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23 <h1>Email Self-Defense
</h1>
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81 <div class=
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83 <p>We fight for computer users' rights, and promote the development of free (as
84 in freedom) software. Resisting bulk surveillance is very important to us.
</p>
86 <p><strong>Please donate to support Email Self-Defense. We need to keep
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88 the world taking the first step towards protecting their privacy.
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105 Bulk surveillance violates our fundamental rights and makes free speech
106 risky. This guide will teach you a basic surveillance self-defense skill: email
107 encryption. Once you've finished, you'll be able to send and receive emails
108 that are scrambled to make sure a surveillance agent or thief intercepting
109 your email can't read them. All you need is a computer with an Internet
110 connection, an email account, and about forty minutes.
</p>
112 <p>Even if you have nothing to hide, using encryption helps protect the privacy
113 of people you communicate with, and makes life difficult for bulk surveillance
114 systems. If you do have something important to hide, you're in good company;
115 these are the same tools that whistleblowers use to protect their identities
116 while shining light on human rights abuses, corruption and other crimes.
</p>
118 <p>In addition to using encryption, standing up
119 to surveillance requires fighting politically for a
<a
120 href=
"http://gnu.org/philosophy/surveillance-vs-democracy.html">reduction
121 in the amount of data collected on us
</a>, but the essential first step is
122 to protect yourself and make surveillance of your communication as difficult
123 as possible. This guide helps you do that. It is designed for beginners, but
124 if you already know the basics of GnuPG or are an experienced free software
125 user, you'll enjoy the advanced tips and the
<a href=
"workshops.html">guide
126 to teaching your friends
</a>.
</p>
128 </div><!-- End .intro -->
129 </div></header><!-- End #header -->
131 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 1: Get the pieces ~~~~~~~~~ -->
132 <section class=
"row" id=
"section1"><div>
134 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
135 <div class=
"section-intro">
137 <h2><em>#
1</em> Get the pieces
</h2>
139 <p class=
"notes">This guide relies on software which is
<a
140 href=
"https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html">freely licensed
</a>; it's
141 completely transparent and anyone can copy it or make their own version. This
142 makes it safer from surveillance than proprietary software (like Windows). To
143 defend your freedom as well as protect yourself from surveillance, we recommend
144 you switch to a free software operating system like GNU/Linux. Learn more
145 about free software at
<a href=
"https://u.fsf.org/ys">fsf.org
</a>.
</p>
147 <p>To get started, you'll need the IceDove desktop email program installed
148 on your computer. For your system, IceDove may be known by the alternate name
149 "Thunderbird." Email programs are another way to access the same email accounts
150 you can access in a browser (like Gmail), but provide extra features.
</p>
152 <p>If you already have an email program, you can skip to
<a
153 href=
"#step-1b">Step
1.b
</a>.
</p>
155 </div><!-- End .section-intro -->
157 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
158 <div id=
"step-1a" class=
"step">
159 <div class=
"sidebar">
162 src=
"//static.fsf.org/nosvn/enc-dev0/img/en/screenshots/step1a-install-wizard.png"
163 alt=
"Step 1.A: Install Wizard" /></p>
165 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
168 <h3><em>Step
1.a
</em> Set up your email program with your email account
</h3>
170 <p>Open your email program and follow the wizard (step-by-step walkthrough)
171 that sets it up with your email account.
</p>
173 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
174 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
176 <h4>Troubleshooting
</h4>
179 <dt>The wizard doesn't launch
</dt>
180 <dd>You can launch the wizard yourself, but the menu option for doing so is
181 named differently in each email programs. The button to launch it will be in
182 the program's main menu, under
"New" or something similar, titled something
183 like
"Add account" or
"New/Existing email account."</dd>
185 <dt>The wizard can't find my account or isn't downloading my mail
</dt>
186 <dd>Before searching the Web, we recommend you start by asking other people
187 who use your email system, to figure out the correct settings.
</dd>
189 <dt class=
"feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?
</dt>
190 <dd class=
"feedback">Please let us know on the
<a
191 href=
"https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback
195 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
196 </div><!-- End .main -->
197 </div><!-- End #step1-a .step -->
199 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
200 <div id=
"step-1b" class=
"step">
203 <h3><em>Step
1.b
</em> Get GnuPG by downloading GPG4Win
</h3>
205 <p>GPG4Win is a software package that includes GnuPG.
