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*WARNING: This FAQ is heavily outdated*.  Mentioned versions of GnuPG
have reached end of life many years ago.  Almost all bugs and problems
have been fixed in the now current versions of GnuPG.  We will try to
update this FAQ in the next month.  See the section "Changes" for recent updates.


* Welcome
  :PROPERTIES:
  :CUSTOM_ID: welcome
  :END:

  Welcome to the GnuPG FAQ.  The latest HTML version is available at\\
  [[http://www.gnupg.org/faq/GnuPG-FAQ.html]]; \\
  a plain text Gversion at \\
  ftp://ftp.gnupg.org/gcrypt/gnupg/GnuPG-FAQ.txt.

  See the end of this file for the release date.

  The index is generated automatically, so there may be errors. Not
  all questions may be in the section they belong to. Suggestions
  about how to improve the structure of this FAQ are welcome.

  Please send additions and corrections to the gnupg-users mailing
  list. It would be most convenient if you could provide the answer to
  be included here as well. Your help is very much appreciated!

  Please, don't send message like "This should be a FAQ - what's the
  answer?". If it hasn't been asked before, it isn't a FAQ. In that
  case you could search in the mailing list archive.

** What conventions are used in this FAQ?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: what-conventions-are-used-in-this-faq
   :END:

    Although GnuPG is being developed for several operating systems
    (often in parallel), the conventions used in this FAQ reflect a
    UNIX shell environment. For Win32 users, references to a shell
    prompt (=$=) should be interpreted as a command prompt (=>=),
    directory names separated by a forward slash (=/=) may need to be
    converted to a back slash (=\=), and a tilde (=~=) represents a
    user's "home" directory (reference question [[id:how-do-i-put-my-keyring-in-a-different-directory][How do I put my keyring in a different directory?]] for an example).

    Some command-lines presented in this FAQ are too long to properly
    display in some browsers for the web page version of this file, and
    have been split into two or more lines. For these commands please
    remember to enter the entire command-string on one line or the
    command will error, or at minimum not give the desired results.

    Please keep in mind that this FAQ contains information that may not
    apply to your particular version, as new features and bug fixes are
    added on a continuing basis (reference the NEWS file included with
    the source or package for noteworthy changes between versions). One
    item to note is that starting with GnuPG version 1.1.92 the file
    containing user options and settings has been renamed from "options"
    to "gpg.conf". Information in the FAQ that relates to the options
    file may be interchangeable with the newer gpg.conf file in many
    instances. See question
    [[#gnupg-no-longer-installs-a-options-file-is-it-missing][GnuPG no longer installs a ~/.gnupg/options file. Is it missing?]]
    for details.

* General Questions

** What is GnuPG?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: what-is-gnupg
   :END:

    [[gnupgweb][GnuPG]] stands for GNU Privacy Guard and is GNU's tool for secure
    communication and data storage. It can be used to encrypt data and
    to create digital signatures. It includes an advanced key
    management facility and is compliant with the proposed OpenPGP
    Internet standard as described in [[http://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc4880.txt][RFC-4880]].  As such, it is aimed
    to be compatible with PGP from PGP Corp. and other OpenPGP tools

** Is GnuPG compatible with PGP?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: is-gnupg-compatible-with-pgp
   :END:

    In general, yes. GnuPG and newer PGP releases should be implementing
    the OpenPGP standard. But there are some interoperability problems.
    See question
    [[#how-can-i-encrypt-a-message-so-that-pgp-is-able-to-decrypt-it][How can I encrypt a message with GnuPG so that PGP is able to decrypt it?]]
    for details.

** Is GnuPG free to use for personal or commercial use?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: is-gnupg-free-to-use
   :END:

    Yes. GnuPG is part of the GNU family of tools and applications built
    and provided in accordance with the Free Software Foundation (FSF)
    General Public License (GPL). Therefore the software is free to copy,
    use, modify and distribute in accordance with that license. Please
    read the file titled COPYING that accompanies the application for
    more information.


* Sources of Information

** Where can I find more information on GnuPG?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: more-information-on-gnupg
   :END:

   On-line resources:

   - The documentation page is located at [[gnupgweb:documentation/]].
     Also, have a look at the HOWTOs and the GNU Privacy Handbook
     (GPH, available in English, Spanish and Russian).  The latter
     provides a detailed user's guide to GnuPG.  You'll also find a
     document about how to convert from PGP 2.x to GnuPG.

   - At [[gnupgweb:documentation/mailing-lists.html]] you'll find an
     online archive of the GnuPG mailing lists.  Most interesting
     should be gnupg-users for all user-related issues and gnupg-devel
     if you want to get in touch with the developers.

     In addition, searchable archives can be found on MARC, e.g.:\\
     For gnupg-users : [[http://marc.theaimsgroup.com/?l=gnupg-users&r=1&w=2]]\\
     For gnupg-devel : [[http://marc.theaimsgroup.com/?l=gnupg-devel&r=1&w=2]]

     *Please:* Before posting to a list, read this FAQ and the
     available documentation.  In addition, search the list archive
     --- maybe your question has already been discussed. This way you
     help people focus on topics that have not yet been resolved.

   - The GnuPG source distribution contains a subdirectory:

     : ./doc

     where some additional documentation is located (mainly
     interesting for hackers, not the casual user).


** Where do I get GnuPG?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: where-do-i-get-gnupg
   :END:

    You can download the GNU Privacy Guard from its primary FTP server
    [[ftp://ftp.gnupg.org/gcrypt/gnupg/][ftp.gnupg.org]] or from one of its [[gnupgweb:download/mirrors.html][mirrors]].

    The current stable version is FIXME. Please upgrade to this
    version as it includes additional features, functions and security
    fixes that may not have existed in prior versions.

* Installation

** Which OSes does GnuPG run on?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: which-oses-does-gnupg-run-on
   :END:

    It should run on most Unices as well as Windows versions
    (including Windows NT/2000) and Macintosh OS/X.  A list of OSes
    reported to be OK is presented at:

    [[gnupgweb:download/supported_systems.html]]

** Which random data gatherer should I use?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: which-random-data-gatherer-should-i-use
   :END:

    "Good" random numbers are crucial for the security of your encryption.
    Different operating systems provide a variety of more or less quality
    random data. Linux and *BSD provide kernel generated random data
    through /dev/random - this should be the preferred choice on these
    systems. Also Solaris users with the SUNWski package installed have
    a /dev/random. In these cases, use the configure option:

    : --enable-static-rnd=linux

    In addition, there's also the kernel random device by Andi Maier
    [[http://www.cosy.sbg.ac.at/~andi/SUNrand/]], but it's still beta. Use
    at your own risk!

    On other systems, the Entropy Gathering Daemon (EGD) is a good choice.
    It is a perl-daemon that monitors system activity and hashes it into
    random data. See the download page [[gnupgweb:download/]]
    to obtain EGD. Use:

    : --enable-static-rnd=egd

    here.

