public accounts / PGP / passphrases

[lmccarth@ducie.cs.umass.edu]

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Hal writes:
> Just create a special key for your netcom account.  Use no pass phrase;
> using one would give a misleading sense of security IMO.  Just pass your
> mail through "pgp -saft" or equivalent and you've got it.  It is easy to
> do this from most editors.

Could someone please elaborate on the foolishness of using PGP with a 
passphrase on a public machine (as I do) ?  Am I wrong in thinking that my
secret key is useless to an intruder until she guesses my passphrase ?  I
have no net access except via an account on a public machine, so I'm not
about to start storing my secret key elsewhere, but I'll change my passphrase
to <null> if it's irrelevant anyway.  I just reviewed the PGP docs a bit and
Phil says "Nobody can use your secret key file without this pass phrase.",
which seems to contradict what many people on the list have said.

- - -L. Futplex McCarthy; PGP key by finger or server
"Don't say my head was empty, when I had things to hide...." --Men at Work

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