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 PGP: the place to be
March 16, 2005 - Part III
Encrypting files and folders
So far, I have managed to send an encrypted email, albeit in manual mode. But the program offers many additional interesting options. Besides encrypting email, PGP Desktop can provide encryption for files and also allows you to create a PGP disk.
Encrypting files is as easy as ABC. Just select a file, right-click it, select PGP, and click Encrypt & Sign:
After that, a prompt window asks you to select the recipients of the encrypted file (the only people in the PGP keys window who would be able to decrypt it). After you enter your control passphrase, you're good to go: File encryption starts. For a file a little over 700 MB (an image of a disc made with Nero), encryption took less than 5 minutes, which can be considered a good result.
In case you don't need your encrypted file anymore, you can delete it by using your regular Windows commands, or you may wish to "wipe" it, as the PGP program offers to do. I don't know what's the difference between those two options; in my case, at least, both ways worked.
You can also see that an encrypted file is smaller than the original unencrypted file, which means that the program compresses the original file to some degree.
Two things to remember about file encryption with PGP Desktop:
- Unless you choose otherwise, the program makes an encrypted copy of the original file. You might want to delete the original file manually.
- When you choose to encrypt an entire folder, the files inside that folder also get encrypted, and the original files inside it remain in place, making the folder twice as large. To better encrypt an entire folder, I would advise that you make it an SDA-a self-decrypting archive. To do that, right-click the folder, select PGP, and click Create SDA; then enter any phrase twice in a passphrase dialog box.
The last (and quite interesting) option lets you create a PGP disk, but I will not cover it here, due to lack of time. I advise you to check it out for yourself and tell me your opinion.
Things to remember
Store a copy of your private key in a safe place that is inaccessible to others. Never give it to anyone.
If you want others to be able to encrypt data that they send you, you need to give them your PUBLIC key. You can give your private key to people individually or distribute it over the Internet.
Be mindful, and never forget your passphrase, which is crucial to the encryption/decryption process.
Verdict
PGP encryption is a great tool for making messages secret. The PGP Desktop 8.1 program didn't work as it should have when I tried to create an encrypted email automatically, but it worked perfectly on every other task. Due to its simplicity and clear interface, it's suitable even for users who aren't familiar with encryption. PGP encryption offers great possibilities where privacy and data protection are concerned.
Developer's web site: www.pgp.com
Download link: www.pgp.com/downloads/updates/pgp8.1.html
Back to Part II
Back to Part I
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