Pretty Good Privacy version 2.6 - READ ME FIRST
Notes by Perry Metzger
Edited for 2.3a by Colin Plumb
You are looking at the README file for PGP release 2.6.2. PGP, short for
Pretty Good Privacy, is a public key encryption package; with it, you
can secure messages you transmit against unauthorized reading and
digitally sign them so that people receiving them can be sure they
come from you.
[Note: You will see references throughout this package to PGP release
2.6. Yet this release is 2.6.2. This isn't really a problem. PGP 2.6.2
is simply a bugfix release of PGP 2.6. All features in PGP 2.6 are
also in PGP 2.6.2, just less buggy!]
The files pgpdoc1.txt and pgpdoc2.txt contain documentation for the
system. Before using PGP, PLEASE READ THE DOCUMENTATION. This tends
to get neglected with most computer software, but cryptography software
is easy to misuse, and if you don't use it properly much of the security
you could gain by using it will be lost!
Security is only as strong as the weakest link, and while the algorithms
in PGP are some of the strongest known in the civilian world, there are
things outside the program's control which can weaken your security as
assuredly as forgetting to lock a vault door. Even if you are already
familiar with public key cryptography, it is important that you
understand the various security issues associated with using PGP.
There are four archives in the PGP 2.6 release. You will usually only
need one of them. They are:
- pgp262.zip This is the MS-DOS executable release, which includes
the executable, support files, and basic documentation.
Note: This archive contains an inner zip file named
PGP262I.ZIP. This internal zip file contains the actual
PGP release. PGP262.ZIP contains it and PGP262I.ASC which
is a detached signature generated by [email protected] for
PGP262I.ZIP. In this fashion you can verify that the
release you received is authentic. Other signatures
will be included in the future.
- pgp262s.zip This is a source code release, which includes all the source
code needed to compile PGP and examples of usage. This
contains everything in pgp262.zip except the pgp.exe binary.
It contains two internal ZIP files. PGP262SI.ZIP which
contains the PGP source (and the .OBJ files for the two
assembler modules so people without the assembler can
still compile and link PGP) and RSAREF.ZIP which contains
the RSAREF sources. There are also corresponding .ASC
files so you can verify the integrity of the source
release.
- pgp262s.tar.gz This contains exactly the same files as pgp262s.zip, except
that they use Unix rather than MS-DOS line end conventions.
Note: It also contains a signature and two internal tar
file so you can verify the integrity of the release you
have.
- pgp262s.tar.Z This is a UNIX compress version of pgp26src.tar.gz.
- pgp262dc.zip This is the documentation for PGP only. This can be freely
exported and is useful to tell people what PGP does.
Note: It also contains a signature and an internal ZIP
file so you can verify the integrity of the releaseyou
have.
While we welcome ports to other platforms, if you make your own archive
for distribution, PLEASE INCLUDE THE MANUAL. It covers important
security and legal issues which a new user must know.
Assuming you have a code (non-documentation) release, the file SETUP.DOC
contains information on how to install PGP on your system; this document
is broken up into several sections, each dealing with a different
operating system: PGP2.6 is known to run on MS-DOS and UNIX. It should
also run on VMS and OS/2, but these have not been tested yet. Part of
the information in SETUP.DOC might make more sense if you have already
read the manuals.
PGP2.6 is freeware; you are welcome to copy and distribute it provided that
you do not export it from the U.S. and you follow the terms and conditions
of the included RSAREF license.
For details on what has changed since release 2.3a, doc/changes.doc.
Release 2.4 was given to ViaCrypt only, and fixed a few minor bugs.
MANIFEST for PGP 2.6.2 MSDOS executable release
---------------------------------------------
Here is a list of files included in the PGP 2.6.2 MSDOS executable release
file PGP262I.ZIP...
CONFIG.TXT - User configuration parameter file for PGP
ES.HLP - Online help file in Spanish
FR.HLP - Online help file in French
KEYS.ASC - Sample public keys you should add to your keyring
LANGUAGE.TXT - Sample language file for French and Spanish
MITLICEN.TXT - PGP 2.6 License from MIT
PGP.EXE - PGP executable program
PGP.HLP - Online help file for PGP
README.DOC - This file you are reading
RSALICEN.TXT - RSAREF license
DOC\APPNOTE.DOC - Integrating PGP into Mailers (mostly UNIX oriented)
DOC\BLURB.TXT - Brief description of PGP, for BBS indexes
DOC\CHANGES.DOC - Changes since PGP 2.3
DOC\KEYSERV.DOC - Information (maybe out of date) on PGP Keyservers
DOC\PGPDOC1.DOC - PGP User's Guide, Vol I: Essential Topics
DOC\PGPDOC2.DOC - PGP User's Guide, Vol II: Special Topics
DOC\POLITIC.DOC - Computer-related political groups
DOC\SETUP.DOC - Installation guide
For Clinical Paranoia Sufferers Only
------------------------------------
It is always possible that the PGP you have received has been tampered
with in some way. This is a risk because PGP is used as a system to
assure security, so those wishing to breach your security could likely
do it by making sure that your copy of PGP has been tampered with. Of
course, if you receive PGP in a binary distribution, it makes sense to
check it for viruses, and if you receive PGP as source code, looking
for signs of obvious tampering might be a good idea. However, it is
very difficult to actually determine if the code has no subtle bugs
that have been introduced and that the executable you are using has
not been tampered with in any way.
If you have a previous version of PGP which you already trust, the
cryptographic signature on the executable will assure you that it has
not been tampered with (with the possible exception of a "stealth virus"
already existing on your system). If you are a really paranoid person,
try getting a cryptographically signed copy of the software from someone
you trust to have a good copy. It would also likely be good for you to
pay special attention to the sections of the manual on "Vulnerabilities."
You are going to read the manual, aren't you?
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