<a
206 href=
"https://www.gpg4win.org/">Download
</a> and install it, choosing default
207 options whenever asked. After it's installed, you can close any windows that
210 </div><!-- End .main -->
211 </div><!-- End #step1-b .step -->
213 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
214 <div id=
"step-1c" class=
"step">
215 <div class=
"sidebar">
219 src=
"//static.fsf.org/nosvn/enc-dev0/img/en/screenshots/step1b-01-tools-addons.png"
220 alt=
"Step 1.C: Tools -> Add-ons" /></li>
222 src=
"//static.fsf.org/nosvn/enc-dev0/img/en/screenshots/step1b-02-search.png"
223 alt=
"Step 1.C: Search Add-ons" /></li>
225 src=
"//static.fsf.org/nosvn/enc-dev0/img/en/screenshots/step1b-03-install.png"
226 alt=
"Step 1.C: Install Add-ons" /></li>
229 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
232 <h3><em>Step
1.c
</em> Install the Enigmail plugin for your email program
</h3>
234 <p>In your email program's menu, select Add-ons (it may be in the Tools
235 section). Make sure Extensions is selected on the left. Do you see Enigmail? If
236 so, skip this step.
</p>
238 <p>If not, search
"Enigmail" with the search bar in the upper right. You
239 can take it from here. Restart your email program when you're done.
</p>
241 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
242 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
244 <h4>Troubleshooting
</h4>
247 <dt>I can't find the menu.
</dt>
248 <dd>In many new email programs, the main menu is represented by an image of
249 three stacked horizontal bars.
</dd>
251 <dt class=
"feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?
</dt>
252 <dd class=
"feedback">Please let us know on the
<a
253 href=
"https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback
257 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
258 </div><!-- End .main -->
259 </div><!-- End #step-1c .step -->
260 </div></section><!-- End #section1 -->
262 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 2: Make your keys ~~~~~~~~~ -->
263 <section class=
"row" id=
"section2"><div>
265 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
266 <div class=
"section-intro">
268 <h2><em>#
2</em> Make your keys
</h2>
270 <p>To use the GnuPG system, you'll need a public key and a private key (known
271 together as a keypair). Each is a long string of randomly generated numbers
272 and letters that are unique to you. Your public and private keys are linked
273 together by a special mathematical function.
</p>
275 <p>Your public key isn't like a physical key, because it's stored in the open
276 in an online directory called a keyserver. People download it and use it,
277 along with GnuPG, to encrypt emails they send to you. You can think of the
278 keyserver as a phonebook; people who want to send you encrypted email can
279 look up your public key.
</p>
281 <p>Your private key is more like a physical key, because you keep it to
282 yourself (on your computer). You use GnuPG and your private key together to
283 descramble encrypted emails other people send to you.
<span style=
"font-weight:
284 bold;">You should never share you private key with anyone, under any
285 circumstances.
</span></p>
287 <p>In addition to encryption and decryption, you can also use these keys to
288 sign messages and check the authenticity of other people's signatures. We'll
289 discuss this more in the next section.
</p>
291 </div><!-- End .section-intro -->
293 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
294 <div id=
"step-2a" class=
"step">
295 <div class=
"sidebar">
298 src=
"//static.fsf.org/nosvn/enc-dev0/img/en/screenshots/step2a-01-make-keypair.png"
299 alt=
"Step 2.A: Make a Keypair" /></p>
301 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
304 <h3><em>Step
2.a
</em> Make a keypair
</h3>
306 <p>The Enigmail Setup wizard may start automatically. If it doesn't, select
307 Enigmail
→ Setup Wizard from your email program's menu. You don't need
308 to read the text in the window that pops up unless you'd like to, but it's
309 good to read the text on the later screens of the wizard. Click Next with
310 the default options selected, except in these instances, which are listed
311 in the order they appear:
</p>
314 <li>On the screen titled
"Encryption," select
"Encrypt all of my messages
315 by default, because privacy is critical to me."</li>
317 <li>On the screen titled
"Signing," select
"Don't sign my messages by
320 <li>On the screen titled
"Key Selection," select
"I want to create a new
321 key pair for signing and encrypting my email."</li>
323 <li>On the screen titled
"Create Key," pick a strong password! You can
324 do it manually, or you can use the Diceware method. Doing it manually
325 is faster but not as secure. Using Diceware takes longer and requires
326 dice, but creates a password that is much harder for attackers figure
327 out. To use it, read the section
"Make a secure passphrase with Diceware" in
<a
328 href=
"https://theintercept.com/2015/03/26/passphrases-can-memorize-attackers-cant-guess/">this
329 article
</a> by Micah Lee.
</li>
332 <p>If you'd like to pick a password manually, come up with something
333 you can remember which is at least twelve characters long, and includes
334 at least one lower case and upper case letter and at least one number or
335 punctuation symbol. Never pick a password you've used elsewhere. Don't use
336 any recognizable patterns, such as birthdays, telephone numbers, pets' names,
337 song lyrics, quotes from books, and so on.
</p>
339 <p class=
"notes">The program will take a little while to finish the next
340 step, the
"Key Creation" screen. While you wait, do something else with your
341 computer, like watching a movie or browsing the Web. The more you use the
342 computer at this point, the faster the key creation will go.
