What is PGP encryption?

The Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) encryption allows a user to send a coded message to someone without having to share the code beforehand. In addition to encryption and decryption, PGP is used to sign messages so that the receiver can verify both the identity of the sender and the integrity of the content – this is done through digital signatures.

Digital signatures use public-key cryptography to authenticate that the data comes from the source it claims to and has not been tampered with.

How does it work?

PGP uses a private key that must be kept secret and a public key that the sender and receiver must share.

When plaintext is encrypted with PGP, it compresses the plaintext first. The sender and receiver trade their public keys that are then used to digitally sign the encrypted content.

After public keys have been traded among partners, the private keys are used to digitally sign the encrypted content which allows the decryptor to confirm the sender. The receiver of the file uses their own private key to decrypt the encrypted message.

Advantages of PGP

• It protects sensitive information.
• Files and text cannot be misused through email attacks.
• It protects data against viruses.