your email server. They will know what
571 you're talking about, so it's worth making the request even if you aren't
572 an expert on these security systems.
</p>
574 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
575 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
577 <h4>Troubleshooting
</h4>
580 <dt>The wizard doesn't launch
</dt>
581 <dd>You can launch the wizard yourself, but the menu option for doing so is
582 named differently in each email program. The button to launch it will be in
583 the program's main menu, under
"New" or something similar, titled something
584 like
"Add account" or
"New/Existing email account."</dd>
586 <dt>The wizard can't find my account or isn't downloading my mail
</dt>
587 <dd>Before searching the Web, we recommend you start by asking other people
588 who use your email system, to figure out the correct settings.
</dd>
590 <dt class=
"feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?
</dt>
591 <dd class=
"feedback">Please let us know on the
<a
592 href=
"https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback
596 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
597 </div><!-- End .main -->
598 </div><!-- End #step1-a .step -->
600 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
601 <div id=
"step-1b" class=
"step">
602 <div class=
"sidebar">
604 <li><img src=
"//static.fsf.org/nosvn/enc-dev0/img/en/screenshots/step1b-01-tools-addons.png"
605 alt=
"Step 1.B: Tools -> Add-ons" /></li>
606 <li><img src=
"//static.fsf.org/nosvn/enc-dev0/img/en/screenshots/step1b-02-search.png"
607 alt=
"Step 1.B: Search Add-ons" /></li>
608 <li><img src=
"//static.fsf.org/nosvn/enc-dev0/img/en/screenshots/step1b-03-install.png"
609 alt=
"Step 1.B: Install Add-ons" /></li>
612 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
615 <h3><em>Step
1.b
</em> Install the Enigmail plugin for your email program
</h3>
617 <p>In your email program's menu, select Add-ons (it may be in the Tools
618 section). Make sure Extensions is selected on the left. Do you see Enigmail?
619 Make sure it's the latest version. If so, skip this step.
</p>
621 <p>If not, search
"Enigmail" with the search bar in the upper right. You
622 can take it from here. Restart your email program when you're done.
</p>
624 <p>There are major security flaws in versions of GnuPG prior to
2.2.8, and
625 Enigmail prior to
2.0.7. Make sure you have GnuPG
2.2.8 and Enigmail
2.0.7,
626 or later versions.
</p>
628 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
629 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
631 <h4>Troubleshooting
</h4>
634 <dt>I can't find the menu.
</dt>
635 <dd>In many new email programs, the main menu is represented by an image of
636 three stacked horizontal bars.
</dd>
638 <dt>My email looks weird
</dt>
639 <dd>Enigmail doesn't tend to play nice with HTML, which is used to format
640 emails, so it may disable your HTML formatting automatically. To send an
641 HTML-formatted email without encryption or a signature, hold down the Shift
642 key when you select compose. You can then write an email as if Enigmail
645 <dt class=
"feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?
</dt>
646 <dd class=
"feedback">Please let us know on the
<a
647 href=
"https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback
651 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
652 </div><!-- End .main -->
653 </div><!-- End #step-1b .step -->
654 </div></section><!-- End #section1 -->
656 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 2: Make your keys ~~~~~~~~~ -->
657 <section class=
"row" id=
"section2"><div>
659 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
660 <div class=
"section-intro">
662 <h2><em>#
2</em> Make your keys
</h2>
664 <p>To use the GnuPG system, you'll need a public key and a private key (known
665 together as a keypair). Each is a long string of randomly generated numbers
666 and letters that are unique to you. Your public and private keys are linked
667 together by a special mathematical function.
</p>
669 <p>Your public key isn't like a physical key, because it's stored in the open
670 in an online directory called a keyserver. People download it and use it,
671 along with GnuPG, to encrypt emails they send to you. You can think of the
672 keyserver as a phonebook; people who want to send you encrypted email can
673 look up your public key.
</p>
675 <p>Your private key is more like a physical key, because you keep it to
676 yourself (on your computer). You use GnuPG and your private key together to
677 descramble encrypted emails other people send to you.
<span style=
"font-weight:
678 bold;">You should never share your private key with anyone, under any
679 circumstances.
</span></p>
681 <p>In addition to encryption and decryption, you can also use these keys to
682 sign messages and check the authenticity of other people's signatures. We'll
683 discuss this more in the next section.
