The Official Pgp User's Guide

The Official PGP User's Guide is the user's manual for PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) public-key cryptography software (v.2.6), freely available over the Internet, that has become the de facto standard for the encryption of electronic mail and data. PGP and its author Philip Zimmermann are the focus of national and international debates concerning this new, powerful "envelope" that allows individuals the same privacy in communications as enjoyed by governments and large corporations.

Because cryptography is considered a munition by the U.S. government and is thus subject to the same export restrictions as tanks and submarines, the worldwide distribution of PGP over the Internet has raised a host of issues that are addressed in the User's Guide.

In addition to technical details, the User's Guide contains valuable insights into the social engineering behind the software engineering and into the legal, ethical, and political issues that have surrounded PGP since its initial release.

Essentially a political commentary on the troubles with patents, security, and bureaucratic philosophies, this book is less a user's manual and more a litany of the bother caused by creatively mixing software and paranoia. This little book is written largely with DOS users in mind. The first part looks at how to install and use PGP, while the second part deals with configuration parameters, weaknesses of PGP, and, of course, legal details. A final chapter tells you how to find out more about PGP. If you're ready to use PGP, read Stallings; read this to understand the attendant paranoia.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.