    If the above options do not work, you can use the random number
    generator "unix". This is *very slow* and should be avoided. The
    random quality isn't very good so don't use it on sensitive data.

** How do I include support for RSA and IDEA?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: how-do-i-include-support-for-rsa-and-idea
   :END:

    RSA is included as of GnuPG version 1.0.3.

    The official GnuPG distribution does not contain IDEA due to a patent
    restriction. The patent does not expire before 2007 so don't expect
    official support before then.

    However, there is an unofficial module to include it even in earlier
    versions of GnuPG. It's available from
    [[ftp://ftp.gnupg.dk/pub/contrib-dk/]]. Look for:

    : idea.c.gz        (c module)
    : idea.c.gz.sig    (signature file)

    : ideadll.zip      (c module and win32 dll)
    : ideadll.zip.sig  (signature file)

    Compilation directives are in the headers of these files. You will
    then need to add the following line to your =~/.gnupg/gpg.conf= or
    =~/.gnupg/options= file:

    : load-extension idea


* Usage

** What is the recommended key size?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: what-is-the-recommended-key-size
   :END:

    1024 bit for DSA signatures; even for plain Elgamal signatures.
    This is sufficient as the size of the hash is probably the weakest
    link if the key size is larger than 1024 bits. Encryption keys may
    have greater sizes, but you should then check the fingerprint of
    this key:

    : $ gpg --fingerprint <user ID>

    As for the key algorithms, you should stick with the default (i.e.,
    DSA signature and Elgamal encryption). An Elgamal signing key has
    the following disadvantages: the signature is larger, it is hard
    to create such a key useful for signatures which can withstand some
    real world attacks, you don't get any extra security compared to
    DSA, and there might be compatibility problems with certain PGP
    versions. It has only been introduced because at the time it was
    not clear whether there was a patent on DSA.

** Why does it sometimes take so long to create keys?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: why-does-it-sometimes-take-so-long-to-create-keys
   :END:

    The problem here is that we need a lot of random bytes and for that
    we (on Linux the /dev/random device) must collect some random data.
    It is really not easy to fill the Linux internal entropy buffer; I
    talked to Ted Ts'o and he commented that the best way to fill the
    buffer is to play with your keyboard. Good security has its price.
    What I do is to hit several times on the shift, control, alternate,
    and caps lock keys, because these keys do not produce output to the
    screen. This way you get your keys really fast (it's the same thing
    PGP2 does).

    Another problem might be another program which eats up your random
    bytes (a program (look at your daemons) that reads from /dev/random).

** And it really takes long when I work on a remote system. Why?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: it-really-takes-long-when-i-work-on-a-remote-system
   :END:

    Don't do this at all! You should never create keys or even use GnuPG
    on a remote system because you normally have no physical control
    over your secret key ring (which is in most cases vulnerable to
    advanced dictionary attacks) - I strongly encourage everyone to only
    create keys on a local computer (a disconnected laptop is probably
    the best choice) and if you need it on your connected box (I know,
    we all do this) be sure to have a strong password for both your
    account and for your secret key, and that you can trust your system
    administrator.

    When I check GnuPG on a remote system via ssh (I have no Alpha here)
    ;-) I have the same problem. It takes a *very* long time to create
    the keys, so I use a special option, --quick-random, to generate
    insecure keys which are only good for some tests.

** What is the difference between options and commands?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: difference-between-options-and-commands
   :END:

    If you do a 'gpg --help', you will get two separate lists. The first
    is a list of commands. The second is a list of options. Whenever you
    run GPG, you *must* pick exactly one command (with one exception,
    see below). You *may* pick one or more options. The command should,
    just by convention, come at the end of the argument list, after all
    the options. If the command takes a file (all the basic ones do),
    the filename comes at the very end. So the basic way to run gpg is:

    : $ gpg [--option something] [--option2] [--option3 something] --command file

    Some options take arguments. For example, the --output option (which
    can be abbreviated as -o) is an option that takes a filename. The
    option's argument must follow immediately after the option itself,
    otherwise gpg doesn't know which option the argument is supposed to
    paired with. As an option, --output and its filename must come before
    the command. The --recipient (-r) option takes a name or keyID to
    encrypt the message to, which must come right after the -r option.
    The --encrypt (or -e) command comes after all the options and is
    followed by the file you wish to encrypt. Therefore in this example
    the command-line issued would be:

    : $ gpg -r alice -o secret.txt -e test.txt

    If you write the options out in full, it is easier to read:

    : $ gpg --recipient alice --output secret.txt --encrypt test.txt

    If you're encrypting to a file with the extension ".txt", then you'd
    probably expect to see ASCII-armored text in the file (not binary),
    so you need to add the --armor (-a) option, which doesn't take any
    arguments:

    : $ gpg --armor --recipient alice --output secret.txt --encrypt test.txt

    If you imagine square brackets around the optional parts, it becomes
    a bit clearer:

    : $ gpg [--armor] [--recipient alice] [--output secret.txt] --encrypt test.txt

    The optional parts can be rearranged any way you want:

    : $ gpg --output secret.txt --recipient alice --armor --encrypt test.txt

    If your filename begins with a hyphen (e.g. "-a.txt"), GnuPG assumes
    this is an option and may complain. To avoid this you have to either
    use =./-a.txt=, or stop the option and command processing with two
    hyphens: =-- -a.txt=.

    *The exception to using only one command*: signing and encrypting
    at the same time. For this you can combine both commands, such as in:

    : $ gpg [--options] --sign --encrypt foo.txt

** I can't delete a user ID on my secret keyring because it has already been deleted on my public keyring. What can I do?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: delete-user-id-from-secring-if-already-deleted-from-pubring
   :END:

    Because you can only select from the public key ring, there is no
    direct way to do this. However it is not very complicated to do
    anyway. Create a new user ID with exactly the same name and you
    will see that there are now two identical user IDs on the secret
    ring. Now select this user ID and delete it. Both user IDs will be
    removed from the secret ring.

** I can't delete my secret key because the public key disappeared.  What can I do?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: delete-my-secret-key-because-the-public-key-disappeared
   :END:

    To select a key a search is always done on the public keyring,
    therefore it is not possible to select a secret key without
    having the public key. Normally it should never happen that the
    public key got lost but the secret key is still available. The
    reality is different, so GnuPG implements a special way to deal
    with it: Simply use the long keyID to specify the key to delete,
    which can be obtained by using the --with-colons options (it is
    the fifth field in the lines beginning with "sec").

    If you've lost your public key and need to recreate it instead
    for continued use with your secret key, you may be able to use
    gpgsplit as detailed in question
    [[#i-still-have-my-secret-key-but-lost-my-public-key][I still have my secret key, but lost my public key. What can I do?]].



** What are trust, validity and ownertrust?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: what-are-trust-validity-and-ownertrust
   :END:

    With GnuPG, the term "ownertrust" is used instead of "trust" to
    help clarify that this is the value you have assigned to a key
    to express how much you trust the owner of this key to correctly
    sign (and thereby introduce) other keys. The "validity", or
    calculated trust, is a value which indicates how much GnuPG
    considers a key as being valid (that it really belongs to the
    one who claims to be the owner of the key). For more information
    on trust values see the chapter "The Web of Trust" in The GNU
    Privacy Handbook.