</p>
685 </div><!-- End .section-intro -->
687 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
688 <div id=
"step-2a" class=
"step">
689 <div class=
"sidebar">
692 src=
"//static.fsf.org/nosvn/enc-dev0/img/en/screenshots/step2a-01-make-keypair.png"
693 alt=
"Step 2.A: Make a Keypair" /></p>
695 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
698 <h3><em>Step
2.a
</em> Make a keypair
</h3>
700 <p>The Enigmail Setup wizard may start automatically. If it doesn't, select
701 Enigmail
→ Setup Wizard from your email program's menu. You don't need
702 to read the text in the window that pops up unless you'd like to, but it's
703 good to read the text on the later screens of the wizard. Click Next with
704 the default options selected, except in these instances, which are listed
705 in the order they appear:
</p>
708 <li>On the screen titled
"Encryption," select
"Encrypt all of my messages
709 by default, because privacy is critical to me."</li>
711 <li>On the screen titled
"Signing," select
"Don't sign my messages by
714 <li>On the screen titled
"Key Selection," select
"I want to create a new
715 key pair for signing and encrypting my email."</li>
717 <li>On the screen titled
"Create Key," pick a strong password! You can
718 do it manually, or you can use the Diceware method. Doing it manually
719 is faster but not as secure. Using Diceware takes longer and requires
720 dice, but creates a password that is much harder for attackers to figure
721 out. To use it, read the section
"Make a secure passphrase with Diceware" in
<a
722 href=
"https://theintercept.com/2015/03/26/passphrases-can-memorize-attackers-cant-guess/">
723 this article
</a> by Micah Lee.
</li>
726 <p>If you'd like to pick a password manually, come up with something
727 you can remember which is at least twelve characters long, and includes
728 at least one lower case and upper case letter and at least one number or
729 punctuation symbol. Never pick a password you've used elsewhere. Don't use
730 any recognizable patterns, such as birthdays, telephone numbers, pets' names,
731 song lyrics, quotes from books, and so on.
</p>
733 <p class=
"notes">The program will take a little while to finish the next
734 step, the
"Key Creation" screen. While you wait, do something else with your
735 computer, like watching a movie or browsing the Web. The more you use the
736 computer at this point, the faster the key creation will go.
</p>
738 <p><span style=
"font-weight: bold;">When the
"Key Generation Completed" screen
739 pops up, select Generate Certificate and choose to save it in a safe place on
740 your computer (we recommend making a folder called
"Revocation Certificate"
741 in your home folder and keeping it there). This step is essential for your
742 email self-defense, as you'll learn more about in
<a href=
"#section5">Section
745 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
746 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
748 <h4>Troubleshooting
</h4>
751 <dt>I can't find the Enigmail menu.
</dt>
752 <dd>In many new email programs, the main menu is represented by an image
753 of three stacked horizontal bars. Enigmail may be inside a section called
756 <dt>The wizard says that it cannot find GnuPG.
</dt>
757 <dd>Open whatever program you usually use for installing software, and search
758 for GnuPG, then install it. Then restart the Enigmail setup wizard by going
759 to Enigmail
→ Setup Wizard.
</dd>
761 <dt>More resources
</dt>
762 <dd>If you're having trouble with our
763 instructions or just want to learn more, check out
<a
764 href=
"https://www.enigmail.net/documentation/Key_Management#Generating_your_own_key_pair">
765 Enigmail's wiki instructions for key generation
</a>.
</dd>
767 <dt class=
"feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?
</dt>
768 <dd class=
"feedback">Please let us know on the
<a
769 href=
"https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback
773 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
775 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
776 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
781 <dt>Command line key generation
</dt>
782 <dd>If you prefer using the command line for a higher
783 degree of control, you can follow the documentation from
<a
784 href=
"https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual/c14.html#AEN25">The GNU Privacy
785 Handbook
</a>. Make sure you stick with
"RSA and RSA" (the default),
786 because it's newer and more secure than the algorithms the documentation
787 recommends. Also make sure your key is at least
2048 bits, or
4096 if you
788 want to be extra secure.
</dd>
790 <dt>Advanced key pairs
</dt>
791 <dd>When GnuPG creates a new keypair, it compartmentalizes
792 the encryption function from the signing function through
<a
793 href=
"https://wiki.debian.org/Subkeys">subkeys
</a>. If you use
794 subkeys carefully, you can keep your GnuPG identity much more
795 secure and recover from a compromised key much more quickly.
<a
796 href=
"https://alexcabal.com/creating-the-perfect-gpg-keypair/">Alex Cabal
</a>
797 and
<a href=
"http://keyring.debian.org/creating-key.html">the Debian wiki
</a>
798 provide good guides for setting up a secure subkey configuration.
</dd>
801 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
802 </div><!-- End .main -->
803 </div><!-- End #step-2a .step -->
805 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
806 <div id=
"step-2b" class=
"step">
809 <h3><em>Step
2.b
</em> Upload your public key to a keyserver
</h3>
811 <p>In your email program's menu, select Enigmail
→ Key Management.
