Do people use PGP or generally encrypt their email?

[Pauly]

Just wanted to know how pervasive encrypted email was...

paul

[muno]

No encryption, if someone is really so interested in reading my mail, go ahead. I don't send anything confidential via email anyways.
-M

[golfcart]

I think PGP is pretty cool for semi-sensative data. I don't use it very often, but sometimes I need to transfer credit card information between myself and a business partner and it makes me feel a little more comfortable. Worst thing about it is the fact that it is very hard to explain it to newbie computer users.

[Virjo]

there is no need to encrypt my email. If I needed to send things which were that importaint, I would not use the internet... but then, what else is there?
btw, doesn't PGP stand for Pretty Good Privacy? The name speaks for itself. Nothing is secure over internet except things encrypted with one-time pads.

[This message has been edited by Virjo (edited 06-07-2001).]

[jansson_markus]

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----

I have emailbox at ZipLip.com which provides SSL/TLS encrypted tunnel
for reading and composing email. I would have used HushMail, but it
doesnt work with my ISP:s configuration!

Oh yes, PGP... Im a big fan of it. I use it whenever I just can. The
problem is, however, that most of my friends just dont bother to
download/install/use it so... http://www.sysopt.com/forum/frown.gif


Markus


- -----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----
Version: PGP 7.0.1
Comment: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Finns_for_SETI/files/PGPkeys/

mQEPAzrGhIMAAAEIALLe32MGvHJH2N7OXlOoO9F8g1p9Grf6Sy U3DSl7oZoZpq0d
jgdprzCfHLIWXbNd3xcxLPo7dtAtzjpfAUymKgv1W0VshilTiG m4JkWp1SJyOMBn
7GHv4Q8Pg+uBK9WjhxB1Yfz6tlUO0fet+Sw4AxQneRpBUup4gH M3EzDlOn91N2tq
zmPlHi3x5rkTB+prH7h265wr1xGEd51+kRUVZjix9S1HZ/p9TxMMunNI4spgW+xf
rrOpSoO4B8W3ipjJawKqNhKutOmoH4cdy/qfo6QwtmtETVBN7KYq+S5cQMHxUtjz
ginD5bqankETCbvWVrFwlvzXtqnwozJvibf/CDEAEQEAAbROTWFya3VzIE1pa2Fl
bCBKYW5zc29uIDxqYW5zc29uX21hcmt1c0B6aXBsaXAuY29tIC 8gamFuc3Nvbl9t
YXJrdXNAaG90bWFpbC5jb20+iQEVAwUQOsaEg6Myb4m3/wgxAQE8agf/c5U6/gfC
fdsb77IbDJkqRmh1lUooaEkBiXuqkJX0dFKVbZpduXbu/IbLCfUbWrcm1WIkpkoK
qfGrXMJV+i2XfScY5nnrVwATVmu/NtmEWOxrGUOX6TBYw8+l4nIF1eQUs1mO1rpX
pkvS/06x8+Ou13J7kl6xxdCHNX749uh/SgHov4Aes/tDQvQGA1ECtfSNgqfEsglL
/r4k9jdYMXxKxhrYWOQTEN3N2uFt+yVHNV+CoRdjg6kiSLy470A GoKHLrVFN9mlf
ksXDSz3gwz9oOCXJUgGQz9dtwddKP7P5dpE13u3rVDThnPi7k3 NQEn3HbSm6a95s
5TnUchNtTrh3UQ==
=JSoe
- -----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: PGP 7.0.4
Comment: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Finns_for_SETI/files/PGPkeys/

iQEVAwUBOyCEwKMyb4m3/wgxAQHegQf7BKo1q4ksV+l85dgMcN6JGO39Twb1ID44
9m645goyaqFeqKmsReRRvhecycRZ1UYMG1LOGcjGFb3/ju6mDDM3xua1Lg5UcC3E
oaU0h612YiarQBubg4d3PBei1HlLOcZsRlioAoCyQ56ljVd73S 7VeYQrnuAVxQDb
isvvNQYRP8LZc7TVOg/Odh96f1clyNnvZF44E5HhpoKZ+jpOeOkrp6ERyncpD8Ra
AZX3793VXcRxBJNCbtWk9QVdL9HRqgaX+vb0aUuD/CRI/9ZC/ipfcT4rrbRFfqG8
zE1VtjDGkS3DK2BnqkrNaOsMx6vNlOU4wxWbW83yTAI9oetEp2 XhFA==
=hjcx
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

[Pauly]

Well, 'idle spying' happens all the time. I'm not sure if its right. I mean, if I want a whisper something to someone in the street I can, so why not over email?

