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23 <h1>Email Self-Defense
</h1>
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82 <div class=
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84 <p>We fight for computer users' rights, and promote the development of free (as
85 in freedom) software. Resisting bulk surveillance is very important to us.
</p>
87 <p><strong>Please donate to support Email Self-Defense. We need to keep
88 improving it, and making more materials, for the benefit of people around
89 the world taking the first step towards protecting their privacy.
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106 Bulk surveillance violates our fundamental rights and makes free speech
107 risky. This guide will teach you a basic surveillance self-defense skill: email
108 encryption. Once you've finished, you'll be able to send and receive emails
109 that are scrambled to make sure a surveillance agent or thief intercepting
110 your email can't read them. All you need is a computer with an Internet
111 connection, an email account, and about forty minutes.
</p>
113 <p>Even if you have nothing to hide, using encryption helps protect the privacy
114 of people you communicate with, and makes life difficult for bulk surveillance
115 systems. If you do have something important to hide, you're in good company;
116 these are the same tools that whistleblowers use to protect their identities
117 while shining light on human rights abuses, corruption and other crimes.
</p>
119 <p>In addition to using encryption, standing up
120 to surveillance requires fighting politically for a
<a
121 href=
"http://gnu.org/philosophy/surveillance-vs-democracy.html">reduction
122 in the amount of data collected on us
</a>, but the essential first step is
123 to protect yourself and make surveillance of your communication as difficult
124 as possible. This guide helps you do that. It is designed for beginners, but
125 if you already know the basics of GnuPG or are an experienced free software
126 user, you'll enjoy the advanced tips and the
<a href=
"workshops.html">guide
127 to teaching your friends
</a>.
</p>
129 </div><!-- End .intro -->
130 </div></header><!-- End #header -->
132 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 1: Get the pieces ~~~~~~~~~ -->
133 <section class=
"row" id=
"section1"><div>
135 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
136 <div class=
"section-intro">
138 <h2><em>#
1</em> Get the pieces
</h2>
140 <p class=
"notes">This guide relies on software which is
<a
141 href=
"https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html">freely licensed
</a>; it's
142 completely transparent and anyone can copy it or make their own version. This
143 makes it safer from surveillance than proprietary software (like Windows). To
144 defend your freedom as well as protect yourself from surveillance, we recommend
145 you switch to a free software operating system like GNU/Linux. Learn more
146 about free software at
<a href=
"https://u.fsf.org/ys">fsf.org
</a>.
</p>
148 <p>To get started, you'll need the IceDove desktop email program installed
149 on your computer. For your system, IceDove may be known by the alternate name
150 "Thunderbird." Email programs are another way to access the same email accounts
151 you can access in a browser (like Gmail), but provide extra features.
</p>
153 <p>If you already have an email program, you can skip to
<a
154 href=
"#step-1b">Step
1.b
</a>.
</p>
156 </div><!-- End .section-intro -->
158 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
159 <div id=
"step-1a" class=
"step">
160 <div class=
"sidebar">
163 src=
"//static.fsf.org/nosvn/enc-dev0/img/en/screenshots/step1a-install-wizard.png"
164 alt=
"Step 1.A: Install Wizard" /></p>
166 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
169 <h3><em>Step
1.a
</em> Set up your email program with your email account
</h3>
171 <p>Open your email program and follow the wizard (step-by-step walkthrough)
172 that sets it up with your email account.
</p>
174 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
175 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
177 <h4>Troubleshooting
</h4>
180 <dt>The wizard doesn't launch
</dt>
181 <dd>You can launch the wizard yourself, but the menu option for doing so is
182 named differently in each email programs. The button to launch it will be in
183 the program's main menu, under
"New" or something similar, titled something
184 like
"Add account" or
"New/Existing email account."</dd>
186 <dt>The wizard can't find my account or isn't downloading my mail
</dt>
187 <dd>Before searching the Web, we recommend you start by asking other people
188 who use your email system, to figure out the correct settings.
</dd>
190 <dt class=
"feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?
</dt>
191 <dd class=
"feedback">Please let us know on the
<a
192 href=
"https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback
196 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
197 </div><!-- End .main -->
198 </div><!-- End #step1-a .step -->
200 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
201 <div id=
"step-1b" class=
"step">
204 <h3><em>Step
1.b
</em> Get GnuPG by downloading GPG4Win
</h3>
206 <p>GPG4Win is a software package that includes GnuPG.