</p>
813 <p>Right click on your key and select Upload Public Keys to Keyserver. You
814 don't have to use the default keyserver. If, after research, you would like
815 to change to a different default keyserver, you can change that setting
816 manually in the Enigmail preferences.
</p>
818 <p class=
"notes">Now someone who wants to send you an encrypted message can
819 download your public key from the Internet. There are multiple keyservers
820 that you can select from the menu when you upload, but they are all copies
821 of each other, so it doesn't matter which one you use. However, it sometimes
822 takes a few hours for them to match each other when a new key is uploaded.
</p>
824 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
825 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
827 <h4>Troubleshooting
</h4>
830 <dt>The progress bar never finishes
</dt>
831 <dd>Close the upload popup, make sure you are connected to the Internet,
832 and try again. If that doesn't work, try again, selecting a different
835 <dt>My key doesn't appear in the list
</dt>
836 <dd>Try checking
"Display All Keys by Default."</dd>
838 <dt>More documentation
</dt>
839 <dd>If you're having trouble with our
840 instructions or just want to learn more, check out
<a
841 href=
"https://www.enigmail.net/documentation/Key_Management#Distributing_your_public_key">
842 Enigmail's documentation
</a>.
</dd>
844 <dt class=
"feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?
</dt>
845 <dd class=
"feedback">Please let us know on the
<a
846 href=
"https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback
850 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
852 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
853 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
858 <dt>Uploading a key from the command line
</dt>
859 <dd>You can also upload your keys to a keyserver through the
<a
860 href=
"https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual/x457.html">command line
</a>.
<a
861 href=
"https://sks-keyservers.net/overview-of-pools.php">The sks Web site
</a>
862 maintains a list of highly interconnected keyservers. You can also
<a
863 href=
"https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual/x56.html#AEN64">directly export
864 your key
</a> as a file on your computer.
</dd>
867 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
868 </div><!-- End .main -->
869 </div><!-- End #step-2b .step -->
871 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
872 <div id=
"terminology" class=
"step">
875 <h3>GnuPG, OpenPGP, what?
</h3>
877 <p>In general, the terms GnuPG, GPG, GNU Privacy Guard, OpenPGP and PGP
878 are used interchangeably. Technically, OpenPGP (Pretty Good Privacy) is the
879 encryption standard, and GNU Privacy Guard (often shortened to GPG or GnuPG)
880 is the program that implements the standard. Enigmail is a plug-in program
881 for your email program that provides an interface for GnuPG.
</p>
883 </div><!-- End .main -->
884 </div><!-- End #terminology.step-->
885 </div></section><!-- End #section2 -->
887 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 3: Try it out ~~~~~~~~~ -->
888 <section class=
"row" id=
"section3"><div>
890 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
891 <div class=
"section-intro">
893 <h2><em>#
3</em> Try it out!
</h2>
895 <p>Now you'll try a test correspondence with a computer program named Edward,
896 who knows how to use encryption. Except where noted, these are the same
897 steps you'd follow when corresponding with a real, live person.
</p>
899 <!-- <p>NOTE: Edward is currently having some technical difficulties, so he
900 may take a long time to respond, or not respond at all. We're sorry about
901 this and we're working hard to fix it. Your key will still work even without
902 testing with Edward.</p> -->
903 </div><!-- End .section-intro -->
905 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
906 <div id=
"step-3a" class=
"step">
907 <div class=
"sidebar">
910 src=
"//static.fsf.org/nosvn/enc-dev0/img/en/screenshots/section3-try-it-out.png"
911 alt=
"Try it out." /></p>
913 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
916 <h3><em>Step
3.a
</em> Send Edward your public key
</h3>
918 <p>This is a special step that you won't have to do when corresponding
919 with real people. In your email program's menu, go to Enigmail
→ Key
920 Management. You should see your key in the list that pops up. Right click
921 on your key and select Send Public Keys by Email. This will create a new
922 draft message, as if you had just hit the Write button.
</p>
924 <p>Address the message to
<a
925 href=
"mailto:edward-en@fsf.org">edward-en@fsf.org
</a>. Put at least one word
926 (whatever you want) in the subject and body of the email. Don't send yet.
</p>
928 <p>The lock icon in the top left should be yellow, meaning encryption is
929 turned on. We want this first special message to be unencrypted, so
930 click the icon once to turn it off. The lock should become grey, with a
931 blue dot on it (to alert you that the setting has been changed from the
932 default). Once encryption is off, hit Send.
</p>
934 <p class=
"notes">It may take two or three minutes for Edward to
935 respond. In the meantime, you might want to skip ahead and check out the
<a
936 href=
"#section5">Use it Well
</a> section of this guide. Once he's responded,
937 head to the next step. From here on, you'll be doing just the same thing as
938 when corresponding with a real person.
