Introduction to Computer Forensics

PGP Lab Practice

  1. Open a new e-mail account (for example on yahoo) to use in this lab.
  2. Open PGP: START->Programs->PGP->PGP Desktop
  3. First, we need to create our keys. To create public and private keys do the following:From File Menu choose New PGP Key and follow directions.
  4. After the pair of keys was created you can encrypt and decrypt messages, but first we will export your public key to the file, so you can send you public key to others.
  5. To export the public key to the file do the following:
  6. Click PGP Keys
  7. Click My Private Keys
  8. Highlight the key in the big window and click on File Menu
  9. Choose Export ->Key
  10. Choose the file name and directory where you will store the key.

Encrypting a message in a file for local use:

  1. Open the Word and type in the following text: This is a forensics course
  2. Make sure that the file is saved but remains open
  3. Click on PGP lock icon
  4. Select Current Window
  5. Choose Encrypt or Encrypt and Sign
  6. Check Conventional Encryption
  7. Click OK and follow directions
  8. You can save encrypted message in the file and send it my e-mail to others.

Decrypting the file:

  1. The file with encrypted message should be on the screen
  2. Click PGP lock
  3. Select Current Window
  4. Click Decrypt and Verify
  5. Follow directions (you would need to provide a password that you use in encryption).
  6. The original message appears in the text viewer window.

Public Key Encryption and Decryption:

  1. You have already generated a pair of keys
  2. You have exported the key into the file – this is your PUBLIC KEY
  3. You can send it to others so others would be able to encrypt the message and send it to you and you would be able to use your PRIVATE KEY to decrypt
  4. To encrypt using public key, do the following:
  5. Open the file that you would like to encrypt (we can use the same file)
  6. Click PGP icon and select Current Window again
  7. Click Encrypt
  8. In the key selection dialog box, the upper window shows you the public key that you currently can use to encrypt. In our case, we have only your own public key.
  9. Drug the public key that you would like to use from the top window to the bottom window and click OK. You will see the encrypted file on the screen.
  10. You can save the encrypted message in the file and send it to the person whose public key was used in encryption.
  11. To decrypt, open the file with encrypted message (the file should be open, we didn’t close this file).
  12. Click PGP icon and select Current Window and then Decrypt and Verify
  13. Type the password (that you used when you created the keys) to decrypt.