<a
207 href=
"https://www.gpg4win.org/">Download
</a> and install it, choosing default
208 options whenever asked. After it's installed, you can close any windows that
211 </div><!-- End .main -->
212 </div><!-- End #step1-b .step -->
214 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
215 <div id=
"step-1c" class=
"step">
216 <div class=
"sidebar">
220 src=
"//static.fsf.org/nosvn/enc-dev0/img/en/screenshots/step1b-01-tools-addons.png"
221 alt=
"Step 1.C: Tools -> Add-ons" /></li>
223 src=
"//static.fsf.org/nosvn/enc-dev0/img/en/screenshots/step1b-02-search.png"
224 alt=
"Step 1.C: Search Add-ons" /></li>
226 src=
"//static.fsf.org/nosvn/enc-dev0/img/en/screenshots/step1b-03-install.png"
227 alt=
"Step 1.C: Install Add-ons" /></li>
230 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
233 <h3><em>Step
1.c
</em> Install the Enigmail plugin for your email program
</h3>
235 <p>In your email program's menu, select Add-ons (it may be in the Tools
236 section). Make sure Extensions is selected on the left. Do you see Enigmail? If
237 so, skip this step.
</p>
239 <p>If not, search
"Enigmail" with the search bar in the upper right. You
240 can take it from here. Restart your email program when you're done.
</p>
242 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
243 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
245 <h4>Troubleshooting
</h4>
248 <dt>I can't find the menu.
</dt>
249 <dd>In many new email programs, the main menu is represented by an image of
250 three stacked horizontal bars.
</dd>
252 <dt class=
"feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?
</dt>
253 <dd class=
"feedback">Please let us know on the
<a
254 href=
"https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback
258 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
259 </div><!-- End .main -->
260 </div><!-- End #step-1c .step -->
261 </div></section><!-- End #section1 -->
263 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 2: Make your keys ~~~~~~~~~ -->
264 <section class=
"row" id=
"section2"><div>
266 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
267 <div class=
"section-intro">
269 <h2><em>#
2</em> Make your keys
</h2>
271 <p>To use the GnuPG system, you'll need a public key and a private key (known
272 together as a keypair). Each is a long string of randomly generated numbers
273 and letters that are unique to you. Your public and private keys are linked
274 together by a special mathematical function.
</p>
276 <p>Your public key isn't like a physical key, because it's stored in the open
277 in an online directory called a keyserver. People download it and use it,
278 along with GnuPG, to encrypt emails they send to you. You can think of the
279 keyserver as a phonebook; people who want to send you encrypted email can
280 look up your public key.
</p>
282 <p>Your private key is more like a physical key, because you keep it to
283 yourself (on your computer). You use GnuPG and your private key together to
284 descramble encrypted emails other people send to you.
<span style=
"font-weight:
285 bold;">You should never share you private key with anyone, under any
286 circumstances.
</span></p>
288 <p>In addition to encryption and decryption, you can also use these keys to
289 sign messages and check the authenticity of other people's signatures. We'll
290 discuss this more in the next section.
</p>
292 </div><!-- End .section-intro -->
294 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
295 <div id=
"step-2a" class=
"step">
296 <div class=
"sidebar">
299 src=
"//static.fsf.org/nosvn/enc-dev0/img/en/screenshots/step2a-01-make-keypair.png"
300 alt=
"Step 2.A: Make a Keypair" /></p>
302 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
305 <h3><em>Step
2.a
</em> Make a keypair
</h3>
307 <p>The Enigmail Setup wizard may start automatically. If it doesn't, select
308 Enigmail
→ Setup Wizard from your email program's menu. You don't need
309 to read the text in the window that pops up unless you'd like to, but it's
310 good to read the text on the later screens of the wizard. Click Next with
311 the default options selected, except in these instances, which are listed
312 in the order they appear:
</p>
315 <li>On the screen titled
"Encryption," select
"Encrypt all of my messages
316 by default, because privacy is critical to me."</li>
318 <li>On the screen titled
"Signing," select
"Don't sign my messages by
321 <li>On the screen titled
"Key Selection," select
"I want to create a new
322 key pair for signing and encrypting my email."</li>
324 <li>On the screen titled
"Create Key," pick a strong password! You can
325 do it manually, or you can use the Diceware method. Doing it manually
326 is faster but not as secure. Using Diceware takes longer and requires
327 dice, but creates a password that is much harder for attackers figure
328 out. To use it, read the section
"Make a secure passphrase with Diceware" in
<a
329 href=
"https://theintercept.com/2015/03/26/passphrases-can-memorize-attackers-cant-guess/">this
330 article
</a> by Micah Lee.
</li>
333 <p>If you'd like to pick a password manually, come up with something
334 you can remember which is at least twelve characters long, and includes
335 at least one lower case and upper case letter and at least one number or
336 punctuation symbol. Never pick a password you've used elsewhere. Don't use
337 any recognizable patterns, such as birthdays, telephone numbers, pets' names,
338 song lyrics, quotes from books, and so on.
</p>
340 <p class=
"notes">The program will take a little while to finish the next
341 step, the
"Key Creation" screen. While you wait, do something else with your
342 computer, like watching a movie or browsing the Web. The more you use the
343 computer at this point, the faster the key creation will go.