</p>
940 <p>When you open Edward's reply, GnuPG may prompt you for your password
941 before using your private key to decrypt it.
</p>
943 </div><!-- End .main -->
944 </div><!-- End #step-3a .step -->
946 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
947 <div id=
"step-3b" class=
"step">
950 <h3><em>Step
3.b
</em> Send a test encrypted email
</h3>
952 <p>Write a new email in your email program, addressed to
<a
953 href=
"mailto:edward-en@fsf.org">edward-en@fsf.org
</a>. Make the subject
954 "Encryption test" or something similar and write something in the body.
</p>
956 <p>The lock icon in the top left of the window should be yellow, meaning
957 encryption is on. This will be your default from now on.
</p>
959 <p class=
"notes">Next to the lock, you'll notice an icon of a pencil. We'll
960 get to this in a moment.
</p>
962 <p>Click Send. Enigmail will pop up a window that says
"Recipients not valid,
963 not trusted or not found."</p>
965 <p>To encrypt an email to Edward, you need his public key, so now you'll have
966 Enigmail download it from a keyserver. Click Download Missing Keys and use
967 the default in the pop-up that asks you to choose a keyserver. Once it finds
968 keys, check the first one (Key ID starting with C), then select ok. Select
969 ok in the next pop-up.
</p>
971 <p>Now you are back at the
"Recipients not valid, not trusted or not found"
972 screen. Check the box in front of Edward's key and click Send.
</p>
974 <p class=
"notes">Since you encrypted this email with Edward's public key,
975 Edward's private key is required to decrypt it. Edward is the only one with
976 his private key, so no one except him can decrypt it.
</p>
978 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
979 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
981 <h4>Troubleshooting
</h4>
984 <dt>Enigmail can't find Edward's key
</dt>
985 <dd>Close the pop-ups that have appeared since you clicked Send. Make sure
986 you are connected to the Internet and try again. If that doesn't work, repeat
987 the process, choosing a different keyserver when it asks you to pick one.
</dd>
989 <dt>Unscrambled messages in the Sent folder
</dt>
990 <dd>Even though you can't decrypt messages encrypted to someone else's key,
991 your email program will automatically save a copy encrypted to your public key,
992 which you'll be able to view from the Sent folder like a normal email. This
993 is normal, and it doesn't mean that your email was not sent encrypted.
</dd>
995 <dt>More resources
</dt>
996 <dd>If you're still having trouble with our
997 instructions or just want to learn more, check out
<a
998 href=
"https://www.enigmail.net/documentation/Signature_and_Encryption#Encrypting_a_message">
999 Enigmail's wiki
</a>.
</dd>
1001 <dt class=
"feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?
</dt>
1002 <dd class=
"feedback">Please let us know on the
<a
1003 href=
"https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback
1007 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
1009 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1010 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
1015 <dt>Encrypt messages from the command line
</dt>
1016 <dd>You can also encrypt and decrypt messages and files from the
<a
1017 href=
"https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual/x110.html">command line
</a>,
1018 if that's your preference. The option --armor makes the encrypted output
1019 appear in the regular character set.
</dd>
1022 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
1023 </div><!-- End .main -->
1024 </div><!-- End #step-3b .step -->
1026 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1027 <div id=
"step-headers_unencrypted" class=
"step">
1030 <h3><em>Important:
</em> Security tips
</h3>
1032 <p>Even if you encrypt your email, the subject line is not encrypted, so
1033 don't put private information there. The sending and receiving addresses
1034 aren't encrypted either, so a surveillance system can still figure out who
1035 you're communicating with. Also, surveillance agents will know that you're
1036 using GnuPG, even if they can't figure out what you're saying. When you
1037 send attachments, Enigmail will give you the choice to encrypt them or not,
1038 independent of the actual email.
</p>
1040 <p>For greater security against potential attacks, you can turn off
1041 HTML. Instead, you can render the message body as plain text. In order
1042 to do this in Thunderbird, go to View
> Message Body As
> Plain
1045 </div><!-- End .main -->
1046 </div><!-- End #step-headers_unencrypted .step-->
1048 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1049 <div id=
"step-3c" class=
"step">
1052 <h3><em>Step
3.c
</em> Receive a response
</h3>
1054 <p>When Edward receives your email, he will use his private key to decrypt
1055 it, then reply to you.
</p>
1057 <p class=
"notes">It may take two or three minutes for Edward to
1058 respond. In the meantime, you might want to skip ahead and check out the
<a
1059 href=
"#section5">Use it Well
</a> section of this guide.
