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diff --git a/manual/basic-concepts.md b/manual/basic-concepts.md index e69de29b..638c19e3 100644 --- a/manual/basic-concepts.md +++ b/manual/basic-concepts.md @@ -0,0 +1,58 @@ +# Basic Concepts + +If you don't know GPG, or PGP, you may need to learn some basic concepts here before using Gpg Frontend. This reduces +the chance of you making mistakes, such as distributing your private key to the world. + +## The most basic concepts you must know + +First, you need to generate a key pair, which you can imagine as a key ring. Each key pair has at least two keys, a +public key and a corresponding private key. These two keys form a key pair. There can also be multiple public keys and +their (one-to-one correspondence) private keys in a key pair, which will be described later. The public key can be +released to the outside world. Others can use your public key to encrypt the information they want to give you. The +private key is kept by yourself. If it is leaked, your encryption will no longer be meaningful. + +What you need to know is that the public key is used to encrypt information, and the ciphertext encrypted by others +using the public key you released is guaranteed to be decrypted only by the corresponding private key of your key pair. +This process involves some The principle of cryptography, you can trust this process unless no one knows your private +key except you. The reverse of this process is also valid, you can encrypt a message with your private key, and someone +else decrypts the message with your public key. The significance of this inverse process is that if the person using the +public key cannot normally decrypt a message encrypted with the private key, then it is certain that the message does +not come from the person who owns the private key corresponding to the public key. . This process can also be trusted. +It can be seen that this reverse process establishes a process of signing and then verifying. Information encrypted with +the private key can be seen as a signature. Others can use the public key to verify that the signature is valid. + +If you just want to use the tool, you don't need to understand the cryptography behind it, you just need to remember the +above. + +If you want to know more, you can read on. + +## Multiple pairs of public and private keys in a key pair + +In a key pair, there is at least one pair of public key and private key, but there is no limit to the maximum number of +pairs. You can generate another pair of public and private keys (we call them subkeys), and then add them to the key +pair, but it is worth noting that the newly added public and private key pairs are the same as the first pair. Pairs +have a public key and private key (which we call the primary key) pair associated. + +You can specify which process a subkey pair is used for. For example, the first key pair is used for encryption and +decryption, the second key pair is used for signing and verification, or the third key pair can be used for encryption +and decryption. Used to do the above two key pairs at the same time. Please specify these things when generating the +subkey. + +The master key is automatically generated when the key pair is generated, and the subkey can be added by the user at +will. + +When generating the master key or subkey, you can choose some algorithms such as RSA, DSA, etc. You do not need to +understand the specific principles of these. You just need to know that subkeys generated by certain algorithms cannot +perform certain processes (such as encryption and decryption), but can only perform certain processes (such as signing +and verification). It is worth mentioning that for RSA, you can choose the key length when using the algorithm, you can +think that the key + +## The first pair of public and private keys in a key pair (primary key) + +The first pair of public and private keys (master key) in a key pair is very critical, because subsequent public and +private keys (sub-keys) are linked to them, you can think that if someone else gets yours Master key (including public +and private key information), he can generate sub-keys based on the information of the master key, and then he can use +the sub-keys he generated to impersonate you and communicate with others. + +Therefore, the private key of the master key (the public key can be released to others) must not be leaked. The +disclosure of its private key means that the entire key pair is no longer safe and must be stopped immediately. |