</p>
344 <p><span style=
"font-weight: bold;">When the
"Key Generation Completed" screen
345 pops up, select Generate Certificate and choose to save it in a safe place on
346 your computer (we recommend making a folder called
"Revocation Certificate"
347 in your home folder and keeping it there). This step is essential for your
348 email self-defense, as you'll learn more about in
<a href=
"#section5">Section
351 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
352 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
354 <h4>Troubleshooting
</h4>
357 <dt>I can't find the Enigmail menu.
</dt>
358 <dd>In many new email programs, the main menu is represented by an image
359 of three stacked horizontal bars. Enigmail may be inside a section called
362 <dt>More resources
</dt>
363 <dd>If you're having trouble with our
364 instructions or just want to learn more, check out
<a
365 href=
"https://enigmail.wiki/Key_Management#Generating_your_own_key_pair">Enigmail's
366 wiki instructions for key generation
</a>.
</dd>
368 <dt>My email looks weird
</dt>
369 <dd>Enigmail doesn't tend to play nice with HTML, which is used to format
370 emails, so it may disable your HTML formatting automatically. To send an
371 HTML-formatted email without encryption or a signature, hold down the Shift
372 key when you select compose. You can then write an email as if Enigmail
375 <dt class=
"feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?
</dt>
376 <dd class=
"feedback">Please let us know on the
<a
377 href=
"https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback
381 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
383 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
384 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
389 <dt>Command line key generation
</dt>
390 <dd>If you prefer using the command line for a higher
391 degree of control, you can follow the documentation from
<a
392 href=
"https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual/c14.html#AEN25">The GNU Privacy
393 Handbook
</a>. Make sure you stick with
"RSA and RSA" (the default),
394 because it's newer and more secure than the algorithms the documentation
395 recommends. Also make sure your key is at least
2048 bits, or
4096 if you
396 want to be extra secure.
</dd>
398 <dt>Advanced key pairs
</dt>
399 <dd>When GnuPG creates a new keypair, it compartmentalizes
400 the encryption function from the signing function through
<a
401 href=
"https://wiki.debian.org/Subkeys">subkeys
</a>. If you use
402 subkeys carefully, you can keep your GnuPG identity much more
403 secure and recover from a compromised key much more quickly.
<a
404 href=
"https://alexcabal.com/creating-the-perfect-gpg-keypair/">Alex Cabal
</a>
405 and
<a href=
"http://keyring.debian.org/creating-key.html">the Debian wiki
</a>
406 provide good guides for setting up a secure subkey configuration.
</dd>
409 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
410 </div><!-- End .main -->
411 </div><!-- End #step-2a .step -->
413 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
414 <div id=
"step-2b" class=
"step">
417 <h3><em>Step
2.b
</em> Upload your public key to a keyserver
</h3>
419 <p>In your email program's menu, select Enigmail
→ Key Management.
</p>
421 <p>Right click on your key and select Upload Public Keys to Keyserver. Use
422 the default keyserver in the popup.
</p>
424 <p class=
"notes">Now someone who wants to send you an encrypted message can
425 download your public key from the Internet. There are multiple keyservers
426 that you can select from the menu when you upload, but they are all copies
427 of each other, so it doesn't matter which one you use. However, it sometimes
428 takes a few hours for them to match each other when a new key is uploaded.
</p>
430 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
431 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
433 <h4>Troubleshooting
</h4>
436 <dt>The progress bar never finishes
</dt>
437 <dd>Close the upload popup, make sure you are connected to the Internet,
438 and try again. If that doesn't work, try again, selecting a different
441 <dt>My key doesn't appear in the list
</dt>
442 <dd>Try checking
"Display All Keys by Default."</dd>
444 <dt>More documentation
</dt>
445 <dd>If you're having trouble with our
446 instructions or just want to learn more, check out
<a
447 href=
"https://www.enigmail.net/documentation/quickstart-ch2.php#id2533620">Enigmail's
448 documentation
</a>.
</dd>
450 <dt class=
"feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?
</dt>
451 <dd class=
"feedback">Please let us know on the
<a
452 href=
"https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback
456 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
458 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
459 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
464 <dt>Uploading a key from the command line
</dt>
465 <dd>You can also upload your keys to a keyserver through the
<a
466 href=
"https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual/x457.html">command line
</a>.
<a
467 href=
"https://sks-keyservers.net/overview-of-pools.php">The sks Web site
</a>
468 maintains a list of highly interconnected keyservers. You can also
<a
469 href=
"https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual/x56.html#AEN64">directly export
470 your key
</a> as a file on your computer.
</dd>
473 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
474 </div><!-- End .main -->
475 </div><!-- End #step-2b .step -->
477 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
478 <div id=
"terminology" class=
"step">
481 <h3>GnuPG, OpenPGP, what?