</p>
1061 </div><!-- End .main -->
1062 </div><!-- End #step-3c .step -->
1064 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1065 <div id=
"step-3d" class=
"step">
1068 <h3><em>Step
3.d
</em> Send a test signed email
</h3>
1070 <p>GnuPG includes a way for you to sign messages and files, verifying that
1071 they came from you and that they weren't tampered with along the way. These
1072 signatures are stronger than their pen-and-paper cousins -- they're impossible
1073 to forge, because they're impossible to create without your private key
1074 (another reason to keep your private key safe).
</p>
1076 <p>You can sign messages to anyone, so it's a great way to make people
1077 aware that you use GnuPG and that they can communicate with you securely. If
1078 they don't have GnuPG, they will be able to read your message and see your
1079 signature. If they do have GnuPG, they'll also be able to verify that your
1080 signature is authentic.
</p>
1082 <p>To sign an email to Edward, compose any message to him and click the
1083 pencil icon next to the lock icon so that it turns gold. If you sign a
1084 message, GnuPG may ask you for your password before it sends the message,
1085 because it needs to unlock your private key for signing.
</p>
1087 <p>With the lock and pencil icons, you can choose whether each message will
1088 be encrypted, signed, both, or neither.
</p>
1093 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1094 <div id=
"step-3e" class=
"step">
1097 <h3><em>Step
3.e
</em> Receive a response
</h3>
1099 <p>When Edward receives your email, he will use your public key (which
1100 you sent him in
<a href=
"#step-3a">Step
3.A
</a>) to verify the message
1101 you sent has not been tampered with and to encrypt his reply to you.
</p>
1103 <p class=
"notes">It may take two or three minutes for Edward to
1104 respond. In the meantime, you might want to skip ahead and check out the
<a
1105 href=
"#section5">Use it Well
</a> section of this guide.
</p>
1107 <p>Edward's reply will arrive encrypted, because he prefers to use encryption
1108 whenever possible. If everything goes according to plan, it should say
1109 "Your signature was verified." If your test signed email was also encrypted,
1110 he will mention that first.
</p>
1112 <p>When you receive Edward's email and open it, Enigmail will
1113 automatically detect that it is encrypted with your public key, and
1114 then it will use your private key to decrypt it.
</p>
1116 <p>Notice the bar that Enigmail shows you above the message, with
1117 information about the status of Edward's key.
</p>
1119 </div><!-- End .main -->
1120 </div><!-- End #step-3e .step -->
1123 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 4: Learn the Web of Trust ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1124 <section class=
"row" id=
"section4"><div>
1126 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1127 <div class=
"section-intro">
1129 <h2><em>#
4</em> Learn the Web of Trust
</h2>
1131 <p>Email encryption is a powerful technology, but it has a weakness;
1132 it requires a way to verify that a person's public key is actually
1133 theirs. Otherwise, there would be no way to stop an attacker from making
1134 an email address with your friend's name, creating keys to go with it and
1135 impersonating your friend. That's why the free software programmers that
1136 developed email encryption created keysigning and the Web of Trust.
</p>
1138 <p>When you sign someone's key, you are publicly saying that you've verified
1139 that it belongs to them and not someone else.
</p>
1141 <p>Signing keys and signing messages use the same type of mathematical
1142 operation, but they carry very different implications. It's a good practice
1143 to generally sign your email, but if you casually sign people's keys, you
1144 may accidently end up vouching for the identity of an imposter.
</p>
1146 <p>People who use your public key can see who has signed it. Once you've
1147 used GnuPG for a long time, your key may have hundreds of signatures. You
1148 can consider a key to be more trustworthy if it has many signatures from
1149 people that you trust. The Web of Trust is a constellation of GnuPG users,
1150 connected to each other by chains of trust expressed through signatures.
</p>
1152 </div><!-- End .section-intro -->
1154 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1155 <div id=
"step-4a" class=
"step">
1156 <div class=
"sidebar">
1159 src=
"//static.fsf.org/nosvn/enc-dev0/img/en/screenshots/section4-web-of-trust.png"
1160 alt=
"Section 4: Web of Trust" /></p>
1162 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
1165 <h3><em>Step
4.a
</em> Sign a key
</h3>
1167 <p>In your email program's menu, go to Enigmail
→ Key Management.
</p>
1169 <p>Right click on Edward's public key and select Sign Key from the context
1172 <p>In the window that pops up, select
"I will not answer" and click ok.
</p>
1174 <p>Now you should be back at the Key Management menu. Select Keyserver
→
1175 Upload Public Keys and hit ok.
</p>
1177 <p class=
"notes">You've just effectively said
"I trust that Edward's public
1178 key actually belongs to Edward." This doesn't mean much because Edward isn't
1179 a real person, but it's good practice.
