OpenPgp secret keys

Blaktyger · 02-06-2015, 10:37 AM

I would like to know what the difference between a private key and and secret keyring. Is it safe to backup a secret keyring?

haertig · 02-06-2015, 10:51 AM

Your secret keyring holds your private keys. Just like the household keyring probably in your pocket, a "keyring" can hold multiple "keys".

You do want to backup your keyrings (both secret and public). If you lose them, you're stuck. So back them up.

Blaktyger · 02-06-2015, 01:59 PM

Can someone figure out the private key contained in the keyring?
Can I use the same keyring in multiple computers?
If i loose the keyring I can use the revoke key...

haertig · 02-06-2015, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blaktyger

Can someone figure out the private key contained in the keyring?

The NSA, maybe. The average bloke, no (unless you choose a really useless and easy to crack passphrase to protect your keyring).

Quote:

Can I use the same keyring in multiple computers?

Of course.

Quote:

If i loose the keyring I can use the revoke key...

You would have to send the revokation to a public keyserver, and the people you communicate with would have to refresh their keyrings from the public server. I suppose there is a way to just send the revokation to those you communicate with, if it's a small group and you know everybody who might have your public key.

http://carthik.net/blog/vault/2005/0...-gpg-key-pair/

Blaktyger · 02-06-2015, 03:51 PM

Hahaha I think OpenPgp has a special back door designed just for them. The chances cracking a very safe password/passphrase are near to zero unless you have a quantum computer... which the NSA has or do they? :P