</p>
345 <p><span style=
"font-weight: bold;">When the
"Key Generation Completed" screen
346 pops up, select Generate Certificate and choose to save it in a safe place on
347 your computer (we recommend making a folder called
"Revocation Certificate"
348 in your home folder and keeping it there). This step is essential for your
349 email self-defense, as you'll learn more about in
<a href=
"#section5">Section
352 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
353 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
355 <h4>Troubleshooting
</h4>
358 <dt>I can't find the Enigmail menu.
</dt>
359 <dd>In many new email programs, the main menu is represented by an image
360 of three stacked horizontal bars. Enigmail may be inside a section called
363 <dt>More resources
</dt>
364 <dd>If you're having trouble with our
365 instructions or just want to learn more, check out
<a
366 href=
"https://enigmail.wiki/Key_Management#Generating_your_own_key_pair">Enigmail's
367 wiki instructions for key generation
</a>.
</dd>
369 <dt>My email looks weird
</dt>
370 <dd>Enigmail doesn't tend to play nice with HTML, which is used to format
371 emails, so it may disable your HTML formatting automatically. To send an
372 HTML-formatted email without encryption or a signature, hold down the Shift
373 key when you select compose. You can then write an email as if Enigmail
376 <dt class=
"feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?
</dt>
377 <dd class=
"feedback">Please let us know on the
<a
378 href=
"https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback
382 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
384 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
385 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
390 <dt>Command line key generation
</dt>
391 <dd>If you prefer using the command line for a higher
392 degree of control, you can follow the documentation from
<a
393 href=
"https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual/c14.html#AEN25">The GNU Privacy
394 Handbook
</a>. Make sure you stick with
"RSA and RSA" (the default),
395 because it's newer and more secure than the algorithms the documentation
396 recommends. Also make sure your key is at least
2048 bits, or
4096 if you
397 want to be extra secure.
</dd>
399 <dt>Advanced key pairs
</dt>
400 <dd>When GnuPG creates a new keypair, it compartmentalizes
401 the encryption function from the signing function through
<a
402 href=
"https://wiki.debian.org/Subkeys">subkeys
</a>. If you use
403 subkeys carefully, you can keep your GnuPG identity much more
404 secure and recover from a compromised key much more quickly.
<a
405 href=
"https://alexcabal.com/creating-the-perfect-gpg-keypair/">Alex Cabal
</a>
406 and
<a href=
"http://keyring.debian.org/creating-key.html">the Debian wiki
</a>
407 provide good guides for setting up a secure subkey configuration.
</dd>
410 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
411 </div><!-- End .main -->
412 </div><!-- End #step-2a .step -->
414 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
415 <div id=
"step-2b" class=
"step">
418 <h3><em>Step
2.b
</em> Upload your public key to a keyserver
</h3>
420 <p>In your email program's menu, select Enigmail
→ Key Management.
</p>
422 <p>Right click on your key and select Upload Public Keys to Keyserver. Use
423 the default keyserver in the popup.
</p>
425 <p class=
"notes">Now someone who wants to send you an encrypted message can
426 download your public key from the Internet. There are multiple keyservers
427 that you can select from the menu when you upload, but they are all copies
428 of each other, so it doesn't matter which one you use. However, it sometimes
429 takes a few hours for them to match each other when a new key is uploaded.
</p>
431 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
432 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
434 <h4>Troubleshooting
</h4>
437 <dt>The progress bar never finishes
</dt>
438 <dd>Close the upload popup, make sure you are connected to the Internet,
439 and try again. If that doesn't work, try again, selecting a different
442 <dt>My key doesn't appear in the list
</dt>
443 <dd>Try checking
"Display All Keys by Default."</dd>
445 <dt>More documentation
</dt>
446 <dd>If you're having trouble with our
447 instructions or just want to learn more, check out
<a
448 href=
"https://www.enigmail.net/documentation/quickstart-ch2.php#id2533620">Enigmail's
449 documentation
</a>.
</dd>
451 <dt class=
"feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?
</dt>
452 <dd class=
"feedback">Please let us know on the
<a
453 href=
"https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback
457 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
459 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
460 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
465 <dt>Uploading a key from the command line
</dt>
466 <dd>You can also upload your keys to a keyserver through the
<a
467 href=
"https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual/x457.html">command line
</a>.
<a
468 href=
"https://sks-keyservers.net/overview-of-pools.php">The sks Web site
</a>
469 maintains a list of highly interconnected keyservers. You can also
<a
470 href=
"https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual/x56.html#AEN64">directly export
471 your key
</a> as a file on your computer.
</dd>
474 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
475 </div><!-- End .main -->
476 </div><!-- End #step-2b .step -->
478 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
479 <div id=
"terminology" class=
"step">
482 <h3>GnuPG, OpenPGP, what?
</h3>
484 <p>In general, the terms GnuPG, GPG, GNU Privacy Guard, OpenPGP and PGP
485 are used interchangeably. Technically, OpenPGP (Pretty Good Privacy) is the
486 encryption standard, and GNU Privacy Guard (often shortened to GPG or GnuPG)
487 is the program that implements the standard. Enigmail is a plug-in program
488 for your email program that provides an interface for GnuPG.