</p>
1181 <!--<div id="pgp-pathfinder">
1183 <form enctype="application/x-www-form-urlencoded" action="/mk_path.cgi"
1186 <p><strong>From:</strong><input type="text" value="xD41A008"
1189 <p><strong>To:</strong><input type="text" value="50BD01x4" name="TO"></p>
1191 <p class="buttons"><input type="submit" value="trust paths" name="PATHS"><input
1192 type="reset" value="reset" name=".reset"></p>
1196 </div>End #pgp-pathfinder -->
1197 </div><!-- End .main -->
1198 </div><!-- End #step-4a .step -->
1200 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1201 <div id=
"step-identify_keys" class=
"step">
1204 <h3>Identifying keys: Fingerprints and IDs
</h3>
1206 <p>People's public keys are usually identified by their key fingerprint,
1207 which is a string of digits like F357AA1A5B1FA42CFD9FE52A9FF2194CC09A61E8
1208 (for Edward's key). You can see the fingerprint for your public key, and
1209 other public keys saved on your computer, by going to Enigmail
→ Key
1210 Management in your email program's menu, then right clicking on the key
1211 and choosing Key Properties. It's good practice to share your fingerprint
1212 wherever you share your email address, so that people can double-check that
1213 they have the correct public key when they download yours from a keyserver.
</p>
1215 <p class=
"notes">You may also see public keys referred to by a shorter
1216 key ID. This key ID is visible directly from the Key Management
1217 window. These eight character key IDs were previously used for
1218 identification, which used to be safe, but is no longer reliable. You
1219 need to check the full fingerprint as part of verifying you have the
1220 correct key for the person you are trying to contact. Spoofing, in
1221 which someone intentionally generates a key with a fingerprint whose
1222 final eight characters are the same as another, is unfortunately
1225 </div><!-- End .main -->
1226 </div><!-- End #step-identify_keys .step-->
1228 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1229 <div id=
"check-ids-before-signing" class=
"step">
1232 <h3><em>Important:
</em> What to consider when signing keys
</h3>
1234 <p>Before signing a person's key, you need to be confident that it actually
1235 belongs to them, and that they are who they say they are. Ideally, this
1236 confidence comes from having interactions and conversations with them over
1237 time, and witnessing interactions between them and others. Whenever signing
1238 a key, ask to see the full public key fingerprint, and not just the shorter
1239 key ID. If you feel it's important to sign the key of someone you've just
1240 met, also ask them to show you their government identification, and make
1241 sure the name on the ID matches the name on the public key. In Enigmail,
1242 answer honestly in the window that pops up and asks
"How carefully have you
1243 verified that the key you are about to sign actually belongs to the person(s)
1246 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1247 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
1252 <dt>Master the Web of Trust
</dt>
1253 <dd>Unfortunately, trust does not spread between users the way
<a
1254 href=
"http://fennetic.net/irc/finney.org/~hal/web_of_trust.html">many people
1255 think
</a>. One of best ways to strengthen the GnuPG community is to deeply
<a
1256 href=
"https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual/x334.html">understand
</a> the Web of
1257 Trust and to carefully sign as many people's keys as circumstances permit.
</dd>
1259 <dt>Set ownertrust
</dt>
1260 <dd>If you trust someone enough to validate other people's keys, you can assign
1261 them an ownertrust level through Enigmails's key management window. Right
1262 click on the other person's key, go to the
"Select Owner Trust" menu option,
1263 select the trustlevel and click OK. Only do this once you feel you have a
1264 deep understanding of the Web of Trust.
</dd>
1267 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
1268 </div><!-- End .main -->
1269 </div><!-- End #check-ids-before-signing .step-->
1270 </div></section><!-- End #section4 -->
1272 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 5: Use it well ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1273 <section id=
"section5" class=
"row"><div>
1275 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1276 <div class=
"section-intro">
1278 <h2><em>#
5</em> Use it well
</h2>
1280 <p>Everyone uses GnuPG a little differently, but it's important to follow
1281 some basic practices to keep your email secure. Not following them, you
1282 risk the privacy of the people you communicate with, as well as your own,
1283 and damage the Web of Trust.
</p>
1285 </div><!-- End .section-intro -->
1287 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1288 <div id=
"step-5a" class=
"step">
1289 <div class=
"sidebar">
1292 src=
"//static.fsf.org/nosvn/enc-dev0/img/en/screenshots/section5-01-use-it-well.png"
1293 alt=
"Section 5: Use it Well (1)" /></p>
1295 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
1298 <h3>When should I encrypt? When should I sign?