If you use good long keys and a long passcode PGP is very secure...

Anyway read this about 'Echelon' and tell us wht you think: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_1357000/1357264.stm

paul

[jansson_markus]

"If you use good long keys and a long passcode PGP is very secure..."

NO! This may sound like I making a big noise about nothing, but Im not! Long and complicated passphrases DONT MAKE PGP SECURE! Security is a chain and its only as strong as its weakest link. If you want security, you have to have firewalls, antivirus and someway to limit others from physically reaching to your computer and you also need to carefully shread all your used data. Then you need knowledge about security and the programs you have. Then you need patches and updates...a lots of them. And a bit of paranoia.

But I agree, PGP is the *best* program there is for protecting your privacy and if you use it properly in secure enviroment, it gives you Pretty Good Privacy.

ECHELON! Someone mentioned ECHELON! This leach and spy on everyones computers and electronics! Arrrgghhh!!! I HATE IT!!! If there is one thing what I hate over anything else, that is spying of ordinary people and major companies for gain of money and info for some goverment (and for US companies aswell since NSA sells this info to them).

The Echelon is VERY, VERY dangerous. One reason is that people dont know its there. And they dont believe its out there. And spying. But Echelon isnt only thing Im worried about. NSA has their finger almost everywhere in the telecom and they can eavesdrop anything they want, anywhere they want and break most of the encryptation there is if they want to. Thats scary. Did you know who designed GSM-security to be so lame that it could be easily decrypted...NSA! Who have signed deals with Microsoft, Lotus, IBM, etc. for putting up backdoors (or to be precise, to "alter them for foreign sale") to systems and programs? NSA. Call me a paranoid, but how many of the Windows/IE bugs you think are just misshaps from programmers and not planted backdoors? I think it might be 50-50. Ouch. So why am I not using OpenBSD then? Hmmm...

So anyway, about Echelon... I think it would be needed to use strong encryptation on EVERYTHING that leaves the desk... Phonecalls, Email, fax, cellurarphones, LAN, internet browsing, etc. etc. Thats the only way Echelon could be defeated, or, atleast, make sure NSA has to spend enormous amount of resources for single victim. In anycase, right now, 99% of the people and many companies aswell are their victims and thats a bad thing.

There is "no reason" why Echelon should be working. It spies upon ordinary people and companies. Thats a big no-no. EU should take harder stand against it, but I guess they wont because England is into it... But France and German and Finland have putted up a little fight about the Echelon in the European parlament and thats good.

Markus

[Pauly]

... Security is a chain and its only as strong as its weakest link. If you want security, you have to have firewalls, antivirus and someway to limit others from physically reaching to your computer and you also need to carefully shread all your used data...
I agree entirely. I was talking about traffic over the IP network - if you're sending emails or whatever that are PGP encrypted and your computer is clean from trojans then its 'pretty' secure. PGP can even 'wipe' your recycle bin - its quite a complete package these days.

The EU has stated that Echelon (which the US even refuses to admit exists) is a breach of civil liberties, so we'll have to see what happens when Britain goes further into Europe (which will happen after our recent election).

Its all very bad for a Liberal like me http://www.sysopt.com/forum/frown.gif

[jansson_markus]

Yes, I see what you mean.

I concider PGP very fine piece of software. 4096bit RSA and 3DES kinda gives excellent protection. I think it is possible for the NSA to break them if they want to, but its very costly and they dont bother doing it if its not REALLY needed. And there are lot cheeper ways to break PGP, like planting a keylogger (either software or hardware) or use TEMPEST.

TEMPEST is REALLY ****ty thing you know...

[RayH]

Since my e-mail is fairly innocuous and unimportant, I don't encyrpt it. Encrypt you e-mail and guarantee that someone will want to read it!