</p>
490 </div><!-- End .main -->
491 </div><!-- End #terminology.step-->
492 </div></section><!-- End #section2 -->
494 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 3: Try it out ~~~~~~~~~ -->
495 <section class=
"row" id=
"section3"><div>
497 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
498 <div class=
"section-intro">
500 <h2><em>#
3</em> Try it out!
</h2>
502 <p>Now you'll try a test correspondence with a computer program named Edward,
503 who knows how to use encryption. Except where noted, these are the same
504 steps you'd follow when corresponding with a real, live person.
</p>
506 <!-- <p>NOTE: Edward is currently having some technical difficulties, so he
507 may take a long time to respond, or not respond at all. We're sorry about
508 this and we're working hard to fix it. Your key will still work even without
509 testing with Edward.</p> -->
510 </div><!-- End .section-intro -->
512 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
513 <div id=
"step-3a" class=
"step">
514 <div class=
"sidebar">
517 src=
"//static.fsf.org/nosvn/enc-dev0/img/en/screenshots/section3-try-it-out.png"
518 alt=
"Try it out." /></p>
520 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
523 <h3><em>Step
3.a
</em> Send Edward your public key
</h3>
525 <p>This is a special step that you won't have to do when corresponding
526 with real people. In your email program's menu, go to Enigmail
→ Key
527 Management. You should see your key in the list that pops up. Right click
528 on your key and select Send Public Keys by Email. This will create a new
529 draft message, as if you had just hit the Write button.
</p>
531 <p>Address the message to
<a
532 href=
"mailto:edward-en@fsf.org">edward-en@fsf.org
</a>. Put at least one word
533 (whatever you want) in the subject and body of the email. Don't send yet.
</p>
535 <p>The lock icon in the top left should be yellow, meaning encryption is
536 turned on. We want this first special message to be unencrypted, so
537 click the icon once to turn it off. The lock should become grey, with a
538 blue dot on it (to alert you that the setting has been changed from the
539 default). Once encryption is off, hit Send.
</p>
541 <p class=
"notes">It may take two or three minutes for Edward to
542 respond. In the meantime, you might want to skip ahead and check out the
<a
543 href=
"#section5">Use it Well
</a> section of this guide. Once he's responded,
544 head to the next step. From here on, you'll be doing just the same thing as
545 when corresponding with a real person.
</p>
547 <p>When you open Edward's reply, GnuPG may prompt you for your password
548 before using your private key to decrypt it.
</p>
550 </div><!-- End .main -->
551 </div><!-- End #step-3a .step -->
553 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
554 <div id=
"step-3b" class=
"step">
557 <h3><em>Step
3.b
</em> Send a test encrypted email
</h3>
559 <p>Write a new email in your email program, addressed to
<a
560 href=
"mailto:edward-en@fsf.org">edward-en@fsf.org
</a>. Make the subject
561 "Encryption test" or something similar and write something in the body.
</p>
563 <p>The lock icon in the top left of the window should be yellow, meaning
564 encryption is on. This will be your default from now on.
</p>
566 <p class=
"notes">Next to the lock, you'll notice an icon of a pencil. We'll
567 get to this in a moment.
</p>
569 <p>Click Send. Enigmail will pop up a window that says
"Recipients not valid,
570 not trusted or not found."</p>
572 <p>To encrypt an email to Edward, you need his public key, so now you'll have
573 Enigmail download it from a keyserver. Click Download Missing Keys and use
574 the default in the pop-up that asks you to choose a keyserver. Once it finds
575 keys, check the first one (Key ID starting with C), then select ok. Select
576 ok in the next pop-up.
</p>
578 <p>Now you are back at the
"Recipients not valid, not trusted or not found"
579 screen. Check the box in front of Edward's key and click Send.
</p>
581 <p class=
"notes">Since you encrypted this email with Edward's public key,
582 Edward's private key is required to decrypt it. Edward is the only one with
583 his private key, so no one except him can decrypt it.
</p>
585 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
586 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
588 <h4>Troubleshooting
</h4>
591 <dt>Enigmail can't find Edward's key
</dt>
592 <dd>Close the pop-ups that have appeared since you clicked Send. Make sure
593 you are connected to the Internet and try again. If that doesn't work, repeat
594 the process, choosing a different keyserver when it asks you to pick one.
</dd>
596 <dt>Unscrambled messages in the Sent folder
</dt>
597 <dd>Even though you can't decrypt messages encrypted to someone else's key,
598 your email program will automatically save a copy encrypted to your public key,
599 which you'll be able to view from the Sent folder like a normal email. This
600 is normal, and it doesn't mean that your email was not sent encrypted.
</dd>
602 <dt>More resources
</dt>
603 <dd>If you're still having trouble with our
604 instructions or just want to learn more, check out
<a
605 href=
"https://enigmail.wiki/Signature_and_Encryption#Encrypting_a_message">Enigmail's
608 <dt class=
"feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?