</h3>
483 <p>In general, the terms GnuPG, GPG, GNU Privacy Guard, OpenPGP and PGP
484 are used interchangeably. Technically, OpenPGP (Pretty Good Privacy) is the
485 encryption standard, and GNU Privacy Guard (often shortened to GPG or GnuPG)
486 is the program that implements the standard. Enigmail is a plug-in program
487 for your email program that provides an interface for GnuPG.
</p>
489 </div><!-- End .main -->
490 </div><!-- End #terminology.step-->
491 </div></section><!-- End #section2 -->
493 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 3: Try it out ~~~~~~~~~ -->
494 <section class=
"row" id=
"section3"><div>
496 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
497 <div class=
"section-intro">
499 <h2><em>#
3</em> Try it out!
</h2>
501 <p>Now you'll try a test correspondence with a computer program named Edward,
502 who knows how to use encryption. Except where noted, these are the same
503 steps you'd follow when corresponding with a real, live person.
</p>
505 <!-- <p>NOTE: Edward is currently having some technical difficulties, so he
506 may take a long time to respond, or not respond at all. We're sorry about
507 this and we're working hard to fix it. Your key will still work even without
508 testing with Edward.</p> -->
509 </div><!-- End .section-intro -->
511 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
512 <div id=
"step-3a" class=
"step">
513 <div class=
"sidebar">
516 src=
"//static.fsf.org/nosvn/enc-dev0/img/en/screenshots/section3-try-it-out.png"
517 alt=
"Try it out." /></p>
519 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
522 <h3><em>Step
3.a
</em> Send Edward your public key
</h3>
524 <p>This is a special step that you won't have to do when corresponding
525 with real people. In your email program's menu, go to Enigmail
→ Key
526 Management. You should see your key in the list that pops up. Right click
527 on your key and select Send Public Keys by Email. This will create a new
528 draft message, as if you had just hit the Write button.
</p>
530 <p>Address the message to
<a
531 href=
"mailto:edward-en@fsf.org">edward-en@fsf.org
</a>. Put at least one word
532 (whatever you want) in the subject and body of the email. Don't send yet.
</p>
534 <p>The lock icon in the top left should be yellow, meaning encryption is
535 turned on. We want this first special message to be unencrypted, so
536 click the icon once to turn it off. The lock should become grey, with a
537 blue dot on it (to alert you that the setting has been changed from the
538 default). Once encryption is off, hit Send.
</p>
540 <p class=
"notes">It may take two or three minutes for Edward to
541 respond. In the meantime, you might want to skip ahead and check out the
<a
542 href=
"#section5">Use it Well
</a> section of this guide. Once he's responded,
543 head to the next step. From here on, you'll be doing just the same thing as
544 when corresponding with a real person.
</p>
546 <p>When you open Edward's reply, GnuPG may prompt you for your password
547 before using your private key to decrypt it.
</p>
549 </div><!-- End .main -->
550 </div><!-- End #step-3a .step -->
552 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
553 <div id=
"step-3b" class=
"step">
556 <h3><em>Step
3.b
</em> Send a test encrypted email
</h3>
558 <p>Write a new email in your email program, addressed to
<a
559 href=
"mailto:edward-en@fsf.org">edward-en@fsf.org
</a>. Make the subject
560 "Encryption test" or something similar and write something in the body.
</p>
562 <p>The lock icon in the top left of the window should be yellow, meaning
563 encryption is on. This will be your default from now on.
</p>
565 <p class=
"notes">Next to the lock, you'll notice an icon of a pencil. We'll
566 get to this in a moment.
</p>
568 <p>Click Send. Enigmail will pop up a window that says
"Recipients not valid,
569 not trusted or not found."</p>
571 <p>To encrypt an email to Edward, you need his public key, so now you'll have
572 Enigmail download it from a keyserver. Click Download Missing Keys and use
573 the default in the pop-up that asks you to choose a keyserver. Once it finds
574 keys, check the first one (Key ID starting with C), then select ok. Select
575 ok in the next pop-up.
</p>
577 <p>Now you are back at the
"Recipients not valid, not trusted or not found"
578 screen. Check the box in front of Edward's key and click Send.
</p>
580 <p class=
"notes">Since you encrypted this email with Edward's public key,
581 Edward's private key is required to decrypt it. Edward is the only one with
582 his private key, so no one except him can decrypt it.
</p>
584 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
585 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
587 <h4>Troubleshooting
</h4>
590 <dt>Enigmail can't find Edward's key
</dt>
591 <dd>Close the pop-ups that have appeared since you clicked Send. Make sure
592 you are connected to the Internet and try again. If that doesn't work, repeat
593 the process, choosing a different keyserver when it asks you to pick one.
