Tips and Instructional topics. Not for support questions.
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nadir

- nadir
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## encrypted mails with claws-mail

Sat Oct 29, 2011 3:28 am

That way i set up encrypted email for claws-mail:
A) Create a key:
--------------------
open seahorse.
In the menu click on: File -> New
and choose "pgp"
Enter your info, especially for the email-address
Add a password.
B) Make it public:
-------------------
a) Go to "my personal keys " in seahorse.
right click on your key, and click on "export".
Save the *.asc to a save place and email it to your email-partner[s], one after the other.
He/She must import it from seahorse.
(One needs a revoke file. Not sure how to do that in seahorse, but it should be easy. See b) )
OR:
b) Make a revoke file:

Code:
  `gpg --output revoke_<key-id>.asc --gen-revoke <key-id>`

and after that (!) upload it, the key itself, not the revoke file, to a server:

Code:
  `gpg --send-key <key-id>`

You will be able to figure out the key-id by

Code:
  `gpg --list-keys`

If someone wants to import your key, he can do

Code:
  `gpg --search-keys cool_dude`

in case your email is [email protected]
. Simply choose the matching one, and tell gpg to import it. Straight forward.
C) claws-mail:
----------------

Code:
  `apt-get install claws-mail-pgpinline
  apt-get install claws-mail-pgpmime`

a)
menu->configuration->plugins->load
and load the gpg modules you just installed.
b)
configuration->preferences->plugins->gpg
-automatically check signatures
- store password yes or no (what one wants)
c)
configuration->edit accounts->select account-> gpg
default key or based on email or specify ??? A good question
d)
configuration->edit accounts->select account -> privacy
set to PGP MIME
select all, but not "always encrypt" ( well: or one wants that...)
Hope this helps (not sure if its not too easy too mention it at all). Corrections are welcome. Here i stored some basic commands i consider to be useful: http://tornow.posterous.com/tag/gpg
nadir

- nadir
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## Re: encrypted mails with claws-mail

Sat Oct 29, 2011 3:42 am

Tip: if you need a quick and dirty way to encrypt files:

Code:
  `gpg -c name_of_file.txt`

You don't need any of the above for that, it works out of box.
Edit: Holy big-bang. Encryption is a good thing, but decryption is not bad neither:

Code:
  `gpg --output name_of_file.txt --decrypt name_of.txt.gpg`

Last edited by nadir on Mon Oct 31, 2011 1:36 am, edited 2 times in total.
fsmithred

- fsmithred
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## Re: encrypted mails with claws-mail

Sat Oct 29, 2011 10:51 am

One thing that might be confusing in your description - the revoke key is a .asc file, and you absolutely do not want anyone else to have that file. Common practice is to put that key on some external media and lock it in a box. If your gpg key is ever compromised, you'll want to revoke it so nobody else can use it.
You can send your public key to others if you want them to sign it, but there are a couple of other things you and they should do in that case, and that includes things like meeting in person and looking at picture ID cards and checking the fingerprint of the key before signing it. Search for "key-signing party" for a full set of instructions on that.
I can't comment on the Seahorse stuff, because I've never used it. In refracta-6.0.6, you can install Sylpheed from "Install Software" in the system menu, and the procedure is almost identical to what you do in Claws. Under "Configuration -> Preferences for current account -> Privacy" you can set your preferences and select which gpg key you want to use.
nadir

- nadir
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## Re: encrypted mails with claws-mail

Sun Oct 30, 2011 1:39 am

> fsmithred wrote:One thing that might be confusing in your description - the revoke key is a .asc file, and you absolutely do not want anyone else to have that file. Common practice is to put that key on some external media and lock it in a box. If your gpg key is ever compromised, you'll want to revoke it so nobody else can use it.
> You can send your public key to others if you want them to sign it, but there are a couple of other things you and they should do in that case, and that includes things like meeting in person and looking at picture ID cards and checking the fingerprint of the key before signing it. Search for "key-signing party" for a full set of instructions on that.
> I can't comment on the Seahorse stuff, because I've never used it. In refracta-6.0.6, you can install Sylpheed from "Install Software" in the system menu, and the procedure is almost identical to what you do in Claws. Under "Configuration -> Preferences for current account -> Privacy" you can set your preferences and select which gpg key you want to use.

Thanks for stressing that, it is a bit confusing above, i agree.
I did not fully understand the key-signing-party subject yet. Thanks for explaining it a bit too.
The advantage of Seahorse is that it is quite intuitive to create/export/import keys. It is easy from cli too, but from Seahorse it is very easy.
found another link:
https://help.riseup.net/en/howto-gpg-keys#linux
fsmithred

- fsmithred
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## Re: encrypted mails with claws-mail

Thu Nov 17, 2011 3:29 pm

Correction: I stated above that you can install Sylpheed from "Install Software" in the menu. That's wrong. At some point, I changed it to Claws. That's probably why you wrote a howto for Claws instead of Sylpheed. Duh!
nadir

- nadir
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## Re: encrypted mails with claws-mail

Thu Nov 17, 2011 7:02 pm

Nope.
I simply did not know of a default email-client for refracta, and i use claws. So it was just egocentric to write about claws . If i would be better with email i might try a few, but i am happy that it works at all (and stick to claws).
I guess (hope?) the method to set up encryption is quite similar for all clients.
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