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GPG vs PGP: Is GPG Enough?

G5 Cyber Security

TL;DR

Yes, generally speaking, GPG (GNU Privacy Guard) can be a full replacement for PGP. They both use the same underlying OpenPGP standard. However, there are some historical and practical differences to consider.

What’s the Difference?

PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) was the original software for encrypting and signing data based on the RSA algorithm. GPG is a free implementation of the OpenPGP standard, which PGP also adheres to. Think of OpenPGP as the rules, and PGP & GPG as different ways to follow those rules.

Why Choose GPG?

  1. Open Source: GPG is completely free and open source, meaning its code is publicly available for review. This promotes trust and security through community auditing.
  2. Cross-Platform: GPG works on Linux, macOS, Windows, and other operating systems.
  3. Widely Available: It’s often pre-installed or easily installable via package managers on many systems.

Setting up GPG

Here’s how to get started with GPG:

1. Installation

2. Generating a Key Pair

This creates your public and private keys.

gpg --full-generate-key

You’ll be prompted for details like your name, email address, and passphrase (choose a strong one!). Follow the on-screen instructions. It will take some time to generate the key.

3. Listing Your Keys

To see your keys:

gpg --list-keys

This shows both your public and private keys, identified by their Key ID (a long hexadecimal string).

4. Exporting Your Public Key

Share this key with people you want to exchange encrypted messages with.

gpg --armor --export 'Your Name <your.email@example.com>'

The --armor flag creates an ASCII-armored output, which is easier to copy and paste.

5. Importing a Public Key

To encrypt messages *to* someone else, you need their public key:

gpg --import <key_file.asc>

Replace <key_file.asc> with the filename of the key file you received.

6. Encrypting a File

To encrypt a file for someone:

gpg --encrypt --recipient 'Recipient Name <recipient.email@example.com>' myfile.txt

This creates myfile.txt.gpg, which only the recipient with the corresponding private key can decrypt.

7. Decrypting a File

To decrypt a file sent to you:

gpg --decrypt myfile.txt.gpg > decrypted_file.txt

You’ll be prompted for your passphrase.

PGP-Specific Features

Some older PGP implementations had features not directly supported by standard OpenPGP, but these are rarely used today. Most modern PGP software *also* uses GPG under the hood.

Key Management Considerations

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