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GnuPG -- An Open Source GNU PGP Alternative
9/8/99
Mike Hudack
Editor-in-Chief
The open source community has finally responded to the commercialization of Pretty Good Privacy. Although PGP was once open source it changed drastically when purchased by Network Associates way back when. It still mantains a freeware version (for personal and academic use) but this simply isn´t enough for the GNU Generation.
In comes GnuPG, the open source alternative to PGP. GnuPG integrates many of PGP´s features (including decryption of PGP messages!) with "improved security and added features," according to the GnuPG Web site. It claims the following:
- Does not use any patented algorithms.
- GPLed, written from scratch.
- Can be used as a filter program.
- Full
OpenPGP implementation.
- Better functionality than PGP and some security enhancements.
- Decrypts and verifies PGP 5.x messages.
- Supports ElGamal (signature and encryption), DSA, 3DES, Blowfish, Twofish, CAST5, MD5, SHA-1, RIPE-MD-160 and TIGER.
- Easy implementation of new algorithms using extension modules.
- User id is created in a standard format.
- Support for a key expiration date.
- French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazilian), Russian and Spanish language support.
- Online help system
- Optional anonymous message receivers.
- Integrated support for HKP keyservers (wwwkeys.pgp.net)
- and many more things....
More information can be found at gnupg.org |
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