** How do I sign a patch file?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: how-do-i-sign-a-patch-file
   :END:

    Use "gpg --clearsign --not-dash-escaped ...". The problem with
    --clearsign is that all lines starting with a dash are quoted with
    "- "; obviously diff produces many lines starting with a dash and
    these are then quoted and that is not good for a patch ;-). To use
    a patch file without removing the cleartext signature, the special
    option --not-dash-escaped may be used to suppress generation of
    these escape sequences. You should not mail such a patch because
    spaces and line endings are also subject to the signature and a
    mailer may not preserve these. If you want to mail a file you can
    simply sign it using your MUA (Mail User Agent).

** Where is the "encrypt-to-self" option?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: where-is-the-encrypt-to-self-option
   :END:

    Use "--encrypt-to your_keyID". You can use more than one of these
    options. To temporarily override the use of this additional key,
    you can use the option "--no-encrypt-to".

** How can I get rid of the Version and Comment headers in armored messages?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: get-rid-of-the-version-and-comment-headers-in-armored-messages
   :END:

    Use

    : --no-version --comment ''

    Note that the left over blank line
    is required by the protocol.

** What does the "You are using the xxxx character set." mean?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: what-does-the-you-are-using-the-xxx-character-set-mean
   :END:

   This note is printed when UTF-8 mapping has to be done. Make sure
   that the displayed character set is the one you have activated on
   your system. Since "iso-8859-1" is the character set most used,
   this is the default. You can change the charset with the option
   =--charset=. It is important that your active character set matches
   the one displayed --- if not, restrict yourself to plain 7 bit
   ASCII and no mapping has to be done.

** How can I get list of key IDs used to encrypt a message?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: how-can-i-get-list-of-key-ids-used-to-encrypt-a-message
   :END:

   : $ gpg --batch --decrypt --list-only --status-fd 1 2>/dev/null | \
   :   awk '/^\[GNUPG:\] ENC_TO / { print $3 }'

** Why can't I decrypt files encrypted as symmetrical-only (-c) with a version of GnuPG prior to 1.0.1.
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: why-cant-i-decrypt-symmetrical-only-with-gnupg-prior-to-1.0.1
   :END:

   There was a bug in GnuPG versions prior to 1.0.1 which affected files
   only if 3DES or Twofish was used for symmetric-only encryption (this has
   never been the default). The bug has been fixed, but to enable decryption
   of old files you should run gpg with the option =--emulate-3des-s2k-bug=,
   decrypt the file and encrypt it again without this option.

   NOTE: This option was removed in GnuPG development version 1.1.0 and later
   updates, so you will need to use a version between 1.0.1 and 1.0.7 to
   re-encrypt any affected files.

** How can I use GnuPG in an automated environment?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: how-can-i-use-gnupg-in-an-automated-environment
   :END:

   You should use the option =--batch= and don't use passphrases as
   there is usually no way to store it more securely than on the
   secret keyring itself. The suggested way to create keys for an
   automated environment is:

   On a secure machine:

   1. If you want to do automatic signing, create a signing subkey for
      your key.  Use the interactive key editing menu by issuing the
      command
      : gpg --edit-key keyID
      enter "addkey" and select the DSA key type).

   1. Make sure that you use a passphrase (needed by the current
      implementation).

   1.
      :  gpg --export-secret-subkeys --no-comment foo >secring.auto

   1. Copy secring.auto and the public keyring to a test directory.

   1. Change to this directory.

   1. Run the command
      : gpg --homedir . --edit foo

     and use the sub-command =passwd= to remove the passphrase from the
     subkeys. You may also want to remove all unused subkeys.

   1. Copy secring.auto to a floppy and carry it to the target box.

   On the target machine:

   1. Install secring.auto as the secret keyring.
   1. Now you can start your new service. It's also a good idea to
      install an intrusion detection system so that you hopefully get
      a notice of an successful intrusion, so that you in turn can
      revoke all the subkeys installed on that machine and install new
      subkeys.

** Which email-client can I use with GnuPG?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: which-email-client-can-i-use-with-gnupg
   :END:

    Using GnuPG to encrypt email is one of the most popular uses.
    Several mail clients or mail user agents (MUAs) support GnuPG to
    varying degrees. Simplifying a bit, there are two ways mail can be
    encrypted with GnuPG: the "old style" ASCII armor (i.e. cleartext
    encryption), and RFC 2015 style (previously PGP/MIME, now OpenPGP).
    The latter has full MIME support. Some MUAs support only one of
    them, so whichever you actually use depends on your needs as well
    as the capabilities of your addressee. As well, support may be
    native to the MUA, or provided via "plug-ins" or external tools.

    The following list is not exhaustive:

    | MUA             | OpenPGP | ASCII | How? (N,P,T)         |
    |-----------------+---------+-------+----------------------|
    | Calypso         | N       | Y     | P (Unixmail)         |
    | Elm             | N       | Y     | T (mailpgp,morepgp)  |
    | Elm ME+         | N       | Y     | N                    |
    | Emacs/Gnus      | Y       | Y     | T (Mailcrypt,gpg.el) |
    | Emacs/Mew       | Y       | Y     | N                    |
    | Emacs/VM        | N       | Y     | T (Mailcrypt)        |
    | Evolution       | Y       | Y     | N                    |
    | Exmh            | Y       | Y     | N                    |
    | GNUMail.app     | Y       | Y     | P (PGPBundle)        |
    | GPGMail         | Y       | Y     | N                    |
    | KMail (<=1.4.x) | N       | Y     | N                    |
    | KMail (1.5.x)   | Y(P)    | Y(N)  | P/N                  |
    | Mozilla         | Y       | Y     | P (Enigmail)         |
    | Mulberry        | Y       | Y     | P                    |
    | Mutt            | Y       | Y     | N                    |
    | Sylpheed        | Y       | Y     | N                    |
    | Claws-mail      | Y       | Y     | N                    |
    | TkRat           | Y       | Y     | N                    |
    | XEmacs/Gnus     | Y       | Y     | T (Mailcrypt)        |
    | XEmacs/Mew      | Y       | Y     | N                    |
    | XEmacs/VM       | N       | Y     | T (Mailcrypt)        |
    | XFmail          | Y       | Y     | N                    |

    ( N - Native, P - Plug-in, T - External Tool)

    The following table lists proprietary MUAs. The GNU Project
    suggests against the use of these programs, but they are listed
    for interoperability reasons for your convenience.