</dd>
595 <dt>Unscrambled messages in the Sent folder
</dt>
596 <dd>Even though you can't decrypt messages encrypted to someone else's key,
597 your email program will automatically save a copy encrypted to your public key,
598 which you'll be able to view from the Sent folder like a normal email. This
599 is normal, and it doesn't mean that your email was not sent encrypted.
</dd>
601 <dt>More resources
</dt>
602 <dd>If you're still having trouble with our
603 instructions or just want to learn more, check out
<a
604 href=
"https://enigmail.wiki/Signature_and_Encryption#Encrypting_a_message">Enigmail's
607 <dt class=
"feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?
</dt>
608 <dd class=
"feedback">Please let us know on the
<a
609 href=
"https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback
613 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
615 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
616 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
621 <dt>Encrypt messages from the command line
</dt>
622 <dd>You can also encrypt and decrypt messages and files from the
<a
623 href=
"https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual/x110.html">command line
</a>,
624 if that's your preference. The option --armor makes the encrypted output
625 appear in the regular character set.
</dd>
628 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
629 </div><!-- End .main -->
630 </div><!-- End #step-3b .step -->
632 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
633 <div id=
"step-headers_unencrypted" class=
"step">
636 <h3><em>Important:
</em> Security tips
</h3>
638 <p>Even if you encrypt your email, the subject line is not encrypted, so
639 don't put private information there. The sending and receiving addresses
640 aren't encrypted either, so a surveillance system can still figure out who
641 you're communicating with. Also, surveillance agents will know that you're
642 using GnuPG, even if they can't figure out what you're saying. When you
643 send attachments, Enigmail will give you the choice to encrypt them or not,
644 independent of the actual email.
</p>
646 </div><!-- End .main -->
647 </div><!-- End #step-headers_unencrypted .step-->
649 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
650 <div id=
"step-3c" class=
"step">
653 <h3><em>Step
3.c
</em> Receive a response
</h3>
655 <p>When Edward receives your email, he will use his private key to decrypt
656 it, then use your public key (which you sent him in
<a href=
"#step-3a">Step
657 3.A
</a>) to encrypt his reply to you.
</p>
659 <p class=
"notes">It may take two or three minutes for Edward to
660 respond. In the meantime, you might want to skip ahead and check out the
<a
661 href=
"#section5">Use it Well
</a> section of this guide.
</p>
663 <p>When you receive Edward's email and open it, Enigmail will automatically
664 detect that it is encrypted with your public key, and then it will use your
665 private key to decrypt it.
</p>
667 <p>Notice the bar that Enigmail shows you above the message, with information
668 about the status of Edward's key.
</p>
670 </div><!-- End .main -->
671 </div><!-- End #step-3c .step -->
673 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
674 <div id=
"step-3d" class=
"step">
677 <h3><em>Step
3.d
</em> Send a test signed email
</h3>
679 <p>GnuPG includes a way for you to sign messages and files, verifying that
680 they came from you and that they weren't tampered with along the way. These
681 signatures are stronger than their pen-and-paper cousins -- they're impossible
682 to forge, because they're impossible to create without your private key
683 (another reason to keep your private key safe).
</p>
685 <p>You can sign messages to anyone, so it's a great way to make people
686 aware that you use GnuPG and that they can communicate with you securely. If
687 they don't have GnuPG, they will be able to read your message and see your
688 signature. If they do have GnuPG, they'll also be able to verify that your
689 signature is authentic.
</p>
691 <p>To sign an email to Edward, compose any message to him and click the
692 pencil icon next to the lock icon so that it turns gold. If you sign a
693 message, GnuPG may ask you for your password before it sends the message,
694 because it needs to unlock your private key for signing.
</p>
696 <p>With the lock and pencil icons, you can choose whether each message will
697 be encrypted, signed, both, or neither.
</p>
702 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
703 <div id=
"step-3e" class=
"step">
706 <h3><em>Step
3.e
</em> Receive a response
</h3>
708 <p>When Edward receives your email, he will use your public key (which you
709 sent him in
<a href=
"#step-3a">Step
3.A
</a>) to verify that your signature
710 is authentic and the message you sent has not been tampered with.
</p>
712 <p class=
"notes">It may take two or three minutes for Edward to
713 respond. In the meantime, you might want to skip ahead and check out the
<a
714 href=
"#section5">Use it Well
</a> section of this guide.
</p>
716 <p>Edward's reply will arrive encrypted, because he prefers to use encryption
717 whenever possible. If everything goes according to plan, it should say
718 "Your signature was verified." If your test signed email was also encrypted,
719 he will mention that first.
</p>
721 </div><!-- End .main -->
722 </div><!-- End #step-3e .step -->
725 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 4: Learn the Web of Trust ~~~~~~~~~ -->
726 <section class=
"row" id=
"section4"><div>
728 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
729 <div class=
"section-intro">
731 <h2><em>#
4</em> Learn the Web of Trust
</h2>
733 <p>Email encryption is a powerful technology, but it has a weakness;
734 it requires a way to verify that a person's public key is actually
735 theirs. Otherwise, there would be no way to stop an attacker from making
736 an email address with your friend's name, creating keys to go with it and
737 impersonating your friend. That's why the free software programmers that
738 developed email encryption created keysigning and the Web of Trust.
