NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #20/NN_1992_20.iso/spool/sci/crypt/3241

Internet Message Format | 1992-09-14 | 1.9 KB

Path: sparky!uunet!usc!wupost!waikato.ac.nz!aukuni.ac.nz!cs18.cs.aukuni.ac.nz!pgut1
Newsgroups: sci.crypt
Subject: PGP 1.0 -> PGP 2.0 keyring converter
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
From: [e-mail] (Peter Gutmann)
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1992 07:35:44 GMT
Sender: [e-mail] (PeterClaus          Gutmann        )
Organization: Computer Science Dept. University of Auckland
Lines: 29

There's been a bit of debate recently about validating PGP 2.0 keys, the
following may help a bit....

I've just put a file called keycvt.zip on ghost.dsi.unimi.it (the same place as
PGP 2.0).  This contains the source + MSDOS executable for a PGP 1.0 ->
PGP 2.0 keyring converter.  I've tested the DOS executable but don't have
any PGP 1.0 keys handy to test the Unix version (just type 'makecvt' to build
it under gcc, it's nothing fancy).  Running it with no args gives a help
message.

This shouldn't really be used as a replacement for generating new keys with
PGP 2.0 (in fact it shouldn't really be used at all).  However there are a lot
of PGP 1.0 keys floating around out there, and keycvt can be used to boot-
strap a distribution of PGP 2.0 keys - generate a 2.0 key and sign it with your
converted 1.0 private key.  The recipient can then test it using your converted
1.0 public key.  Your old keys *do* still have some life left in them...

Again, please *don't* use converted 1.0 keys as your working keys - you
should generate new keys in the 2.0 format rather than reuse old ones...

Peter.

Useless historical note: I wrote keycvt a while back for converting keys from
  the older 1.0 format to newer transitional formats used by PGP as it
  evolved.  It wasn't really meant to be distributed, but it looks like there
  may be some use for it....
--
    [e-mail] || [e-mail] || [e-mail]
               (In order of preference)