    | MUA              | OpenPGP | ASCII | How? (N,P,T)             |
    |------------------+---------+-------+--------------------------|
    | Apple Mail       | Y       | Y     | P (GPGMail)              |
    | Becky2           | Y       | Y     | P (BkGnuPG)              |
    | Eudora           | Y       | Y     | P (EuroraGPG)            |
    | Eudora Pro       | Y       | Y     | P (EudoraGPG)            |
    | Lotus Notes      | N       | Y     | P                        |
    | Netscape 4.x     | N       | Y     | P                        |
    | Netscape 7.x     | Y       | Y     | P (Enigmail)             |
    | Novell Groupwise | N       | Y     | P                        |
    | Outlook          | N       | Y     | P (G-Data)               |
    | Outlook Express  | N       | Y     | P (GPGOE)                |
    | Pegasus          | N       | Y     | P (QDPGP,PM-PGP)         |
    | Pine             | N       | Y     | T (pgpenvelope,gpg4pine) |
    | Postme           | N       | Y     | P (GPGPPL)               |
    | The Bat!         | N       | Y     | P (Ritlabs)              |

    Good overviews of OpenPGP-support can be found at:\\
    [[http://www.openpgp.fr.st/courrier_en.html]] \\
    http://www.bretschneidernet.de/tips/secmua.html

    Users of Win32 MUAs that lack OpenPGP support may look into using
    GPGrelay http://gpgrelay.sourceforge.net, a small email-relaying
    server that uses GnuPG to enable many email clients to send and
    receive emails that conform to PGP-MIME (RFC 2015).

** Can't we have a gpg library?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: cant-we-have-a-gpg-library
   :END:

    This has been frequently requested. However, the current viewpoint
    of the GnuPG maintainers is that this would lead to several security
    issues and will therefore not be implemented in the foreseeable
    future. However, for some areas of application gpgme could do the
    trick. You'll find it at [[gnupgweb:related_software/gpgme]].

** I have successfully generated a revocation certificate, but I don't understand how to send it to the key servers.
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: how-to-send-a-revocation-to-the-keyservers
   :END:

   Most keyservers don't accept a 'bare' revocation certificate. You
   have to import the certificate into gpg first:

   : $ gpg --import my-revocation.asc

   then send the revoked key to the keyservers:

   : $ gpg --keyserver certserver.pgp.com --send-keys mykeyid

   (or use a keyserver web interface for this).

** How do I put my keyring in a different directory?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: how-do-i-put-my-keyring-in-a-different-directory
   :END:

   GnuPG keeps several files in a special homedir directory. These
   include the options file, pubring.gpg, secring.gpg, trustdb.gpg,
   and others. GnuPG will always create and use these files. On
   unices, the homedir is usually ~/.gnupg; on Windows it is name
   "gnupg" and found below the user's application directory.  Run the
   gpg and pass the option --version to see the name of that
   directory.

   If you want to put your keyrings somewhere else, use the option:

   : --homedir /my/path/

   to make GnuPG create all its files in that directory. Your keyring
   will be "/my/path/pubring.gpg". This way you can store your secrets
   on a floppy disk. Don't use "--keyring" as its purpose is to specify
   additional keyring files.

** How do I verify signed packages?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: how-do-i-verify-signed-packages
   :END:

   must first have the vendor, organisation, or issuing person's key
   Before you can verify the signature that accompanies a package, you
   imported into your public keyring. To prevent GnuPG warning
   messages the key should also be validated (or locally signed).

    You will also need to download the detached signature file along
    with the package. These files will usually have the same name as
    the package, with either a binary (.sig) or ASCII armor (.asc)
    extension.

    Once their key has been imported, and the package and accompanying
    signature files have been downloaded, use:

    : $ gpg --verify sigfile signed-file

    If the signature file has the same base name as the package file,
    the package can also be verified by specifying just the signature
    file, as GnuPG will derive the package's file name from the name
    given (less the .sig or .asc extension). For example, to verify a
    package named foobar.tar.gz against its detached binary signature
    file, use:

    : $ gpg --verify foobar.tar.gz.sig

** How do I export a keyring with only selected signatures (keys)?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: how-do-i-export-a-keyring-with-only-selected-signatures
   :END:

    If you're wanting to create a keyring with only a subset of keys
    selected from a master keyring (for a club, user group, or company
    department for example), simply specify the keys you want to export:

    : $ gpg --armor --export key1 key2 key3 key4 > keys1-4.asc

** I still have my secret key, but lost my public key. What can I do?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: i-still-have-my-secret-key-but-lost-my-public-key
   :END:

    All OpenPGP secret keys have a copy of the public key inside them,
    and in a worst-case scenario, you can create yourself a new public
    key using the secret key.

    A tool to convert a secret key into a public one has been included
    (it's actually a new option for gpgsplit) and is available with GnuPG
    versions 1.2.1 or later (or can be found in CVS). It works like this:

    : $ gpgsplit --no-split --secret-to-public secret.gpg >publickey.gpg

    One should first try to export the secret key and convert just this
    one. Using the entire secret keyring should work too. After this has
    been done, the publickey.gpg file can be imported into GnuPG as usual.

** Clearsigned messages sent from my web-mail account have an invalid signature. Why?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: clearsig-sent-from-webmail-have-an-invalid-signature
   :END:

    Check to make sure the settings for your web-based email account
    do not use HTML formatting for the pasted clearsigned message. This can
    alter the message with embedded HTML markup tags or spaces, resulting
    in an invalid signature. The recipient may be able to copy the signed
    message block to a text file for verification, or the web email
    service may allow you to attach the clearsigned message as a file
    if plaintext messages are not an option.


* Compatibility Issues

** How can I encrypt a message with GnuPG so that PGP is able to decrypt it?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: how-can-i-encrypt-a-message-so-that-pgp-is-able-to-decrypt-it
   :END:

    It depends on the PGP version.

    - PGP 2.x ::

      You can't do that because PGP 2.x normally uses IDEA which is
      not supported by GnuPG as it is patented (see [[#how-do-i-include-support-for-rsa-and-idea][How do I include
      support for RSA and IDEA?]]), but if you have a modified version
      of PGP you can try this:

      : $ gpg --rfc1991 --cipher-algo 3des ...

      Please don't pipe the data to encrypt to gpg but provide it
      using a filename; otherwise, PGP 2 will not be able to handle
      it.

      As for conventional encryption, you can't do this for PGP 2.

    - PGP 5.x and higher ::

      You need to provide two additional options:

      : --compress-algo 1 --cipher-algo cast5

      You may also use "3des" instead of "cast5", and "blowfish" does
      not work with all versions of PGP 5. You may also want to put:

      : compress-algo 1

      into your =~/.gnupg/options= file --- this does not affect
      normal GnuPG operation.

    This applies to conventional encryption as well.

** How do I migrate from PGP 2.x to GnuPG?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: how-do-i-migrate-from-pgp2-to-gnupg
   :END:

    PGP 2 uses the RSA and IDEA encryption algorithms. Whereas the RSA
    patent has expired and RSA is included as of GnuPG 1.0.3, the IDEA
    algorithm is still patented until 2007. Under certain conditions you
    may use IDEA even today. In that case, you may refer to Question
    [[*How%20do%20I%20include%20support%20for%20RSA%20and%20IDEA][How do I include support for RSA and IDEA?]] about how to add
    IDEA support to GnuPG and read
    [[gnupgweb:gph/en/pgp2x.html]] to perform the migration.