</h3>
1300 <p>The more you can encrypt your messages, the better. If you only encrypt
1301 emails occasionally, each encrypted message could raise a red flag for
1302 surveillance systems. If all or most of your email is encrypted, people
1303 doing surveillance won't know where to start. That's not to say that only
1304 encrypting some of your email isn't helpful -- it's a great start and it
1305 makes bulk surveillance more difficult.
</p>
1307 <p>Unless you don't want to reveal your own identity (which requires other
1308 protective measures), there's no reason not to sign every message, whether or
1309 not you are encrypting. In addition to allowing those with GnuPG to verify
1310 that the message came from you, signing is a non-intrusive way to remind
1311 everyone that you use GnuPG and show support for secure communication. If you
1312 often send signed messages to people that aren't familiar with GnuPG, it's
1313 nice to also include a link to this guide in your standard email signature
1314 (the text kind, not the cryptographic kind).
</p>
1316 </div><!-- End .main -->
1317 </div><!-- End #step-5a .step -->
1319 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1320 <div id=
"step-5b" class=
"step">
1321 <div class=
"sidebar">
1324 src=
"//static.fsf.org/nosvn/enc-dev0/img/en/screenshots/section5-02-use-it-well.png"
1325 alt=
"Section 5: Use it Well (2)" /></p>
1327 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
1330 <h3>Be wary of invalid keys
</h3>
1332 <p>GnuPG makes email safer, but it's still important to watch out for invalid
1333 keys, which might have fallen into the wrong hands. Email encrypted with
1334 invalid keys might be readable by surveillance programs.
</p>
1336 <p>In your email program, go back to the first encrypted email that Edward
1337 sent you. Because Edward encrypted it with your public key, it will have a
1338 message from Enigmail at the top, which most likely says
"Enigmail: Part of
1339 this message encrypted."</p>
1341 <p><b>When using GnuPG, make a habit of glancing at that bar. The program
1342 will warn you there if you get an email signed with a key that can't
1345 </div><!-- End .main -->
1346 </div><!-- End #step-5b .step -->
1348 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1349 <div id=
"step-5c" class=
"step">
1352 <h3>Copy your revocation certificate to somewhere safe
</h3>
1354 <p>Remember when you created your keys and saved the revocation certificate
1355 that GnuPG made? It's time to copy that certificate onto the safest digital
1356 storage that you have -- the ideal thing is a flash drive, disk, or hard
1357 drive stored in a safe place in your home, not on a device you carry with
1360 <p>If your private key ever gets lost or stolen, you'll need this certificate
1361 file to let people know that you are no longer using that keypair.
</p>
1363 </div><!-- End .main -->
1364 </div><!-- End #step-5c .step -->
1366 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1367 <div id=
"step-lost_key" class=
"step">
1370 <h3><em>Important:
</em> act swiftly if someone gets your private key
</h3>
1372 <p>If you lose your private key or someone else gets ahold
1373 of it (say, by stealing or cracking your computer), it's
1374 important to revoke it immediately before someone else uses
1375 it to read your encrypted email or forge your signature. This
1376 guide doesn't cover how to revoke a key, but you can follow these
<a
1377 href=
"https://www.hackdiary.com/2004/01/18/revoking-a-gpg-key/">instructions
</a>.
1378 After you're done revoking, make a new key and send an email to everyone
1379 with whom you usually use your key to make sure they know, including a copy
1380 of your new key.
</p>
1382 </div><!-- End .main -->
1383 </div><!-- End #step-lost_key .step-->
1385 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1386 <!---<div id="transfer-key" class="step">
1389 <h3>Transferring you key</h3>
1391 <p>You can use Enigmail's <a
1392 href="https://www.enigmail.net/documentation/Key_Management">key management
1393 window</a> to import and export keys. If you want to be able to read
1394 your encrypted email on a different computer, you will need to export
1395 your secret key from here. Be warned, if you transfer the key without <a
1396 href="https://help.ubuntu.com/community/EncryptedFilesystemsOnRemovableStorage">encrypting</a>
1397 the drive it's on the transfer will be dramatically less secure.</p>
1399 </div>--><!-- End .main
1400 </div> End #transfer-key .step-->
1402 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1403 <div id=
"webmail-and-GnuPG" class=
"step">
1406 <h3>Webmail and GnuPG
</h3>
1408 <p>When you use a web browser to access your email, you're using webmail,
1409 an email program stored on a distant website. Unlike webmail, your desktop
1410 email program runs on your own computer. Although webmail can't decrypt
1411 encrypted email, it will still display it in its encrypted form. If you
1412 primarily use webmail, you'll know to open your email client when you receive
1413 a scrambled email.
