PGP Key Generator

Pretty Good Privacy (PGP)

PGP is an encryption algorithm that carries out both symmetrical and asymmetrical cryptographic mechanisms to encode and decode plain and cyphertext. PGP acts as an additional layer of security when we need to restrict unauthorized access and share crucial information only with the intended person. It's used for secure data transmissions like email communications, sharing images, and other files.

PGP keys

A PGP key is a pair of public and private keys. While the public key can be shared openly with anyone, the private key is kept secretively. The message to be transmitted is encrypted using the receiver's public key. Upon receipt by the recipient, the message will be decoded by their private key.

When you want to encrypt the data using PGP, the data is compressed first. Compression makes it more secure and easier to transmit over the internet. Once the data is compressed, a session key is generated and encryption takes place. The encrypted data then gets shared with the receiver.

PGP key generator

With the help of Zoho Toolkit, you can easily generate the private-public key pair that is required for the encryption. You just have to type in the mandatory fields like name, email address, and passphrase, and click Generate. The PGP key generator will display a pair of public and private keys associated with that particular recipient's mailbox.

Components of PGP

1. Name:

   This field takes in the name of the current entity for easy identification. It can be the name of an individual or a company.

2. Email address:

   This field contains the email address that will be associated with the particular email transmission.

3. Passphrase:

   This field is similar to a password. The passphrase protects your keys from a security breach. Ensure you remember the passphrase for your keys because if you forget it, it cannot be recovered. Whenever you want to export the private key, you will need this passphrase.

4. Algorithm (RSA/ECC):

   The algorithm option lets you select the method through which the keys are generated. By default, the RSA mechanism will be chosen. You can select any one of the asymmetric encryption algorithms to generate your key value pairs. Though both algorithms work similarly, they differ in their key size.

5. Key size (2048/4096 bits):

   The key size determines the key length that is used to encrypt/decrypt the message. The larger the key size, the stronger and powerful will it be against attacks. 2048 bits is generally recommended for regular use. However, you can opt for 4096 bits when you need to send crucial data over the internet.

6. Expiry:

   In this field, you can set a specific date as the expiry limit, after which the generated key pairs can't be used.

7. Comments:

   This field isn't mandatory. It lets you give additional information on its key generation, like its purpose, usage, and other details.