PC-Online 1998 February/PCOnline_02_1998.iso/filesbbs/os2/pgpeasy.arj/PGPEASY.HLP

OS/2 Help File | 1996-08-08 | 13KB | 328 lines

ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1. Introduction ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

PGP Easy Rider is a front-end for "Pretty Good Privacy", the encryption
software developed by Phil Zimmermann and others. While PGP itself provides a
pretty good way of ensuring you a valuable piece of privacy - based on public
key encryption - it requires the user to handle a rather complicated
command-line interface. PGP Easy Rider will help the user in easy PGP command
generation and display of PGP results.

PGP Easy Rider presents the well-known PGP functions to the user - together
with some additional features often used in conjunction with E-Mail handling or
password administration. The elements on the main screen are:

Edit
Encrypt/Sign
Encrypt only
Decrypt
Keys
Options

Other features are accessible by menus:

Password file handling
Set your passphrase
Copy file to Clipboard
Send a message/file with sendmail
Register the program
Fill in the registration form
Warranty

Some Drag and Drop functionality is available on this screen, too. If you drag
and drop a file on one of the Edit, Encrypt/Sign or Encrypt-Buttons, the
selected action starts immediately with this file.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.1. Edit ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Edit-interface gives the user the opportunity to select a file or message
for editing - using your favorite editor which you entered in the Options
notebook.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.2. Encrypt/Sign ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

If you want to encrypt a file or message and sign it in order to send it to
somebody else afterwards, this button opens a window on which you enter the
necessary parameters: the Encryption window.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.3. Encrypt only ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

If you want to encrypt a file or message conventionally (using the
IDEA-algorithm which is built into PGP) you use this button to open the
Encryption window. This function supports the encryption of local files which
the user does not intend to send over the network. The user has the choice to

o select a single file for encryption

o select a directory and a file mask for encryption

Depending on your choice and the options you selected the specified file or -
in case of a directory - all files matching the file mask in that directory are
encrypted.

If you want to (conventionally) encrypt several files in a directory you will
be prompted for a passphrase which then will be valid for all selected files.
This passphrase will be displayed (in clear characters) as you type it because
you will not be prompted twice - and typos would prevent you from decrypting
the files later on. So be careful nobody is looking over your shoulder when you
are typing.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.4. Decrypt ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

To decrypt an encrypted file you select the Decrypt button which opens the
Decryption window and lets you enter the required parameters.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.5. Keys ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Keys button gives access to the key management functions. These functions
offer a lot of command options which are generated for the user who has no need
to remember the details of key management.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.6. Options ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Some defaults for PGP are defined in the PGP configuration file (normally
CONFIG.TXT). Others - for use with PGP and with the Easy Rider tool itself can
be defined in the Options-notebook which the user opens by pressing the Options
button.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.7. Password file handling ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The passwords everybody has to administrate for several systems can be easily
kept in a file, if this file is encrypted by PGP. So this feature gives you the
opportunity to

Decrypt your password file
Edit your passwords
Encrypt your password file

Of course you start this cycle by defining your password-file in the
Options-notebook, then continue with the second choice, by editing a password
file and then encrypting it.

This central file may also include your secret pins, telephone numbers and
other information for which privacy should be guaranteed.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.7.1. Decrypt your password file ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

If you entered the name of your standard password file in the Options-notebook,
you hereby decrypt the file which has previously been encrypted with your
public key by PGP. Of course you need the passphrase for your secret key to
decrypt it.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.7.2. Edit your passwords ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The E-editor (which doesn't create any unwanted backup files) is called with
your password file. Whenever you change a password or add a new one you should
include it here.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.7.3. Encrypt your password file ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This function encrypts your password file using your public key. The original
ascii-file is wiped with PGP's wipe-option so that it cannot be recovered by
special software.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.8. Copy file to clipboard ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

In the case you want to send an encrypted ascii-file in your E-Mail you need to
move it into your mailing program. This function copies the encrypted file into
the clipboard, so that you can easily import it into your mailing program's
editor.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> Enter a public keyring ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Enter the name of a public keyring if you don't want to use the one set in the
PGP-configuration file.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.9. Set your passphrase ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

If you have to encrypt or decrypt a lot of files at once, it may be useful to
enter your passphrase only once and to remember it during the whole session
(until you exit PGP Easy Rider).

You can do this in the Options menu with the Set Passphrase choice. You will be
prompted for the passphrase of your secret key, but what you enter will not be
displayed at your screen (there will just be a series of '*'), and it will NOT
be written to any file on disk. It will just be kept in memory as long as your
Easy Rider session exists.

