Cryptography Questions Medium
Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) is a widely used encryption program that provides cryptographic privacy and authentication for data communication. It was developed by Phil Zimmermann in 1991 as a means to protect email communication from unauthorized access.
PGP uses a combination of symmetric-key and public-key cryptography to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity of data. It employs a web of trust model, where users can digitally sign each other's public keys to establish trust and verify the authenticity of the sender.
The main features of PGP include encryption, digital signatures, and key management. Encryption ensures that the content of the message remains confidential by converting it into an unreadable format that can only be decrypted by the intended recipient. Digital signatures provide a way to verify the authenticity and integrity of the message, ensuring that it has not been tampered with during transmission. Key management involves generating and managing public and private keys, as well as securely exchanging public keys with other users.
PGP has become a standard for secure email communication and is widely used for protecting sensitive information, such as financial transactions, personal data, and confidential business communications. It has also been adapted for use in other applications, such as secure file storage and secure messaging platforms.
Overall, Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) is a powerful encryption program that offers robust security measures to protect the privacy and integrity of data communication.