How to get and use PGP (Pretty Good Privacy)

The PGP Frequently Asked Questions.

Using PGP to encrypt your credit card number on a Deep Space Mall order.

  1. Get the GSC public key. This is an ascii text file you can save. Add it to your key ring (see PGP documentation).

  2. Create a file on your system with your credit card number, type of card, expiration date and your name as it appears on the card.

  3. Encrypt the file with PGP.

  4. Email the file to markreiff@earthlink.net

  5. Email your order to markreiff@earthlink.net. Or append the encrypted file to the order and email them as one mail message.

Getting PGP

The most economical way to get PGP is via FTP.

The primary FTP site for PGP in the U.S. is net-dist.mit.edu.

The process to get PGP is nonstandard.

  1. Anonymous FTP (User anonymous, Password your email address) into net-dist.mit.edu and get the README and rsalicen.txt files in /pub/PGP. Also get the documentation, pgpdoc1.txt and pgpdoc2.txt.

  2. The README file will ask you to read the rsalicen.txt file.

    Proceed if you can comply with this file.

  3. Telnet to net-dist.mit.edu and log in as getpgp (no password).

  4. You will be asked four questions. If you answer yes to all four questions, the location of the PGP distribution will be disclosed to you.

  5. Anonymous FTP to net-dist.mit.edu before the hour or half hour and cd to the location disclosed to you previously. The form is /pub/PGP/dist/U.S.-only-xxxx where the xxxx is a random set of alphanumeric characters, which changes every half hour.

  6. For DOS or Windows, get pgp262.zip.

    For the Mac, get MacPGP2.6.sea.hqx or MacPGP2.6-68000.sea.hqx.

    For Unix, get pgp262s.tar.Z.

  7. For Dos or Windows, use pkunzip to decompress the image.

    Use the appropriate utility to unpack the Mac and Unix software.>/P>

    Read the documentation.

    The easiest way to get PGP is to buy it from ViaCrypt. The Windows version for commercial use is about $125. They can be reached at (602) 944-0773, 2104 W. Peoria Ave., Phoenix, Arizona, 85029.

    In countries other than the U.S. and Canada, you can probably find a distribution site through a WWW search engine. It is not legal to export PGP, but parts of PGP were developed by people in other countries and they probably have compatible versions available at their WWW sites.

    To return to the ordering page, click here.

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