PGP article (For Non-technical readers - Newspaper)

Bacard (2005, Non technical – PGP FAQ, p.1) determines that Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) is a computer program to scramble (encrypt) and unscrambles (decrypt) data so that an e-mail (electronic mail) hard to tapped by someone. This program was created by Philip Zimmermann in 1991.

How PGP works?

PGP is a public key cryptography method. When user starts using PGP, the program will generate two keys which belong uniquely to user. The easy way to remember is that these keys are computer counterparts of the keys in user pocket. One PGP key is secret and stores in user computer and the other key is public. User will give this second key to their partners (Barcard 2005, p.2).

Here is a sample of public key:
-----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----Version: 5.0 mQCNAi44C30AAAEEAL1r6ByIvuSAvOKIk9ze9yCK+ZPPbRZrpXIRFBbe+U8dGPM9XdJS4L/cy1fXr9R9j4EfFsK/rgHV6i2rE83LjOrmsDPRPSaizz+EQTIZi4AN99jiBomfLLZyUzmHMoUoE4shrYgOnkc0u101ikhieAFje77j/F3596pT6nCx/9/AAURtCRBbmRyZSBCYWNhcmQgPGFiYWNhcmRAd2VsbC5zZi5jYS51cz6JAFUCBRAuOA6O7zYZz1mqos8BAXr9AgCxCu8CwGZRdpfSs65r6mb4MccXvvfxO4TmPi1DKQj2FYHYjwYONk8vzA7XnE5aJmk5J/dChdvfIU7NvVifV6AF=GQv9-----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----

Suppose that the public key above belongs to A and A e-mail it to his friend (called B). B can store A’s public key in B PGP program and use A public key to encrypt a message that only A can read it. One benefit of PGP is that A can spread his public key as same as telephone number. An example is if A has B’s phone number, A can call B phone, but A cannot answer B phone. This example has the same way with public key. If B has A’s public key, B can send A mail; on the other hand, B cannot read A letter.

What is a PGP digital signature?

Suppose that this report signed by A’s PGP “digital signature”. This authorization would allow persons who have A’s Public key and PGP to verify that A wrote this document and nobody can change this text since A signed it. PGP signatures will be helpful for transferring money, verifying a person’s detail and signing contracts (Youd 1996, p.1).

References

Bacard, A 2005, (Non-Technical) PGP FAQ, last updated n.a., Computer Privacy Handbook, France, viewed 13 April 2007, <http://www.andrebacard.com/pgp.html>

Digital Signature 2006, last edited 10 July 2006, TechTarget Corporate, Needham, MA, viewed 13 April 2007, <http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid14_gci211953,00.html>

Feisthammel, P 2002, Explanation to the wordings used with PGP, last updated 19 June 2002, Germany, viewed 13 April 2007, <http://www.rubin.ch/pgp/glossar.en.html>

Slegers, W 2002, The.comp.security.pgp FAQ, last updated n.a., your Creative Solutions, the USA, viewed 13 April 2007, <http://www.pgp.net/pgpnet/pgp-faq/pgp-faq-general-questions.html>

Youd, D 1996, What is a Digital Signature?, last updated n.a., The Youd Zone, the USA, viewed 13 April 2007, <http://www.youdzone.com/signature.html>