[PGP] Encrypt
Q100076: [PGP] Encrypt
Encrypts specified files using PGP.
| Parameter | In/Out | Description | Other Info |
|---|---|---|---|
| File source | InOut | The file source is a list of one or more files to encrypt, using fully qualified pathnames, such as a FileList output parameter from another module. A typical example being the [Files] Find module. |
|
| Output Folder | In | Folder to place the encrypted file(s) in; if blank it uses same folder as the source files. | |
| Target Public Key | In | Public key used to encrypt files. A Target Public Key or Target Public Key File is required. | |
| Target Public Key File | In | Public key file used to encrypt files. A Target Public Key or Target Public Key File is required. | |
| Add Integrity Check | In | Add integrity check block to output files. | Default: true |
| Compress Output | In | Compress output in addition to encrypt. | Default: true |
| File list | Out | The list of encrypted files. |
(Italics = required parameters)
Notes
The [PGP] Encrypt module is used for encrypting one or more files using the PGP encryption algorithm. Developed in 1991, PGP has proven reliable and popular for very secure exchange of data over the years, by using a very strong symmetric-key cryptographic algorithm. A symmetric-key algorithm means that the transfer of data is protected by the use of a private key and the corresponding public key. You can share your public key with anyone you want. They will be able to use it to encrypt data that can only be successfully decoded with your private key. Thus, you never want to reveal your private key to anyone. You keep the private key secret, and never share the private key with anyone. Only the private key can be used to successfully decrypt the files that were encrypted with its corresponding public key.
If you wish to exchange files in two directions, then each party should have their own private key and corresponding public key pair. Each party that wishes to securely exchange encrypted data, provides their public key to any or all other parties that they want to securely receive files from. Again, each party involved must keep their private key secret to themselves.
If you do not already have your own private and public keys, then the first step you need to take is to generate a set of keys that you can use. While there are many tools for doing this, an excellent resource for generating key sets is the pgpkeygen.com website. This site allows you to generate a set of keys without having to install any other software. Simply fill out the form and click the Generate Keys button and you will have a set of your own crytographic keys in just a few moments. Use the buttons to download both your public key, and your private key. And be absolutely certain that you do not forget that if you generate a key set with the Passphrase, that you must absolutely always remember the passphrase. There is no way to recover a lost passphrase!
To use with the [PGP] Encrypt module, you provide the module with a list of one or more files that you want to encrypt in the File source parameter. If you do not specify an Output folder, then the encrypted files will be written to the same location as the source files are in. If you want to encrypt files that only you can decrypt later, then you can use your own public key for encryption. Otherwise you want to use the public key of the person (or entity), that you want to send the files to. You can either copy/paste the value of the public key you want to use into the Target public key parameter. Or if you have the public key stored in a file that is located on the server, then you can just point the Target public key file parameter to the file containing the public key you want to use.
The module also supports options for including a file integrity check and using compression on the encrypted data. Not all PGP tools will support these options, so you may need to test if the recipient you are encrypting the files for, has tools that are compatable with these optional features. Most modern tools do support these options, but there are still applications and systems in use that might not.
When the module encrypts files, it takes the original filename for each file it is sent, including any original file extension, and adds the .pgp extension to it for the output filenames. This makes it easy to identify encrypted files and their original file types.