We can also extract the contents of the file while decrypting it as follows, gpg file.gpgĪfter this operation the original file file will be created. If you waited about 10 minutes you should be prompted for a password, otherwise gpg will print out the encrypted text from file.gpg as output without requiring a password. To decrypt a file we use the -d option, gpg -d file.gpg Once done, you should see the file file.gpg which will hold the encrypted contents of file. The syntax is as follows, gpg įor encrypting a file we use the -c option, gpg -c fileĪfter executing this command a prompt for entering the password and its confirmation will be displayed. Therefore public keys must be shared between the two parties, that is the sender must have the receiver's public key and vice versa.Īlthough one can share public keys, private keys should remain private. Sending a file involves the sender securely encrypting a file with a his/her own private key together with the recipient's public key and to decrypt the sent file the receiver uses his/her private key together with the sender's public key. gpg allows one to encrypt and sign data and communications, additionally it features versatile management of keys including access modules for all kinds of public key directories. Linux provides gpg(Gnu Privacy Guard), an open source implementation of PGP(Pretty Good privacy). Password protecting a system doesn't prevent one from bypassing it and having access to files and directories therefore it is necessary to have essential files encrypted with a password such that even if the hard disk is compromised any unauthorized persons will not be able to read its contents.

Gpg (Gnu Privacy Guard) is an open source command line tool for encryption and decryption, in this article we go over how to generate and revoke a key, sharing or importing this generated key and the encryption and decryption of files.

Send private key in gpg mail