</p>
1415 </div><!-- End .main -->
1416 </div><!-- End #webmail-and-GnuPG .step-->
1418 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~
1419 <div id="step-5d" class="step">
1422 <h3>Make your public key part of your online identity</h3>
1424 <p> First add your public key fingerprint to your email signature, then
1425 compose an email to at least five of your friends, telling them you just
1426 set up GnuPG and mentioning your public key fingerprint. Link to this guide
1427 and ask them to join you. Don't forget that there's also an awesome <a
1428 href="infographic.html">infographic to share.</a></p>
1430 <p class="notes">Start writing your public key fingerprint anywhere someone
1431 would see your email address: your social media profiles, blog, Website,
1432 or business card. (At the Free Software Foundation, we put ours on our
1433 <a href="https://fsf.org/about/staff">staff page</a>.) We need to get our
1434 culture to the point that we feel like something is missing when we see an
1435 email address without a public key fingerprint.</p>
1437 </div>--><!-- End .main
1438 </div> End #step-5d .step-->
1439 </div></section><!-- End #section5 -->
1441 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 6: Next steps ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1442 <section class=
"row" id=
"section6">
1443 <div id=
"step-click_here" class=
"step">
1446 <h2><a href=
"next_steps.html">Great job! Check out the next steps.
</a></h2>
1448 </div><!-- End .main -->
1449 </div><!-- End #step-click_here .step-->
1450 </section><!-- End #section6 -->
1452 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ FAQ ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1453 <!-- When un-commenting this section go to main.css and search
1454 for /* Guide Sections Background */ then add #faq to the desired color
1455 <section class="row" id="faq"><div>
1456 <div class="sidebar">
1464 <dt>My key expired</dt>
1465 <dd>Answer coming soon.</dd>
1467 <dt>Who can read encrypted messages? Who can read signed ones?</dt>
1468 <dd>Answer coming soon.</dd>
1470 <dt>My email program is opening at times I don't want it to open/is now my
1471 default program and I don't want it to be.</dt>
1472 <dd>Answer coming soon.</dd>
1477 </section> --><!-- End #faq -->
1479 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Footer ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1480 <footer class=
"row" id=
"footer"><div>
1481 <div id=
"copyright">
1483 <h4><a href=
"https://u.fsf.org/ys"><img
1484 alt=
"Free Software Foundation"
1485 src=
"//static.fsf.org/nosvn/enc-dev0/img/fsf-logo.png" /></a></h4>
1487 <p>Copyright
© 2014-
2016 <a
1488 href=
"https://u.fsf.org/ys">Free Software Foundation
</a>, Inc.
<a
1489 href=
"https://my.fsf.org/donate/privacypolicy.html">Privacy Policy
</a>. Please
1490 support our work by
<a href=
"https://u.fsf.org/yr">joining us as an associate
1493 <p>The images on this page are under a
<a
1494 href=
"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">Creative Commons
1495 Attribution
4.0 license (or later version)
</a>, and the rest of it is under
1496 a
<a href=
"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0">Creative Commons
1497 Attribution-ShareAlike
4.0 license (or later version)
</a>. Download the
<a
1498 href=
"http://agpl.fsf.org/emailselfdefense.fsf.org/edward/CURRENT/edward.tar.gz">
1499 source code of Edward reply bot
</a> by Andrew Engelbrecht
1500 <sudoman@ninthfloor.org
> and Josh Drake
<zamnedix@gnu.org
>,
1501 available under the GNU Affero General Public License.
<a
1502 href=
"http://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html#OtherLicenses">Why these
1505 <p>Fonts used in the guide
& infographic:
<a
1506 href=
"https://www.google.com/fonts/specimen/Dosis">Dosis
</a> by Pablo
1507 Impallari,
<a href=
"http://www.google.com/fonts/specimen/Signika">Signika
</a>
1508 by Anna Giedry
ś,
<a
1509 href=
"http://www.google.com/fonts/specimen/Archivo+Narrow">Archivo
1510 Narrow
</a> by Omnibus-Type,
<a
1511 href=
"https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Graphics_Howto#Pitfalls">PXL-
2000</a>
1512 by Florian Cramer.
</p>
1514 <p>Download the
<a href=
"emailselfdefense_source.zip">source package
</a>
1515 for this guide, including fonts, image source files and the text of Edward's
1518 <p>This site uses the Weblabels standard for labeling
<a
1519 href=
"https://www.fsf.org/campaigns/freejs">free JavaScript
</a>. View
1520 the JavaScript
<a href=
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1521 rel=
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</a>.
</p>
1523 </div><!-- /#copyright -->
1525 <p class=
"credits">Infographic and guide design by
<a rel=
"external"
1526 href=
"http://jplusplus.org"><strong>Journalism++
</strong><img
1527 src=
"//static.fsf.org/nosvn/enc-dev0/img/jplusplus.png"
1528 alt=
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