</p>
740 <p>When you sign someone's key, you are publicly saying that you've verified
741 that it belongs to them and not someone else.
</p>
743 <p>Signing keys and signing messages use the same type of mathematical
744 operation, but they carry very different implications. It's a good practice
745 to generally sign your email, but if you casually sign people's keys, you
746 may accidently end up vouching for the identity of an imposter.
</p>
748 <p>People who use your public key can see who has signed it. Once you've
749 used GnuPG for a long time, your key may have hundreds of signatures. You
750 can consider a key to be more trustworthy if it has many signatures from
751 people that you trust. The Web of Trust is a constellation of GnuPG users,
752 connected to each other by chains of trust expressed through signatures.
</p>
754 </div><!-- End .section-intro -->
756 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
757 <div id=
"step-4a" class=
"step">
758 <div class=
"sidebar">
761 src=
"//static.fsf.org/nosvn/enc-dev0/img/en/screenshots/section4-web-of-trust.png"
762 alt=
"Section 4: Web of Trust" /></p>
764 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
767 <h3><em>Step
4.a
</em> Sign a key
</h3>
769 <p>In your email program's menu, go to Enigmail
→ Key Management.
</p>
771 <p>Right click on Edward's public key and select Sign Key from the context
774 <p>In the window that pops up, select
"I will not answer" and click ok.
</p>
776 <p>Now you should be back at the Key Management menu. Select Keyserver
→
777 Upload Public Keys and hit ok.
</p>
779 <p class=
"notes">You've just effectively said
"I trust that Edward's public
780 key actually belongs to Edward." This doesn't mean much because Edward isn't
781 a real person, but it's good practice.
</p>
783 <!--<div id="pgp-pathfinder">
785 <form enctype="application/x-www-form-urlencoded" action="/mk_path.cgi"
788 <p><strong>From:</strong><input type="text" placeholder="xD41A008"
791 <p><strong>To:</strong><input type="text" placeholder="50BD01x4" name="TO"></p>
793 <p class="buttons"><input type="submit" value="trust paths" name="PATHS"><input
794 type="reset" value="reset" name=".reset"></p>
798 </div>End #pgp-pathfinder -->
799 </div><!-- End .main -->
800 </div><!-- End #step-4a .step -->
802 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
803 <div id=
"step-identify_keys" class=
"step">
806 <h3>Identifying keys: Fingerprints and IDs
</h3>
808 <p>People's public keys are usually identified by their key fingerprint,
809 which is a string of digits like F357AA1A5B1FA42CFD9FE52A9FF2194CC09A61E8
810 (for Edward's key). You can see the fingerprint for your public key, and
811 other public keys saved on your computer, by going to Enigmail
→ Key
812 Management in your email program's menu, then right clicking on the key
813 and choosing Key Properties. It's good practice to share your fingerprint
814 wherever you share your email address, so that people can double-check that
815 they have the correct public key when they download yours from a keyserver.
</p>
817 <p class=
"notes">You may also see public keys referred to by their key ID,
818 which is simply the last eight digits of the fingerprint, like C09A61E8 for
819 Edward. The key ID is visible directly from the Key Management window. This
820 key ID is like a person's first name (it is a useful shorthand but may not be
821 unique to a given key), whereas the fingerprint actually identifies the key
822 uniquely without the possibility of confusion. If you only have the key ID,
823 you can still look up the key (as well as its fingerprint), like you did in
824 Step
3, but if multiple options appear, you'll need the fingerprint of the
825 person to whom you are trying to communicate to verify which one to use.
</p>
827 </div><!-- End .main -->
828 </div><!-- End #step-identify_keys .step-->
830 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
831 <div id=
"check-ids-before-signing" class=
"step">
834 <h3><em>Important:
</em> What to consider when signing keys
</h3>
836 <p>Before signing a person's key, you need to be confident that it actually
837 belongs to them, and that they are who they say they are. Ideally, this
838 confidence comes from having interactions and conversations with them over
839 time, and witnessing interactions between them and others. Whenever signing
840 a key, ask to see the full public key fingerprint, and not just the shorter
841 key ID. If you feel it's important to sign the key of someone you've just
842 met, also ask them to show you their government identification, and make
843 sure the name on the ID matches the name on the public key. In Enigmail,
844 answer honestly in the window that pops up and asks
"How carefully have you
845 verified that the key you are about to sign actually belongs to the person(s)
848 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
849 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
854 <dt>Master the Web of Trust
</dt>
855 <dd>Unfortunately, trust does not spread between users the way
<a
856 href=
"http://fennetic.net/irc/finney.org/~hal/web_of_trust.html">many people
857 think
</a>. One of best ways to strengthen the GnuPG community is to deeply
<a
858 href=
"https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual/x334.html">understand
</a> the Web of
859 Trust and to carefully sign as many people's keys as circumstances permit.
</dd>
861 <dt>Set ownertrust
</dt>
862 <dd>If you trust someone enough to validate other people's keys, you can assign
863 them an ownertrust level through Enigmails's key management window. Right
864 click on the other person's key, go to the
"Select Owner Trust" menu option,
865 select the trustlevel and click OK. Only do this once you feel you have a
866 deep understanding of the Web of Trust.
