Rakoen Maertens

--------------------------------

[EASY] PGP Guide [5 minutes]

PGP is a technology to send/receive encrypted emails and be sure that the email is real. As I use email a lot, I will explain how you can send encrypted emails to me. For me, email is a way to have deep and profound conversations and thus not something to do without attention. That is why I will not cover how to use PGP on your mobile phone, as I think that writing an email deserves time and concentration.

This guide is meant for those who know nothing about the subject. If you really want to understand how it all works, there is enough content available in the world wide web.



1. Download and install Mozilla Thunderbird.

I advise that you try the program before you move on. Configure your mail account and send a test email.

If you would like to have a different language or platform, select your preferred release here.



2. Download and install GnuPGP.

It does not matter which version you select, but I recommend the full version (first download link).
If you have a Mac computer, install GPGTools instead.
If you have a Linux computer, you can skip this step.



3. Download and install Enigmail.

The easiest way to do this: start Thunderbird, go to add-ons, search and install Enigmail. Then restart Thunderbird and follow the Enigmail configuration wizard. Choose a new, very strong password. If the configuration wizard does not pop up automatically, or if you want to change some preferences, you can do so manually.



4. Learn how to use PGP.

Now you can send/receive encrypted emails to/from yourself. With every email you write, you can select your encryption preferences. To be able to send/receive encrypted emails from others, you need to perform these very last steps: open Key Management, upload your public key, then click on Search for Keys and enter mail@rakoen.be or 0xD9AF02A4 (or the ID/email of an other person).



Congratulations

You can now send/receive encrypted emails to/from everyone. It is possible that an error screen pops up, then just download the missing keys and select the recipient and everything will be fine.

--------------------------------




Copyright © 2014 Rakoen Maertens.
All content on this website is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.