</dt>
609 <dd class=
"feedback">Please let us know on the
<a
610 href=
"https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback
614 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
616 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
617 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
622 <dt>Encrypt messages from the command line
</dt>
623 <dd>You can also encrypt and decrypt messages and files from the
<a
624 href=
"https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual/x110.html">command line
</a>,
625 if that's your preference. The option --armor makes the encrypted output
626 appear in the regular character set.
</dd>
629 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
630 </div><!-- End .main -->
631 </div><!-- End #step-3b .step -->
633 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
634 <div id=
"step-headers_unencrypted" class=
"step">
637 <h3><em>Important:
</em> Security tips
</h3>
639 <p>Even if you encrypt your email, the subject line is not encrypted, so
640 don't put private information there. The sending and receiving addresses
641 aren't encrypted either, so a surveillance system can still figure out who
642 you're communicating with. Also, surveillance agents will know that you're
643 using GnuPG, even if they can't figure out what you're saying. When you
644 send attachments, Enigmail will give you the choice to encrypt them or not,
645 independent of the actual email.
</p>
647 </div><!-- End .main -->
648 </div><!-- End #step-headers_unencrypted .step-->
650 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
651 <div id=
"step-3c" class=
"step">
654 <h3><em>Step
3.c
</em> Receive a response
</h3>
656 <p>When Edward receives your email, he will use his private key to decrypt
657 it, then use your public key (which you sent him in
<a href=
"#step-3a">Step
658 3.A
</a>) to encrypt his reply to you.
</p>
660 <p class=
"notes">It may take two or three minutes for Edward to
661 respond. In the meantime, you might want to skip ahead and check out the
<a
662 href=
"#section5">Use it Well
</a> section of this guide.
</p>
664 <p>When you receive Edward's email and open it, Enigmail will automatically
665 detect that it is encrypted with your public key, and then it will use your
666 private key to decrypt it.
</p>
668 <p>Notice the bar that Enigmail shows you above the message, with information
669 about the status of Edward's key.
</p>
671 </div><!-- End .main -->
672 </div><!-- End #step-3c .step -->
674 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
675 <div id=
"step-3d" class=
"step">
678 <h3><em>Step
3.d
</em> Send a test signed email
</h3>
680 <p>GnuPG includes a way for you to sign messages and files, verifying that
681 they came from you and that they weren't tampered with along the way. These
682 signatures are stronger than their pen-and-paper cousins -- they're impossible
683 to forge, because they're impossible to create without your private key
684 (another reason to keep your private key safe).
</p>
686 <p>You can sign messages to anyone, so it's a great way to make people
687 aware that you use GnuPG and that they can communicate with you securely. If
688 they don't have GnuPG, they will be able to read your message and see your
689 signature. If they do have GnuPG, they'll also be able to verify that your
690 signature is authentic.
</p>
692 <p>To sign an email to Edward, compose any message to him and click the
693 pencil icon next to the lock icon so that it turns gold. If you sign a
694 message, GnuPG may ask you for your password before it sends the message,
695 because it needs to unlock your private key for signing.
</p>
697 <p>With the lock and pencil icons, you can choose whether each message will
698 be encrypted, signed, both, or neither.
</p>
703 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
704 <div id=
"step-3e" class=
"step">
707 <h3><em>Step
3.e
</em> Receive a response
</h3>
709 <p>When Edward receives your email, he will use your public key (which you
710 sent him in
<a href=
"#step-3a">Step
3.A
</a>) to verify that your signature
711 is authentic and the message you sent has not been tampered with.
</p>
713 <p class=
"notes">It may take two or three minutes for Edward to
714 respond. In the meantime, you might want to skip ahead and check out the
<a
715 href=
"#section5">Use it Well
</a> section of this guide.
</p>
717 <p>Edward's reply will arrive encrypted, because he prefers to use encryption
718 whenever possible. If everything goes according to plan, it should say
719 "Your signature was verified." If your test signed email was also encrypted,
720 he will mention that first.
</p>
722 </div><!-- End .main -->
723 </div><!-- End #step-3e .step -->
726 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 4: Learn the Web of Trust ~~~~~~~~~ -->
727 <section class=
"row" id=
"section4"><div>
729 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
730 <div class=
"section-intro">
732 <h2><em>#
4</em> Learn the Web of Trust
</h2>
734 <p>Email encryption is a powerful technology, but it has a weakness;
735 it requires a way to verify that a person's public key is actually
736 theirs. Otherwise, there would be no way to stop an attacker from making
737 an email address with your friend's name, creating keys to go with it and
738 impersonating your friend. That's why the free software programmers that
739 developed email encryption created keysigning and the Web of Trust.
</p>
741 <p>When you sign someone's key, you are publicly saying that you've verified
742 that it belongs to them and not someone else.