</dd>
869 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
870 </div><!-- End .main -->
871 </div><!-- End #check-ids-before-signing .step-->
872 </div></section><!-- End #section4 -->
874 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 5: Use it well ~~~~~~~~~ -->
875 <section id=
"section5" class=
"row"><div>
877 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
878 <div class=
"section-intro">
880 <h2><em>#
5</em> Use it well
</h2>
882 <p>Everyone uses GnuPG a little differently, but it's important to follow
883 some basic practices to keep your email secure. Not following them, you
884 risk the privacy of the people you communicate with, as well as your own,
885 and damage the Web of Trust.
</p>
887 </div><!-- End .section-intro -->
889 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
890 <div id=
"step-5a" class=
"step">
891 <div class=
"sidebar">
894 src=
"//static.fsf.org/nosvn/enc-dev0/img/en/screenshots/section5-01-use-it-well.png"
895 alt=
"Section 5: Use it Well (1)" /></p>
897 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
900 <h3>When should I encrypt? When should I sign?
</h3>
902 <p>The more you can encrypt your messages, the better. If you only encrypt
903 emails occasionally, each encrypted message could raise a red flag for
904 surveillance systems. If all or most of your email is encrypted, people
905 doing surveillance won't know where to start. That's not to say that only
906 encrypting some of your email isn't helpful -- it's a great start and it
907 makes bulk surveillance more difficult.
</p>
909 <p>Unless you don't want to reveal your own identity (which requires other
910 protective measures), there's no reason not to sign every message, whether or
911 not you are encrypting. In addition to allowing those with GnuPG to verify
912 that the message came from you, signing is a non-intrusive way to remind
913 everyone that you use GnuPG and show support for secure communication. If you
914 often send signed messages to people that aren't familiar with GnuPG, it's
915 nice to also include a link to this guide in your standard email signature
916 (the text kind, not the cryptographic kind).
</p>
918 </div><!-- End .main -->
919 </div><!-- End #step-5a .step -->
921 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
922 <div id=
"step-5b" class=
"step">
923 <div class=
"sidebar">
926 src=
"//static.fsf.org/nosvn/enc-dev0/img/en/screenshots/section5-02-use-it-well.png"
927 alt=
"Section 5: Use it Well (2)" /></p>
929 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
932 <h3>Be wary of invalid keys
</h3>
934 <p>GnuPG makes email safer, but it's still important to watch out for invalid
935 keys, which might have fallen into the wrong hands. Email encrypted with
936 invalid keys might be readable by surveillance programs.
</p>
938 <p>In your email program, go back to the first encrypted email that Edward
939 sent you. Because Edward encrypted it with your public key, it will have a
940 message from Enigmail at the top, which most likely says
"Enigmail: Part of
941 this message encrypted."</p>
943 <p><b>When using GnuPG, make a habit of glancing at that bar. The program
944 will warn you there if you get an email signed with a key that can't
947 </div><!-- End .main -->
948 </div><!-- End #step-5b .step -->
950 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
951 <div id=
"step-5c" class=
"step">
954 <h3>Copy your revocation certificate to somewhere safe
</h3>
956 <p>Remember when you created your keys and saved the revocation certificate
957 that GnuPG made? It's time to copy that certificate onto the safest digital
958 storage that you have -- the ideal thing is a flash drive, disk, or hard
959 drive stored in a safe place in your home, not on a device you carry with
962 <p>If your private key ever gets lost or stolen, you'll need this certificate
963 file to let people know that you are no longer using that keypair.
</p>
965 </div><!-- End .main -->
966 </div><!-- End #step-5c .step -->
968 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
969 <div id=
"step-lost_key" class=
"step">
972 <h3><em>Important:
</em> act swiftly if someone gets your private key
</h3>
974 <p>If you lose your private key or someone else gets ahold
975 of it (say, by stealing or cracking your computer), it's
976 important to revoke it immediately before someone else uses
977 it to read your encrypted email or forge your signature. This
978 guide doesn't cover how to revoke a key, but you can follow these
<a
979 href=
"https://www.hackdiary.com/2004/01/18/revoking-a-gpg-key/">instructions
</a>.
