What Is PGP?

Pretty Good Privacy Definition

Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) is a security program used to decrypt and encrypt email and
authenticate email messages through digital signatures and file encryption.
PGP was first designed and developed in 1991 by Paul Zimmerman, a political activist. PGP
software was owned and sold by a company called PGP Corporation, which was founded in 2002
then sold to Symantec in 2010.
Email is a prime attack method for cyber criminals who can easily forge messages using a
victim’s name or identity. PGP aims to solve this and enhance email security by encrypting the
data to make the communication method more private.
PGP was one of the first public-key cryptography software publicly available for free. Originally,
it was used to enable individual users to communicate on bulletin board system computer
servers. Later, it was standardized and supported by other applications such as email. It has now
become a core standard in email security and has been widely used to protect individuals and
organizations.
The data encryption program provides cryptographic authentication and privacy for data used in
online communication. This allows PGP to be used for encrypting and decrypting text messages,
emails, and files.
How Does PGP Encryption Work?
PGP works through a combination of cryptography, data compression, and hashing techniques.
It is similar to other popular encryption methods such as Kerberos, which authenticates network
users, secure sockets layer (SSL), which secures websites, and the Secure File Transfer Protocol
(SFTP), which protects data in motion.
PGP uses the public key system in which every user has a unique encryption key known publicly
and a private key that only they know. A message is encrypted when a user sends it to someone
using their public key, then decrypted when the recipient opens it with their private key. It
combines private-key and public-key cryptography and the use of symmetric and asymmetric
key technology to encrypt data as it travels across networks.
PGP follows a three-step process:
1. PGP generates a huge, one-time-use public encryption algorithm that cannot be guessed,
which becomes the random session key.
2. The session key is then encrypted using the recipient’s public key, which protects the
message while being transmitted. The recipient shares that key with anyone they want to
receive messages from.
3. The message sender submits their session key, then the recipient can decrypt the message
using their private key.
Encrypting entire messages can take a long time, but PGP encrypts it using a faster algorithm.
PGP compresses plaintext data, which saves on disk space and transmission time, as well as
reinforces cryptographic security. The public key is used to encrypt the shorter version that
encrypted the full message. Both are sent to the recipient, who uses their private key to unlock
the shorter key, then decrypt the full message.
PGP uses efficient algorithms that create a mathematical summary known as a hash to send
digital signatures. The hash code, which can be usernames and other digital data, is encrypted by
the message sender’s private key. The recipient uses the message sender’s public key to decrypt
the hash, and if it matches that sent by the sender, then it confirms that the message was securely
received.
There are two public key versions of PGP:
Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA): RSA is one of the first public-key cryptosystems, which
encrypts a short key created using the International Data Encryption Algorithm (IDEA). This
sees users create and publish public keys based on two prime numbers, which are required for
anyone to decode, and use the message-digest algorithm (MD5) to create a hash code.
The RSA algorithm is effectively considered unbreakable, to the point where it has been used in
highly sophisticated malware strands such as CryptoLocker. However, it is a fairly slow
algorithm, which means it is not appropriate for encrypting user data.
Diffie-Hellman: The Diffie-Hellman version enables two users to generate shared private keys
through which they can exchange data on insecure channels. It encrypts the message with a short
key using the CAST algorithm and the Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA-1) to create a hash code.
Uses Of PGP Encryption
The most common reason for PGP encryption use is to enable people to confidentially send
messages and data to each other using a combination of their public and private keys. It is often
used to encrypt and decrypt emails, files, text messages, and entire disk partitions, and to
authenticate digital certificates.
PGP is also used to authenticate messages and for integrity checking, which detects whether a
message is altered after it was written and sent by the person who claims to have sent it. PGP
creates a digital signature for private and public keys to prove that a sender is the rightful owner
of the message.
PGP can also be used to confirm that a message reaches the intended recipient. A user’s public
key can be distributed in an identity certificate, which is constructed to ensure that tampering is
easily detected. PGP products can also confirm whether a certificate belongs to someone, also
known as the web of trust concept.
Encrypting emails
PGP is most commonly used to encrypt email messages. It was initially used by anyone wanting
to share sensitive information, such as activists and journalists. But its popularity has increased
significantly in the face of organizations and government agencies collecting user data, as people
look to keep their personal and sensitive information private.
Digital signature verification
PGP can be used for email verification. For example, if an email recipient is not sure about the
identity of the people sending them an email, they can use a digital signature in conjunction with
PGP to verify their identity.
A digital signature works through algorithms that combine a sender’s key with the data they try
to send in an email message. This creates a hash function, which is an algorithm that converts the
email message into a fixed-size block of data. That data is then encrypted using the email
sender's private key, and the recipient can decrypt the message using the sender's public key.
As a result, the recipient will know whether any character in the message has been amended in
transit. This tells them whether the sender is who they claim to be, whether a fake digital
signature has been used, or if the email message has been tampered with or hacked.
Encrypting files
The algorithm that PGP uses, which is typically the RSA algorithm, is largely considered
unbreakable, which makes it ideal for encrypting files. It is particularly effective when used with
a threat detection and response tool. File encryption software enables users to encrypt all of their
files while removing the complexity of the encryption-decryption process.
Advantages And Disadvantages Of PGP Encryption
PGP encryption usage is typically dependent on how secure an individual or organization needs
their communication and files to be. It requires users to put more work into sending and
receiving messages from trusted contacts but hugely increases the security of their
communications. PGP also allows organizations to make their systems, resources, and users
more secure and enhances the resilience of their systems against cyberattacks.
There are benefits and challenges with using PGP encryption, depending on what it is being used
for.
Advantages Of PGP encryption
The biggest advantage of PGP encryption is that the algorithm is unbreakable. It is widely used
by people who need to secure their private communications and is considered a leading method
for enhancing cloud security. That is because PGP makes it impossible for a hacker, nation-
states, or government agencies to break into files or emails protected by PGP encryption.
However, there have been stories that note security failings in some PGP implementations like
EFAIL, which was a vulnerability in OpenPGP and S/MIME end-to-end encryption technologies.
Disadvantages Of PGP encryption
1. Complexity of use: PGP encryption’s biggest downside is that it is typically not user-
friendly. Encrypting data and files using PGP takes time and effort, which can complicate
message sending for users. Organizations must provide employee training if they are
considering implementing PGP.
2. Key management: Users need to fully understand how the PGP system works to ensure
they do not inadvertently create holes in their security defenses. This can either be
through the incorrect usage of PGP or losing or corrupting keys, which puts their fellow
users at risk in highly secure environments.
3. Lack of anonymity: PGP will encrypt messages that users send, but it does not
anonymize them. As a result, senders and recipients of emails sent through a PGP
solution can be traced. The subject line of the message is also not encrypted, so avoid
including sensitive data or information. Users who want to hide their location can use
anonymous browsers through proxy servers or virtual private networks (VPNs). They can
also use encrypted messaging applications, such as Signal, that provide simple-to-use
encryption or anonymization, which is a more efficient alternative to encrypting stored
data.
4. Compatibility: It is impossible to use PGP unless both the sender and recipient of the
communication are using the same version of the software.