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Annotation of pgp/readme.doc, revision 1.1.1.6

1.1.1.6 ! root        1:           Pretty Good Privacy version 2.6 - READ ME FIRST
        !             2:                        Notes by Perry Metzger
        !             3:                    Edited for 2.3a by Colin Plumb
        !             4: 
        !             5: 
        !             6: You are looking at the README file for PGP release 2.6.  PGP, short for
        !             7: Pretty Good Privacy, is a public key encryption package; with it, you
        !             8: can secure messages you transmit against unauthorized reading and
        !             9: digitally sign them so that people receiving them can be sure they
        !            10: come from you.
        !            11: 
        !            12: The files pgpdoc1.txt and pgpdoc2.txt contain documentation for the
        !            13: system.  Before using PGP, PLEASE READ THE DOCUMENTATION.  This tends
        !            14: to get neglected with most computer software, but cryptography software
        !            15: is easy to misuse, and if you don't use it properly much of the security
        !            16: you could gain by using it will be lost!
        !            17: 
        !            18: Security is only as strong as the weakest link, and while the algorithms
        !            19: in PGP are some of the strongest known in the civilian world, there are
        !            20: things outside the program's control which can weaken your security as
        !            21: assuredly as forgetting to lock a vault door.  Even if you are already
        !            22: familiar with public key cryptography, it is important that you
        !            23: understand the various security issues associated with using PGP. 
        !            24: 
        !            25: There are four archives in the PGP 2.6 release.  You will usually only
        !            26: need one of them.  They are:
        !            27: - pgp26.zip      This is the MS-DOS executable release, which includes
        !            28:                  the executable, support files, and basic documentation.
        !            29:                   Note: This archive contains an inner zip file named
        !            30:                  pgp26i.zip. This internal zip file contains the actual
        !            31:                  PGP release. pgp26.zip contains it and pgp26i.asc which
        !            32:                  is a detached signature generated by [email protected] for
        !            33:                   pgp26i.zip. In this fashtion you can verify that the
        !            34:                  release you received is authentic. Other signatures
        !            35:                  will be included in the future.
        !            36: - pgp26src.zip   This is a source code release, which includes all the source
        !            37:                  code needed to compile PGP and examples of usage.  This
        !            38:                  contains everything in pgp26.zip except the pgp.exe binary.
        !            39:                  Note: It also contains a signature and an internal ZIP
        !            40:                  file so you can verify the integrity of the release you
        !            41:                  have.
        !            42: - pgp26src.tar.gz This contains exactly the same files as pgp26src.zip, except
        !            43:                  that they use Unix rather than MS-DOS line end conventions.
        !            44:                  Note: It also contains a signature and an internal tar
        !            45:                  file so you can verify the integrity of the release you
        !            46:                  have.
        !            47: - pgp26src.tar.Z  This is a UNIX compress version of pgp26src.tar.gz.
        !            48: - pgp26doc.zip   This is the documentation for PGP only.  This can be freely
        !            49:                  exported and is useful to tell people what PGP does.
        !            50:                  Note: It also contains a signature and an internal ZIP
        !            51:                  file so you can verify the integrity of the releaseyou
        !            52:                  have.
        !            53: 
        !            54: While we welcome ports to other platforms, if you make your own archive
        !            55: for distribution, PLEASE INCLUDE THE MANUAL.  It covers important
        !            56: security and legal issues which a new user must know.
        !            57:                
        !            58: Assuming you have a code (non-documentation) release, the file SETUP.DOC
        !            59: contains information on how to install PGP on your system; this document
        !            60: is broken up into several sections, each dealing with a different
        !            61: operating system: PGP2.6 is known to run on MS-DOS and UNIX. It should
        !            62: also run on VMS and OS/2, but these have not been tested yet.  Part of
        !            63: the information in SETUP.DOC might make more sense if you have already
        !            64: read the manuals.
        !            65: 
        !            66: PGP2.6 is freeware; you are welcome to copy and distribute it provided that
        !            67: you do not export it from the U.S. and you follow the terms and conditions
        !            68: of the included RSAREF license.
        !            69: 
        !            70: For details on what has changed since release 2.3a, see doc/newfor24.doc,
        !            71: doc/newfor25.doc and doc/newfor26.doc.  Release 2.4 was given to
        !            72: ViaCrypt only, and fixed a few minor bugs.
        !            73: 
        !            74: MANIFEST for PGP 2.5 MSDOS executable release
        !            75: ---------------------------------------------
        !            76: 
        !            77: Here is a list of files included in the PGP 2.6 MSDOS executable release
        !            78: file PGP26I.ZIP...
        !            79: 
        !            80: README.DOC      - This file you are reading
        !            81: PGP.EXE         - PGP executable program
        !            82: CONFIG.TXT      - User configuration parameter file for PGP
        !            83: LANGUAGE.TXT    - Sample language file for French and Spanish
        !            84: PGP.HLP         - Online help file for PGP
        !            85: ES.HLP          - Online help file in Spanish
        !            86: FR.HLP          - Online help file in French
        !            87: KEYS.ASC        - Sample public keys you should add to your keyring
        !            88: DOC\SETUP.DOC   - Installation guide
        !            89: DOC\PGPDOC1.DOC         - PGP User's Guide, Vol I: Essential Topics
        !            90: DOC\PGPDOC2.DOC         - PGP User's Guide, Vol II: Special Topics
        !            91: DOC\BLURB.TXT   - Brief description of PGP, for BBS indexes
        !            92: DOC\POLITIC.DOC         - Computer-related political groups
        !            93: DOC\NEWFOR22.TXT - Differences between PGP 2.2 and PGP 2.1
        !            94: DOC\NEWFOR23.TXT - Differences between PGP 2.3 and PGP 2.2
        !            95: DOC\NEWFOR24.TXT - Differences between PGP 2.4 and PGP 2.3
        !            96: DOC\NEWFOR25.TXT - Differences between PGP 2.5 and PGP 2.4
        !            97: DOC\NEWFOR26.TXT - Differences between PGP 2.6 and PGP 2.5
        !            98: DOC\RSALICEN.TXT - RSAREF license
        !            99: DOC\MITLICEN.TXT - PGP 2.6 License from MIT
        !           100: DOC\KEYSERV.DOC  - Information (maybe out of date) on PGP Keyservers
        !           101: 
        !           102: For Clinical Paranoia Sufferers Only
        !           103: ------------------------------------
        !           104: 
        !           105: It is always possible that the PGP you have received has been tampered
        !           106: with in some way.  This is a risk because PGP is used as a system to
        !           107: assure security, so those wishing to breach your security could likely
        !           108: do it by making sure that your copy of PGP has been tampered with.  Of
        !           109: course, if you receive PGP in a binary distribution, it makes sense to
        !           110: check it for viruses, and if you receive PGP as source code, looking
        !           111: for signs of obvious tampering might be a good idea.  However, it is
        !           112: very difficult to actually determine if the code has no subtle bugs
        !           113: that have been introduced and that the executable you are using has
        !           114: not been tampered with in any way.
        !           115: 
        !           116: If you have a previous version of PGP which you already trust, the
        !           117: cryptographic signature on the executable will assure you that it has
        !           118: not been tampered with (with the possible exception of a "stealth virus"
        !           119: already existing on your system).  If you are a really paranoid person,
        !           120: try getting a cryptographically signed copy of the software from someone
        !           121: you trust to have a good copy.  It would also likely be good for you to
        !           122: pay special attention to the sections of the manual on "Vulnerabilities."  
        !           123: You are going to read the manual, aren't you?

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