</p>
744 <p>Signing keys and signing messages use the same type of mathematical
745 operation, but they carry very different implications. It's a good practice
746 to generally sign your email, but if you casually sign people's keys, you
747 may accidently end up vouching for the identity of an imposter.
</p>
749 <p>People who use your public key can see who has signed it. Once you've
750 used GnuPG for a long time, your key may have hundreds of signatures. You
751 can consider a key to be more trustworthy if it has many signatures from
752 people that you trust. The Web of Trust is a constellation of GnuPG users,
753 connected to each other by chains of trust expressed through signatures.
</p>
755 </div><!-- End .section-intro -->
757 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
758 <div id=
"step-4a" class=
"step">
759 <div class=
"sidebar">
762 src=
"//static.fsf.org/nosvn/enc-dev0/img/en/screenshots/section4-web-of-trust.png"
763 alt=
"Section 4: Web of Trust" /></p>
765 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
768 <h3><em>Step
4.a
</em> Sign a key
</h3>
770 <p>In your email program's menu, go to Enigmail
→ Key Management.
</p>
772 <p>Right click on Edward's public key and select Sign Key from the context
775 <p>In the window that pops up, select
"I will not answer" and click ok.
</p>
777 <p>Now you should be back at the Key Management menu. Select Keyserver
→
778 Upload Public Keys and hit ok.
</p>
780 <p class=
"notes">You've just effectively said
"I trust that Edward's public
781 key actually belongs to Edward." This doesn't mean much because Edward isn't
782 a real person, but it's good practice.
</p>
784 <!--<div id="pgp-pathfinder">
786 <form enctype="application/x-www-form-urlencoded" action="/mk_path.cgi"
789 <p><strong>From:</strong><input type="text" placeholder="xD41A008"
792 <p><strong>To:</strong><input type="text" placeholder="50BD01x4" name="TO"></p>
794 <p class="buttons"><input type="submit" value="trust paths" name="PATHS"><input
795 type="reset" value="reset" name=".reset"></p>
799 </div>End #pgp-pathfinder -->
800 </div><!-- End .main -->
801 </div><!-- End #step-4a .step -->
803 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
804 <div id=
"step-identify_keys" class=
"step">
807 <h3>Identifying keys: Fingerprints and IDs
</h3>
809 <p>People's public keys are usually identified by their key fingerprint,
810 which is a string of digits like F357AA1A5B1FA42CFD9FE52A9FF2194CC09A61E8
811 (for Edward's key). You can see the fingerprint for your public key, and
812 other public keys saved on your computer, by going to Enigmail
→ Key
813 Management in your email program's menu, then right clicking on the key
814 and choosing Key Properties. It's good practice to share your fingerprint
815 wherever you share your email address, so that people can double-check that
816 they have the correct public key when they download yours from a keyserver.
</p>
818 <p class=
"notes">You may also see public keys referred to by their key ID,
819 which is simply the last eight digits of the fingerprint, like C09A61E8 for
820 Edward. The key ID is visible directly from the Key Management window. This
821 key ID is like a person's first name (it is a useful shorthand but may not be
822 unique to a given key), whereas the fingerprint actually identifies the key
823 uniquely without the possibility of confusion. If you only have the key ID,
824 you can still look up the key (as well as its fingerprint), like you did in
825 Step
3, but if multiple options appear, you'll need the fingerprint of the
826 person to whom you are trying to communicate to verify which one to use.
</p>
828 </div><!-- End .main -->
829 </div><!-- End #step-identify_keys .step-->
831 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
832 <div id=
"check-ids-before-signing" class=
"step">
835 <h3><em>Important:
</em> What to consider when signing keys
</h3>
837 <p>Before signing a person's key, you need to be confident that it actually
838 belongs to them, and that they are who they say they are. Ideally, this
839 confidence comes from having interactions and conversations with them over
840 time, and witnessing interactions between them and others. Whenever signing
841 a key, ask to see the full public key fingerprint, and not just the shorter
842 key ID. If you feel it's important to sign the key of someone you've just
843 met, also ask them to show you their government identification, and make
844 sure the name on the ID matches the name on the public key. In Enigmail,
845 answer honestly in the window that pops up and asks
"How carefully have you
846 verified that the key you are about to sign actually belongs to the person(s)
849 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
850 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
855 <dt>Master the Web of Trust
</dt>
856 <dd>Unfortunately, trust does not spread between users the way
<a
857 href=
"http://fennetic.net/irc/finney.org/~hal/web_of_trust.html">many people
858 think
</a>. One of best ways to strengthen the GnuPG community is to deeply
<a
859 href=
"https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual/x334.html">understand
</a> the Web of
860 Trust and to carefully sign as many people's keys as circumstances permit.
</dd>
862 <dt>Set ownertrust
</dt>
863 <dd>If you trust someone enough to validate other people's keys, you can assign
864 them an ownertrust level through Enigmails's key management window. Right
865 click on the other person's key, go to the
"Select Owner Trust" menu option,
866 select the trustlevel and click OK. Only do this once you feel you have a
867 deep understanding of the Web of Trust.