** Why is PGP 5.x not able to encrypt messages with some keys?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: why-is-pgp5-not-able-to-encrypt-messages-with-some-keys
   :END:

    PGP, Inc. refuses to accept Elgamal keys of type 20 even for
    encryption. They only support type 16 (which is identical at least
    for decryption). To be more inter-operable, GnuPG (starting with
    version 0.3.3) now also uses type 16 for the Elgamal subkey which is
    created if the default key algorithm is chosen. You may add a type
    16 Elgamal key to your public key, which is easy as your key
    signatures are still valid.

** Why is PGP 5.x not able to verify my messages?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: why-is-pgp5-not-able-to-verify-my-messages
   :END:

    PGP 5.x does not accept v4 signatures for data material but OpenPGP
    requests generation of v4 signatures for all kind of data, that's why
    GnuPG defaults to them. Use the option "--force-v3-sigs" to generate
    v3 signatures for data.

** How do I transfer owner trust values from PGP to GnuPG?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: how-do-i-transfer-owner-trust-values-from-pgp-to-gnupg
   :END:

    There is a script in the tools directory to help you. After you have
    imported the PGP keyring you can give this command:

    : $ lspgpot pgpkeyring | gpg --import-ownertrust

    where pgpkeyring is the original keyring and not the GnuPG keyring
    you might have created in the first step.

** PGP does not like my secret key.
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: pgp-does-not-like-my-secret-key
   :END:

    Older PGPs probably bail out on some private comment packets used by
    GnuPG. These packets are fully in compliance with OpenPGP; however
    PGP is not really OpenPGP aware. A workaround is to export the
    secret keys with this command:

    : $ gpg --export-secret-keys --no-comment -a your-KeyID

    Another possibility is this: by default, GnuPG encrypts your secret
    key using the Blowfish symmetric algorithm. Older PGPs will only
    understand 3DES, CAST5, or IDEA symmetric algorithms. Using the
    following method you can re-encrypt your secret gpg key with a
    different algo:

    : $ gpg --s2k-cipher-algo=CAST5 --s2k-digest-algo=SHA1 \
    :       --compress-algo=1  --edit-key <username>

    Then use passwd to change the password (just change it to the same
    thing, but it will encrypt the key with CAST5 this time).

    Now you can export it and PGP should be able to handle it.

    For PGP 6.x the following options work to export a key:

    : $ gpg --s2k-cipher-algo 3des --compress-algo 1 --rfc1991 \
    :       --export-secret-keys <KeyID>

** GnuPG no longer installs a ~/.gnupg/options file. Is it missing?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: gnupg-no-longer-installs-a-options-file-is-it-missing
   :END:

    No. The ~/.gnupg/options file has been renamed to
    ~/.gnupg/gpg.conf for new installs as of version 1.1.92. If an
    existing ~/.gnupg/options file is found during an upgrade it will
    still be used, but this change was required to have a more
    consistent naming scheme with forthcoming tools.  An existing
    options file can be renamed to gpg.conf for users upgrading, or
    receiving the message that the "old default options file" is
    ignored (occurs if both a gpg.conf and an options file are found).

** How do you export GnuPG keys for use with PGP?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: how-do-you-export-gnupg-keys-for-use-with-pgp
   :END:

    This has come up fairly often, so here's the HOWTO:

    PGP can (for most key types) use secret keys generated by GnuPG. The
    problems that come up occasionally are generally because GnuPG
    supports a few more features from the OpenPGP standard than PGP does.
    If your secret key has any of those features in use, then PGP will
    reject the key or you will have problems communicating later. Note
    that PGP doesn't do Elgamal signing keys at all, so they are not
    usable with any version.

    These instructions should work for GnuPG 1.0.7 and later, and PGP
    7.0.3 and later.

    Start by editing the key. Most of this line is not really necessary
    as the default values are correct, but it does not hurt to repeat the
    values, as this will override them in case you have something else set
    in your options file.

    : $ gpg --s2k-cipher-algo cast5 --s2k-digest-algo sha1 --s2k-mode 3 \
    :       --simple-sk-checksum --edit KeyID

    Turn off some features. Set the list of preferred ciphers, hashes,
    and compression algorithms to things that PGP can handle. (Yes, I
    know this is an odd list of ciphers, but this is what PGP itself uses,
    minus IDEA).

    : > setpref S9 S8 S7 S3 S2 S10 H2 H3 Z1 Z0

    Now put the list of preferences onto the key.

    : > updpref

    Finally we must decrypt and re-encrypt the key, making sure that we
    encrypt with a cipher that PGP likes. We set this up in the --edit
    line above, so now we just need to change the passphrase to make it
    take effect. You can use the same passphrase if you like, or take
    this opportunity to actually change it.

    : > passwd

    Save our work.

    : > save

    Now we can do the usual export:

    : $ gpg --export KeyID > mypublickey.pgp[H br]
    : $ gpg --export-secret-key KeyID > mysecretkey.pgp

    Thanks to David Shaw for this information!

** What are DH/DSS keys?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: what-are-dh-dss-keys
   :END:

   PGP uses a different name for the former default encryption
   algorithm Elgamal: They name it DH, which usually stands for the
   Diffie-Hellman key exchange algorithm.  It has been said that this
   had historic patent and business reasons.  It is however exactly
   the same thing as the Elgamal algorithm.

   They also use the acronym DSS (Digital Signature Standard) instead
   of the DSA (Digital Signature Algorithm).  The difference is that
   DSS requires the use of certain hash algorithms; however OpenPGP
   allows the use of more than those hash algorithms, thus GPG usually
   uses the term DSA.

* Problems and Error Messages

** Why do I get "gpg: Warning: using insecure memory!"
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: why-do-i-get-gpg_warning_using_insecure_memory
   :END:

   You see this warning if GPG is not able to lock pages against being
   swapped out to disk.

   However, on most modern system you should not see this message
   anymore because these systems allow any process to prevent a small
   number of memory pages from being swapped out to disk (using the
   mlock system call).  Other (mostly older) systems don't allow this
   unless you install GPG as setuid(root).

   Locking pages against being swapped out is not necessary if your
   system uses an encrypted swap partition.  In fact that is the best
   way to protect sensitive data from ending up on a disk.  If your
   system allows for encrypted swap partitions, please make use of
   that feature.  Note that GPG does not know about encrypted swap
   partitions and might print the warning; thus you should disabled
   the warning if your swap partition is encrypted.  You may also want
   to disable this warning if you can't or don't want to install GnuPG
   setuid(root).  To disable the warning you put a line

   : no-secmem-warning

   into your ~/.gnupg/gpg.conf file.

   What follows is a short description on how to install GPG
   setuid(root); for those who need this.

   On some systems this program should be installed as setuid(root).
   This is necessary to lock memory pages. Locking memory pages
   prevents the operating system from writing them to disk and thereby
   keeping your secret keys really secret. If you get no warning
   message about insecure memory your operating system supports
   locking without being root. The program drops root privileges as
   soon as locked memory is allocated.

