Silk Road forums
Discussion => Security => Topic started by: ChrisWalsh on August 31, 2012, 11:25 pm
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I understand how to use PGP pretty well, however, i dont know how to import the sellers' PGP keys. I have tried copy/pasting it on notepad and saving the file, but it does not work, help?
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Just copy the key you want to import, from the first dash to the last dash. Paste it into your notepad and save it. Then open your key manager, hit "Import Key", specify the file, (it should be a text file .txt). Then vwalla, the key appears on your keychain. Where's the process going wrong for you?
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I don't think he's using the GPA maybe.
Here's the general instructions I give out for the entire process of encrypting/decrypting.
Follow these steps:
1. Google GPG and download GPG (this is the open source implementation of PGP) for your operating system (& the GUI version unless you hanker for the command line!).
2. Install, and then run a program called GPA (GNU privacy assistant).
3. Go to 'Keys' on the menu and create a PGP key. You will need to decide on 3 things:
- how secure the encryption is, represented by key length e.g. 2048 bit, 4096 bit and so on.
- what name to use. I strongly advise this to be your SR username on the forums so I can find you later.
- what email to use. You should use either a fake email or a tormail a/c email address.
4. Then PM me your public key. You get this by selecting copy on your PGP key you created in the GPA list of keys and pasting it in the PM.
5. Next, import my public key. This is in my 2nd post in my PGP thread. Just copy paste that into a text file
e.g. with notepad or gedit, and save it as pine.txt or pine.gpg or whatever you like.
6. Import that key into the GPA.
7. Go to the clipboard and make a message to me. Then select encrypt and choose my public key to encrypt it
with. Then PM that to me.
8. Then I will report back to you with results!
Remember that a public key is like a mobile number or an email address. You need one from somebody in order to communicate with them. A private key is more like the password to your email a/c, you keep that secret.
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look for the gpg path, change your current directory to it. if you're on windows its in c:\Program Files (x86)\GNU\Gnupg\pub if it's not in your PATH already.
check first if the key want to save is in the key ring already by:
gpg -k
Save the Pub key to a filename. Do the following:
gpg --import <complete path to saved filename>
verify if it was imported by
gpg -k
similar process goes with linux
peruse the gpg4win or gpg manual or help files