980 After you're done revoking, make a new key and send an email to everyone
981 with whom you usually use your key to make sure they know, including a copy
984 </div><!-- End .main -->
985 </div><!-- End #step-lost_key .step-->
987 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
988 <!---<div id="transfer-key" class="step">
991 <h3>Transferring you key</h3>
993 <p>You can use Enigmail's <a
994 href="https://www.enigmail.net/documentation/keyman.php">key management
995 window</a> to import and export keys. If you want to be able to read
996 your encrypted email on a different computer, you will need to export
997 your secret key from here. Be warned, if you transfer the key without <a
998 href="https://help.ubuntu.com/community/EncryptedFilesystemsOnRemovableStorage">encrypting</a>
999 the drive it's on the transfer will be dramatically less secure.</p>
1001 </div>--><!-- End .main
1002 </div> End #transfer-key .step-->
1004 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1005 <div id=
"webmail-and-GnuPG" class=
"step">
1008 <h3>Webmail and GnuPG
</h3>
1010 <p>When you use a web browser to access your email, you're using webmail,
1011 an email program stored on a distant website. Unlike webmail, your desktop
1012 email program runs on your own computer. Although webmail can't decrypt
1013 encrypted email, it will still display it in its encrypted form. If you
1014 primarily use webmail, you'll know to open your email client when you receive
1015 a scrambled email.
</p>
1017 </div><!-- End .main -->
1018 </div><!-- End #webmail-and-GnuPG .step-->
1020 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~
1021 <div id="step-5d" class="step">
1024 <h3>Make your public key part of your online identity</h3>
1026 <p> First add your public key fingerprint to your email signature, then
1027 compose an email to at least five of your friends, telling them you just
1028 set up GnuPG and mentioning your public key fingerprint. Link to this guide
1029 and ask them to join you. Don't forget that there's also an awesome <a
1030 href="infographic.html">infographic to share.</a></p>
1032 <p class="notes">Start writing your public key fingerprint anywhere someone
1033 would see your email address: your social media profiles, blog, Website,
1034 or business card. (At the Free Software Foundation, we put ours on our
1035 <a href="https://fsf.org/about/staff">staff page</a>.) We need to get our
1036 culture to the point that we feel like something is missing when we see an
1037 email address without a public key fingerprint.</p>
1039 </div>--><!-- End .main
1040 </div> End #step-5d .step-->
1041 </div></section><!-- End #section5 -->
1043 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 6: Next steps ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1044 <section class=
"row" id=
"section6">
1045 <div id=
"step-click_here" class=
"step">
1048 <h2><a href=
"next_steps.html">Great job! Check out the next steps.
</a></h2>
1050 </div><!-- End .main -->
1051 </div><!-- End #step-click_here .step-->
1052 </section><!-- End #section6 -->
1054 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ FAQ ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1055 <!-- When un-commenting this section go to main.css and search
1056 for /* Guide Sections Background */ then add #faq to the desired color
1057 <section class="row" id="faq"><div>
1058 <div class="sidebar">
1066 <dt>My key expired</dt>
1067 <dd>Answer coming soon.</dd>
1069 <dt>Who can read encrypted messages? Who can read signed ones?</dt>
1070 <dd>Answer coming soon.</dd>
1072 <dt>My email program is opening at times I don't want it to open/is now my
1073 default program and I don't want it to be.</dt>
1074 <dd>Answer coming soon.</dd>
1079 </section> --><!-- End #faq -->
1081 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Footer ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1082 <footer class=
"row" id=
"footer"><div>
1083 <div id=
"copyright">
1085 <h4><a href=
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1086 alt=
"Free Software Foundation"
1087 src=
"//static.fsf.org/nosvn/enc-dev0/img/fsf-logo.png" /></a></h4>
1089 <p>Copyright
© 2014-
2016 <a
1090 href=
"https://u.fsf.org/ys">Free Software Foundation
</a>, Inc.
<a
1091 href=
"https://my.fsf.org/donate/privacypolicy.html">Privacy Policy
</a>. Please
1092 support our work by
<a href=
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1095 <p>The images on this page are under a
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1096 href=
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1097 Attribution
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1098 a
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1099 Attribution-ShareAlike
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</a>. Download the
<a
1100 href=
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1101 code of Edward reply bot
</a> by Andrew Engelbrecht
1102 <sudoman@ninthfloor.org
> and Josh Drake
<zamnedix@gnu.org
>,
1103 available under the GNU Affero General Public License.
<a
1104 href=
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1107 <p>Fonts used in the guide
& infographic:
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</a> by Pablo
1109 Impallari,
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ś,
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<a
1113 href=
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2000</a>
1114 by Florian Cramer.
</p>
1116 <p>Download the
<a href=
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</a>
1117 for this guide, including fonts, image source files and the text of Edward's
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