However, you can even wipe your passphrase from memory if you do not need it
any longer. Just select Wipe passphrase and the memory location will be
cleared.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.10. Sendmail ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

If you have a TCP/IP-connection up and running you may directly send your
encrypted file/message to somebody else if you enter or select her
Email-address. The "sendmail"-command will pickup your file and send it. In the
case you are not connected to your Internet-provider while issuing the
sendmail-command your message/file will be queued. You may enter a
mailq-command when you are connected again in order to send the queued piece of
mail.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.11. Register ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This program is shareware, not freeware. So after you have tested PGPEASY for a
reasonable amount of time you are asked to register the program.

To make registration as easy as possible you should select Registration and
then Fill in registration. A panel will be presented where you enter all
information which is needed for registration.

You have the choice to create a printable file and send this file via fax or
snailmail to BMT Micro for registration, or if you are connected to the
Internet, you may simply send the encrypted order by selecting the menu item
Send order. You will get your registration-id within a short time.

To register select Registration and then Register. Enter your full name in
exactly the same way as when you asked for your registration-id and enter the
registration-id you obtained in the second entry field. Press OK and you will
get a message for successful registration. The disturbing message panels
reminding you to register will stop from now. Remember your registration-id
because you will need it if you re-install PGPEASY for whatever reason.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.12. Fill in the registration form ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

If you want to register the program after the trial period, select the menu
item Fill in registration. A panel will be opened where you enter all your
registration details. Finally you have the choice to

o create a printable ASCII-file (ORDER.FRM)

o create this file and encrypt it (if it contains your Credit Card details)

As you know transmitting secret data unprotected over the Internet is rather
insecure, so the method of encrypting these data protects them from misuse. Of
course you can check the encrypted file (ORDER.ASC) by decrypting it with PGP
Easy Rider.

You may print the file ORDER.FRM and send it to

 BMT Micro
 P.O. Box 15016
 Wilmington, NC  28408
 USA

Or you simply send the encrypted file ORDER.ASC to [e-mail]. This is
done by selecting Send order in the Registration menu.

You may also have a look at ORDER.TXT for details.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2. Encrypt/sign a file or message ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This window presents the parameters to the user which are needed for encrypting
and signing a message or file to the user.

Depending on whether you want to use conventional (IDEA) encryption or whether
you selected to encrypt/sign a file the window shows different information.

In the first case you just select the file to be encrypted and the parameters
for the encryption, both on the left side of the window. However, in this case
you have the choice to select a single file for encryption or a directory and a
file mask - if you want to encrypt a whole bunch of files in one process.

In the second case you also need a public key (as the target key of the
encryption) and your secret key (as the source). Hence both your current public
and secret keyring are shown in containers from which you can make your
choices.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> Select a filename ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Enter the filename of the file you want to encrypt into this field or press the
"Select file"-button.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> Check command. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

You may now check the generated command and edit it before execution. After
that if you select "Start" the command will be executed in a separate
CMD-session, if you select "Cancel" you will return to the previous window.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3. Options notebook ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

There are parameters from different sources which determine the way PGP acts.
One source is the PGP configuration-file (normally CONFIG.TXT) where some
defaults may be defined. You may also enter command-options in the
PGP-command-line (which is generated for you by Easy Rider).

You may enter some of your preferred parameters in the Options notebook. Among
others you may define

o your favorite editor to be used with PGP

o the default directory for encrypted files and messages

o the name of an alternate public keyring

o the name of your password file

You may also decide if you want to

o display the generated command before execution

o keep or close the PGP-session after PGP has finished.

as well as define some runtime parameters for PGP itself.

Attention:  Parameters which are defined in CONFIG.TXT (or PGP.INI) will be
overwritten by their original value if you define them here - in order to
remain consistent with PGP itself.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4. Key management ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

You may select the key management function you wish to execute from this window
by pressing one of the function buttons. Another window will be shown where you
enter the necessary parameters.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.1. Key management functions ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

After you select which key management function to execute you are presented a
window where you enter your choices (dependent on the function):

o the userid(s) you want to examine or change

o the keyring(secret or public or alternate)

o the view options (detailed and/or fingerprint)

o the filename for extraction operations

Only those fields are enabled in this window which are relevant to the selected
function.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.2. Different public keyrings ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

It is often useful to have a small primary public keyring where the keys are
kept which are used rather often. A larger public keyring can be downloaded
from one of the PGP key servers, but it would take too long to access this
keyring every time you want to lookup a key. Therefore Easy Rider supports the
use of a primary and an alternate keyring.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5. Warranty ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

I will not in any event be liable for any damages, including without limitation
consequential, incidental, indirect, special, or exemplary damages, lost data,
or lost profits, arising out of use or inability to use the product, or for any
claim by any third party.