</dd>
870 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
871 </div><!-- End .main -->
872 </div><!-- End #check-ids-before-signing .step-->
873 </div></section><!-- End #section4 -->
875 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 5: Use it well ~~~~~~~~~ -->
876 <section id=
"section5" class=
"row"><div>
878 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
879 <div class=
"section-intro">
881 <h2><em>#
5</em> Use it well
</h2>
883 <p>Everyone uses GnuPG a little differently, but it's important to follow
884 some basic practices to keep your email secure. Not following them, you
885 risk the privacy of the people you communicate with, as well as your own,
886 and damage the Web of Trust.
</p>
888 </div><!-- End .section-intro -->
890 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
891 <div id=
"step-5a" class=
"step">
892 <div class=
"sidebar">
895 src=
"//static.fsf.org/nosvn/enc-dev0/img/en/screenshots/section5-01-use-it-well.png"
896 alt=
"Section 5: Use it Well (1)" /></p>
898 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
901 <h3>When should I encrypt? When should I sign?
</h3>
903 <p>The more you can encrypt your messages, the better. If you only encrypt
904 emails occasionally, each encrypted message could raise a red flag for
905 surveillance systems. If all or most of your email is encrypted, people
906 doing surveillance won't know where to start. That's not to say that only
907 encrypting some of your email isn't helpful -- it's a great start and it
908 makes bulk surveillance more difficult.
</p>
910 <p>Unless you don't want to reveal your own identity (which requires other
911 protective measures), there's no reason not to sign every message, whether or
912 not you are encrypting. In addition to allowing those with GnuPG to verify
913 that the message came from you, signing is a non-intrusive way to remind
914 everyone that you use GnuPG and show support for secure communication. If you
915 often send signed messages to people that aren't familiar with GnuPG, it's
916 nice to also include a link to this guide in your standard email signature
917 (the text kind, not the cryptographic kind).
</p>
919 </div><!-- End .main -->
920 </div><!-- End #step-5a .step -->
922 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
923 <div id=
"step-5b" class=
"step">
924 <div class=
"sidebar">
927 src=
"//static.fsf.org/nosvn/enc-dev0/img/en/screenshots/section5-02-use-it-well.png"
928 alt=
"Section 5: Use it Well (2)" /></p>
930 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
933 <h3>Be wary of invalid keys
</h3>
935 <p>GnuPG makes email safer, but it's still important to watch out for invalid
936 keys, which might have fallen into the wrong hands. Email encrypted with
937 invalid keys might be readable by surveillance programs.
</p>
939 <p>In your email program, go back to the first encrypted email that Edward
940 sent you. Because Edward encrypted it with your public key, it will have a
941 message from Enigmail at the top, which most likely says
"Enigmail: Part of
942 this message encrypted."</p>
944 <p><b>When using GnuPG, make a habit of glancing at that bar. The program
945 will warn you there if you get an email encrypted with a key that can't
948 </div><!-- End .main -->
949 </div><!-- End #step-5b .step -->
951 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
952 <div id=
"step-5c" class=
"step">
955 <h3>Copy your revocation certificate to somewhere safe
</h3>
957 <p>Remember when you created your keys and saved the revocation certificate
958 that GnuPG made? It's time to copy that certificate onto the safest digital
959 storage that you have -- the ideal thing is a flash drive, disk, or hard
960 drive stored in a safe place in your home, not on a device you carry with
963 <p>If your private key ever gets lost or stolen, you'll need this certificate
964 file to let people know that you are no longer using that keypair.
</p>
966 </div><!-- End .main -->
967 </div><!-- End #step-5c .step -->
969 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
970 <div id=
"step-lost_key" class=
"step">
973 <h3><em>Important:
</em> act swiftly if someone gets your private key
</h3>
975 <p>If you lose your private key or someone else gets ahold
976 of it (say, by stealing or cracking your computer), it's
977 important to revoke it immediately before someone else uses
978 it to read your encrypted email or forge your signature. This
979 guide doesn't cover how to revoke a key, but you can follow these
<a
980 href=
"https://www.hackdiary.com/2004/01/18/revoking-a-gpg-key/">instructions
</a>.