   To setuid(root) permissions on the gpg binary you can either use:

   : $ chmod u+s /path/to/gpg

   or

   : $ chmod 4755 /path/to/gpg

   Some refrain from using setuid(root) unless absolutely required for
   security reasons. Please check with your system administrator if
   you are not able to make these determinations yourself.

   On UnixWare 2.x and 7.x you should install GnuPG with the 'plock'
   privilege to get the same effect:

   : $ filepriv -f plock /path/to/gpg

   On some systems (e.g., Windows) GnuPG does not lock memory pages
   and older GnuPG versions (<=1.0.4) issue the warning:

   : gpg: Please note that you don't have secure memory

   This warning can't be switched off by the above option because it
   was thought to be too serious an issue. However, it confused users
   too much, so the warning was eventually removed.

** Large File Support doesn't work
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: large-file-support-does-not-work
   :END:

   LFS works correctly in post-1.0.4 versions. If configure doesn't
   detect it, try a different (i.e., better) compiler. egcs 1.1.2
   works fine, other gccs sometimes don't. BTW, several compilation
   problems of GnuPG 1.0.3 and 1.0.4 on HP-UX and Solaris were due to
   broken LFS support.

** In the edit menu the trust values are not displayed correctly after signing uids. Why?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: edit-menu-trust-not-show-correctly-after-signing-uids
   :END:

    This happens because some information is stored immediately in
    the trustdb, but the actual trust calculation can be done after the
    save command. This is a "not easy to fix" design bug which will be
    addressed in some future release.

** What does "skipping pubkey 1: already loaded" mean?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: what-does-skipping_pubkey_1_already_loaded-mean
   :END:

    As of GnuPG 1.0.3, the RSA algorithm is included. If you still have
    a "load-extension rsa" in your options file, the above message
    occurs. Just remove the load command from the options file.

** GnuPG 1.0.4 doesn't create ~/.gnupg ...
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: gnupg-1.0.4-does-not-create-.gnupg
   :END:

    That's a known bug, already fixed in newer versions.

** An Elgamal signature does not verify anymore since version 1.0.2
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: an-elgamal-signature-does-not-verify-anymore-since-version-1.0.2
   :END:

    Use the option --emulate-md-encode-bug.

** Old versions of GnuPG can't verify Elgamal signatures
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: old-versions-of-gnupg-cant-verify-elgamal-signatures
   :END:

    Update to GnuPG 1.0.2 or newer.

** When I use --clearsign, the plain text has sometimes extra dashes in it - why?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: extra-dashes-in-clearsign-messages
   :END:

    This is called dash-escaped text and is required by OpenPGP.
    It always happens when a line starts with a dash ("-") and is
    needed to make the lines that structure signature and text
    (i.e., "-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----") to be the only lines
    that start with two dashes.

    If you use GnuPG to process those messages, the extra dashes
    are removed. Good mail clients remove those extra dashes when
    displaying such a message.

** What is the thing with "can't handle multiple signatures"?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: what-is-the-thing-with-cant_handle_multiple_signatures
   :END:

    Due to different message formats GnuPG is not always able to split
    a file with multiple signatures unambiguously into its parts. This
    error message informs you that there is something wrong with the input.

    The only way to have multiple signatures in a file is by using the
    OpenPGP format with one-pass-signature packets (which is GnuPG's
    default) or the cleartext signed format.

** If I submit a key to a keyserver, nothing happens
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: if-i-submit-a-key-to-a-keyserver-nothing-happens
   :END:

    You are most likely using GnuPG 1.0.2 or older on Windows. That's
    feature isn't yet implemented, but it's a bug not to say it. Newer
    versions issue a warning. Upgrade to 1.4.5 or newer.

** I get "gpg: waiting for lock ..."
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: i-get-gpg_waiting_for_lock
   :END:

    A previous instance of gpg has most likely exited abnormally and left
    a lock file. Go to ~/.gnupg and look for .*.lock files and remove them.

** Older gpg binaries (e.g., 1.0) have problems with keys from newer gpg binaries
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: gpg-1.0-has-problems-with-keys-from-newer-gpg-versions
   :END:

    As of 1.0.3, keys generated with gpg are created with preferences to
    TWOFISH (and AES since 1.0.4) and that also means that they have the
    capability to use the new MDC encryption method. This will go into
    OpenPGP soon, and is also suppoted by PGP 7. This new method avoids
    a (not so new) attack on all email encryption systems.

    This in turn means that pre-1.0.3 gpg binaries have problems with
    newer keys. Because of security and bug fixes, you should keep your
    GnuPG installation in a recent state anyway. As a workaround, you can
    force gpg to use a previous default cipher algo by putting:

    : cipher-algo cast5

    into your options file.

** With 1.0.4, I get "this cipher algorithm is deprecated ..."
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: with-1.0.4-i-get-this_cipher_algorithm_is_deprecated
   :END:

    If you just generated a new key and get this message while
    encrypting, you've witnessed a bug in 1.0.4. It uses the new AES
    cipher Rijndael that is incorrectly being referred as "deprecated".
    Ignore this warning, more recent versions of gpg are corrected.

** Some dates are displayed as ????-??-??. Why?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: some-dates-are-displayed-as-question-marks
   :END:

    Due to constraints in most libc implementations, dates beyond
    2038-01-19 can't be displayed correctly. 64-bit OSes are not
    affected by this problem. To avoid printing wrong dates, GnuPG
    instead prints some question marks. To see the correct value, you
    can use the options --with-colons and --fixed-list-mode.

** I still have a problem. How do I report a bug?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: i-still-have-a-problem-how-do-i-report-a-bug
   :END:

    Are you sure that it's not been mentioned somewhere on the mailing
    lists? Did you have a look at the bug list (you'll find a link to
    the list of reported bugs on the documentation page). If you're
    not sure about it being a bug, you can send mail to the
    gnupg-devel list. Otherwise, use the bug tracking system
    [[http://bugs.gnupg.org][bugs.gnupg.org]].

** Why doesn't GnuPG support X.509 certificates?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: why-doesnt-gnupg-support-x509-certificates
   :END:

    That is only the case for GnuPG version 1.x.  GnuPG 2.x fully
    supports X.509 and S/MIME using the gpgsm tool.

** Why do national characters in my user ID look funny?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: why-do-national-characters-in-my-user-id-look-funny
   :END:

    According to OpenPGP, GnuPG encodes user ID strings (and other
    things) using UTF-8. In this encoding of Unicode, most national
    characters get encoded as two- or three-byte sequences. For
    example, &aring; (0xE5 in ISO-8859-1) becomes &Atilde;&yen; (0xC3,
    0xA5). This might also be the reason why keyservers can't find
    your key.

** I get 'sed' errors when running ./configure on Mac OS X ...
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: i-get-sed-errors-when-running-configure-on-mac-os-x
   :END:

    This problem has been fixed for all modern GnuPG versions.
    (By using an autoconf 2.50 generated configure script).

** Why does GnuPG 1.0.6 bail out on keyrings used with 1.0.7?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: why-does-gnupg-1.0.6-bail-out-on-keyrings-used-with-1.0.7
   :END:

    There is a small bug in 1.0.6 which didn't parse trust packets
    correctly. You may want to apply this patch if you can't upgrade:
    [[http://www.gnupg.org/developer/gpg-woody-fix.txt]].

** I upgraded to GnuPG version 1.0.7 and now it takes longer to load my keyrings. What can I do?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: with-gpg-1.0.7-it-takes-longer-to-load-my-keyrings
   :END:

    The way signature states are stored has changed so that v3 signatures
    can be supported. You can use the new --rebuild-keydb-caches migration
    command, which was built into this release and increases the speed of
    many operations for existing keyrings.

** Doesn't a fully trusted user ID on a key prevent warning messages when encrypting to other IDs on the key?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: key-validation-bug-in-gpg-1.2.1
   :END:

    No. That was actually a key validity bug in GnuPG 1.2.1 and earlier
    versions. As part of the development of GnuPG 1.2.2, a bug was
    discovered in the key validation code.  This bug causes keys with
    more than one user ID to give all user IDs on the key the amount of
    validity given to the most-valid key. The bug has been fixed in GnuPG
    release 1.2.2, and upgrading is the recommended fix for this problem.
    More information and a patch for a some pre-1.2.2 versions of GnuPG
    can be found at:

    [[http://lists.gnupg.org/pipermail/gnupg-announce/2003q2/000268.html]].

** I just compiled GnuPG from source on my GNU/Linux RPM-based system and it's not working. Why?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: compiled-on-gnu-linux-rpm-based-system-and-not-working
   :END:

    Many GNU/Linux distributions that are RPM-based will install a
    version of GnuPG as part of its standard installation, placing the
    binaries in the /usr/bin directory. Later, compiling and installing
    GnuPG from source other than from a source RPM won't normally
    overwrite these files, as the default location for placement of
    GnuPG binaries is in /usr/local/bin unless the '--prefix' switch
    is used during compile to specify an alternate location. Since the
    /usr/bin directory more than likely appears in your path before
    /usr/local/bin, the older RPM-version binaries will continue to
    be used when called since they were not replaced.

    To resolve this, uninstall the RPM-based version with 'rpm -e gnupg'
    before installing the binaries compiled from source. If dependency
    errors are displayed when attempting to uninstall the RPM (such as
    when Red Hat's up2date is also installed, which uses GnuPG), uninstall
    the RPM with 'rpm -e gnupg --nodeps' to force the uninstall. Any
    dependent files should be automatically replaced during the install
    of the compiled version. If the default /usr/local/bin directory is
    used, some packages such as SuSE's Yast Online Update may need to be
    configured to look for GnuPG binaries in the /usr/local/bin directory,
    or symlinks can be created in /usr/bin that point to the binaries
    located in /usr/local/bin.


* Advanced Topics

** How does this whole thing work?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: how-does-this-whole-thing-work
   :END:

    To generate a secret/public keypair, run:

    : $ gpg --gen-key

    and choose the default values.

    Data that is encrypted with a public key can only be decrypted by
    the matching secret key. The secret key is protected by a password,
    the public key is not.

    So to send your friend a message, you would encrypt your message
    with his public key, and he would only be able to decrypt it by
    having the secret key and putting in the password to use his secret
    key.

    GnuPG is also useful for signing things. Files that are encrypted
    with the secret key can be decrypted with the public key. To sign
    something, a hash is taken of the data, and then the hash is in some
    form encoded with the secret key. If someone has your public key, they
    can verify that it is from you and that it hasn't changed by checking
    the encoded form of the hash with the public key.

    A keyring is just a large file that stores keys. You have a public
    keyring where you store yours and your friend's public keys. You have
    a secret keyring that you keep your secret key on, and should be very
    careful with. Never ever give anyone else access to it and use a *good*
    passphrase to protect the data in it.

    You can 'conventionally' encrypt something by using the option 'gpg -c'.
    It is encrypted using a passphrase, and does not use public and secret
    keys. If the person you send the data to knows that passphrase, they
    can decrypt it. This is usually most useful for encrypting things to
    yourself, although you can encrypt things to your own public key in the
    same way. It should be used for communication with partners you know
    and where it is easy to exchange the passphrases (e.g. with your boy
    friend or your wife). The advantage is that you can change the
    passphrase from time to time and decrease the risk, that many old
    messages may be decrypted by people who accidentally got your passphrase.

    You can add and copy keys to and from your keyring with the 'gpg
    --import' and 'gpg --export' command. 'gpg --export-secret-keys' will
    export secret keys. This is normally not useful, but you can generate
    the key on one machine then move it to another machine.

    Keys can be signed under the 'gpg --edit-key' option. When you sign a
    key, you are saying that you are certain that the key belongs to the
    person it says it comes from. You should be very sure that is really
    that person: You should verify the key fingerprint with:

    : $ gpg --fingerprint KeyID

    over the phone (if you really know the voice of the other person), at
    a key signing party (which are often held at computer conferences),
    or at a meeting of your local GNU/Linux User Group.

    Hmm, what else. You may use the option '-o filename' to force output
    to this filename (use '-' to force output to stdout). '-r' just lets
    you specify the recipient (which public key you encrypt with) on the
    command line instead of typing it interactively.

    Oh yeah, this is important. By default all data is encrypted in some
    weird binary format. If you want to have things appear in ASCII text
    that is readable, just add the '-a' option. But the preferred method
    is to use a MIME aware mail reader (Mutt, Pine and many more).

    There is a small security glitch in the OpenPGP (and therefore GnuPG)
    system; to avoid this you should always sign and encrypt a message
    instead of only encrypting it.

** Why are some signatures with an ELG-E key valid?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: why-are-some-signatures-with-an-elg-e-key-valid
   :END:

    These are Elgamal keys generated by GnuPG in v3 (RFC 1991) packets.
    The OpenPGP draft later changed the algorithm identifier for Elgamal
    keys which are usable for signatures and encryption from 16 to 20.
    GnuPG now uses 20 when it generates new Elgamal keys but still
    accepts 16 (which is according to OpenPGP "encryption only") if this
    key is in a v3 packet. GnuPG is the only program which had used
    these v3 Elgamal keys - so this assumption is quite safe.

** How does the whole trust thing work?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: how-does-the-whole-trust-thing-work
   :END:

    It works more or less like PGP. The difference is that the trust is
    computed at the time it is needed. This is one of the reasons for
    the trustdb which holds a list of valid key signatures. If you are
    not running in batch mode you will be asked to assign a trust
    parameter (ownertrust) to a key.

    You can see the validity (calculated trust value) using this
    command.