981 After you're done revoking, make a new key and send an email to everyone
982 with whom you usually use your key to make sure they know, including a copy
985 </div><!-- End .main -->
986 </div><!-- End #step-lost_key .step-->
988 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
989 <!---<div id="transfer-key" class="step">
992 <h3>Transferring you key</h3>
994 <p>You can use Enigmail's <a
995 href="https://www.enigmail.net/documentation/keyman.php">key management
996 window</a> to import and export keys. If you want to be able to read
997 your encrypted email on a different computer, you will need to export
998 your secret key from here. Be warned, if you transfer the key without <a
999 href="https://help.ubuntu.com/community/EncryptedFilesystemsOnRemovableStorage">encrypting</a>
1000 the drive it's on the transfer will be dramatically less secure.</p>
1002 </div>--><!-- End .main
1003 </div> End #transfer-key .step-->
1005 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1006 <div id=
"webmail-and-GnuPG" class=
"step">
1009 <h3>Webmail and GnuPG
</h3>
1011 <p>When you use a web browser to access your email, you're using webmail,
1012 an email program stored on a distant website. Unlike webmail, your desktop
1013 email program runs on your own computer. Although webmail can't decrypt
1014 encrypted email, it will still display it in its encrypted form. If you
1015 primarily use webmail, you'll know to open your email client when you receive
1016 a scrambled email.
</p>
1018 </div><!-- End .main -->
1019 </div><!-- End #webmail-and-GnuPG .step-->
1021 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~
1022 <div id="step-5d" class="step">
1025 <h3>Make your public key part of your online identity</h3>
1027 <p> First add your public key fingerprint to your email signature, then
1028 compose an email to at least five of your friends, telling them you just
1029 set up GnuPG and mentioning your public key fingerprint. Link to this guide
1030 and ask them to join you. Don't forget that there's also an awesome <a
1031 href="infographic.html">infographic to share.</a></p>
1033 <p class="notes">Start writing your public key fingerprint anywhere someone
1034 would see your email address: your social media profiles, blog, Website,
1035 or business card. (At the Free Software Foundation, we put ours on our
1036 <a href="https://fsf.org/about/staff">staff page</a>.) We need to get our
1037 culture to the point that we feel like something is missing when we see an
1038 email address without a public key fingerprint.</p>
1040 </div>--><!-- End .main
1041 </div> End #step-5d .step-->
1042 </div></section><!-- End #section5 -->
1044 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 6: Next steps ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1045 <section class=
"row" id=
"section6">
1046 <div id=
"step-click_here" class=
"step">
1049 <h2><a href=
"next_steps.html">Great job! Check out the next steps.
</a></h2>
1051 </div><!-- End .main -->
1052 </div><!-- End #step-click_here .step-->
1053 </section><!-- End #section6 -->
1055 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ FAQ ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1056 <!-- When un-commenting this section go to main.css and search
1057 for /* Guide Sections Background */ then add #faq to the desired color
1058 <section class="row" id="faq"><div>
1059 <div class="sidebar">
1067 <dt>My key expired</dt>
1068 <dd>Answer coming soon.</dd>
1070 <dt>Who can read encrypted messages? Who can read signed ones?</dt>
1071 <dd>Answer coming soon.</dd>
1073 <dt>My email program is opening at times I don't want it to open/is now my
1074 default program and I don't want it to be.</dt>
1075 <dd>Answer coming soon.</dd>
1080 </section> --><!-- End #faq -->
1082 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Footer ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1083 <footer class=
"row" id=
"footer"><div>
1084 <div id=
"copyright">
1086 <h4><a href=
"https://u.fsf.org/ys"><img
1087 alt=
"Free Software Foundation"
1088 src=
"//static.fsf.org/nosvn/enc-dev0/img/fsf-logo.png" /></a></h4>
1090 <p>Copyright
© 2014-
2016 <a
1091 href=
"https://u.fsf.org/ys">Free Software Foundation
</a>, Inc.
<a
1092 href=
"https://my.fsf.org/donate/privacypolicy.html">Privacy Policy
</a>. Please
1093 support our work by
<a href=
"https://u.fsf.org/yr">joining us as an associate
1096 <p>The images on this page are under a
<a
1097 href=
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1098 Attribution
4.0 license (or later version)
</a>, and the rest of it is under
1099 a
<a href=
"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0">Creative Commons
1100 Attribution-ShareAlike
4.0 license (or later version)
</a>. Download the
<a
1101 href=
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1102 code of Edward reply bot
</a> by Andrew Engelbrecht
1103 <sudoman@ninthfloor.org
> and Josh Drake
<zamnedix@gnu.org
>,
1104 available under the GNU Affero General Public License.
<a
1105 href=
"http://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html#OtherLicenses">Why these
1108 <p>Fonts used in the guide
& infographic:
<a
1109 href=
"https://www.google.com/fonts/specimen/Dosis">Dosis
</a> by Pablo
1110 Impallari,
<a href=
"http://www.google.com/fonts/specimen/Signika">Signika
</a>
1111 by Anna Giedry
ś,
<a
1112 href=
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1113 Narrow
</a> by Omnibus-Type,
<a
1114 href=
"https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Graphics_Howto#Pitfalls">PXL-
2000</a>
1115 by Florian Cramer.
</p>
1117 <p>Download the
<a href=
"emailselfdefense_source.zip">source package
</a>
1118 for this guide, including fonts, image source files and the text of Edward's
1121 <p>This site uses the Weblabels standard for labeling
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1124 rel=
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</p>
1126 </div><!-- /#copyright -->
1128 <p class=
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