    : $ gpg --list-keys --with-colons

    If the first field is "pub" or "uid", the second field shows you the
    trust:

    :   o = Unknown (this key is new to the system)
    :   e = The key has expired
    :   q = Undefined (no value assigned)
    :   n = Don't trust this key at all
    :   m = There is marginal trust in this key
    :   f = The key is full trusted
    :   u = The key is ultimately trusted; this is only used
    :       for keys for which the secret key is also available.
    :   r = The key has been revoked
    :   d = The key has been disabled

    The value in the "pub" record is the best one of all "uid" records.
    You can get a list of the assigned trust values (how much you trust
    the owner to correctly sign another person's key) with:

    : $ gpg --export-ownertrust

    The first field is the fingerprint of the primary key, the second
    field is the assigned value:

    :  - = No ownertrust value yet assigned or calculated.
    :  n = Never trust this keyholder to correctly verify others signatures.
    :  m = Have marginal trust in the keyholders capability to sign other
    :      keys.
    :  f = Assume that the key holder really knows how to sign keys.
    :  u = No need to trust ourself because we have the secret key.

    Keep these values confidential because they express your opinions
    about others. PGP stores this information with the keyring thus it
    is not a good idea to publish a PGP keyring instead of exporting
    the keyring. GnuPG stores the trust in the trustdb.gpg file so it
    is okay to give a gpg keyring away (but we have a --export command
    too).

** What kind of output is this: "key C26EE891.298, uid 09FB: ...."?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: trustb-diagnostics-output-key-uid
   :END:

    This is the internal representation of a user ID in the trustdb.
    "C26EE891" is the keyid, "298" is the local ID (a record number in
    the trustdb) and "09FB" is the last two bytes of a ripe-md-160 hash
    of the user ID for this key.

** How do I interpret some of the informational outputs?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: how-do-i-interpret-some-of-the-informational-outputs
   :END:

    While checking the validity of a key, GnuPG sometimes prints some
    information which is prefixed with information about the checked
    item.

    : "key 12345678.3456"

    This is about the key with key ID 12345678 and the internal number
    3456, which is the record number of the so called directory record
    in the trustdb.

    : "uid 12345678.3456/ACDE"

    This is about the user ID for the same key. To identify the user ID
    the last two bytes of a ripe-md-160 over the user ID ring is printed.

    : "sig 12345678.3456/ACDE/9A8B7C6D"

    This is about the signature with key ID 9A8B7C6D for the above key
    and user ID, if it is a signature which is direct on a key, the user
    ID part is empty (..//..).

** Are the header lines of a cleartext signature part of the signed material?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: are-header-lines-of-cleartext-sigs-part-of-the-signed-material
   :END:

    No. For example you can add or remove "Comment:" lines. They have
    a purpose like the mail header lines. However a "Hash:" line is
    needed for OpenPGP signatures to tell the parser which hash
    algorithm to use.

** What is the list of preferred algorithms?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: what-is-the-list-of-preferred-algorithms
   :END:

    The list of preferred algorithms is a list of cipher, hash and
    compression algorithms stored in the self-signature of a key during
    key generation. When you encrypt a document, GnuPG uses this list
    (which is then part of a public key) to determine which algorithms
    to use. Basically it tells other people what algorithms the
    recipient is able to handle and provides an order of preference.

** How do I change the list of preferred algorithms?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: how-do-i-change-the-list-of-preferred-algorithms
   :END:

    In version 1.0.7 or later, you can use the edit menu and set the
    new list of preference using the command "setpref"; the format of
    this command resembles the output of the command "pref". The
    preference is not changed immediately but the set preference will
    be used when a new user ID is created. If you want to update the
    preferences for existing user IDs, select those user IDs (or select
    none to update all) and enter the command "updpref". Note that the
    timestamp of the self-signature is increased by one second when
    running this command.

** How can I import all the missing signer keys?
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: how-can-i-import-all-the-missing-signer-keys
   :END:

    If you imported a key and you want to also import all the signer's
    keys, you can do this with this command:

    :  gpg --check-sigs --with-colon KEYID \
    :   | awk -F: '$1 == "sig" && $2 == "?"  { print $5 }' \
    :   | sort | uniq | xargs echo gpg --recv-keys

    Note that the invocation of sort is also required to wait for the
    of the listing before before starting the import.


* Bug reporting and hacking
  :PROPERTIES:
  :CUSTOM_ID: bugreports-et-al
  :END:

** Copyright assignments
  :PROPERTIES:
  :CUSTOM_ID: copyright-assignments
  :END:

Like most core GNU projects, GnuPG requires the signing of a copyright
assignment to the FSF.  Without such an assignment we may only accept
trivial patches.  As a rule of thumb the sum of all changed lines by
one contributor may not exceed about 15 lines.  Exceptions are typo
corrections and translations.  See
http://www.gnu.org/prep/maintain/html_node/Copyright-Papers.html for
details.

** U.S. export restrictions
  :PROPERTIES:
  :CUSTOM_ID: us-export-restrictions
  :END:

GnuPG has originally been developed in Germany because we have been
able to do that without being affected by the US export restrictions.
We had to reject any contributions from US citizens or from people
living the the US.  That changed by end of 2000 when the export
restrictions were basically dropped for all kind of freely available
software.  However there are still some requirements in the US.
Quoting David Shaw: mail
#+begin_quote
For each release of GPG that I contributed to, I sent an email
containing a pointer to the new source code to the Commerce
Department.  The rules changed slightly in 2004, so that you could
send a single email and then be done until the information in that
email changed, so I just sent "www.gnupg.org" and haven't bothered
with the email since.
#+end_quote

The rules: http://www.bis.doc.gov/encryption/pubavailencsourcecodenofify.html
The 2004 rule change: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2004/04-26992.htm


* Acknowledgements
  :PROPERTIES:
  :CUSTOM_ID: acknowledgements
  :END:

  Many thanks to Nils Ellmenreich for maintaining this FAQ file for
  such a long time, David D. Scribner for continuing maintenance,
  Werner Koch for the original FAQ file, and to all posters to
  gnupg-users and gnupg-devel.  They all provided most of the answers.
  Converted to org-mode and removed from the tarballs in October 2010.

  Copyright (C) 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2010 Free Software Foundation,
  Inc., 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02111, USA

  This file is free software; as a special exception the author gives
  unlimited permission to copy and/or distribute it, with or without
  modifications, as long as this notice is preserved.

* Changes

  - 2010-11-14: Update "gpg: Warning: using insecure memory!"




* COMMENT HTML style specifications

#+begin_src emacs-lisp
  (defun org-faq-make-target ()
    "Make hard target for current headline."
    (interactive)
    (if (not (org-on-heading-p))
        (error "Not on a headline"))
    (let ((h (org-trim (org-get-heading 'no-tags))))
      (if (string-match "[ \t]*\\?\\'" h)
          (setq h (replace-match "" t t h)))
      (while (string-match "[ \t]+" h)
        (setq h (replace-match "-" t t h)))
      (setq h (downcase h))
      (org-entry-put nil "CUSTOM_ID" h)))
#+end_src



# Local Variables:
# org-export-html-style-include-default: nil
# org-export-html-style-include-scripts: nil
# End: