[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: PGP secret keys

To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: PGP secret keys
From: Derek Atkins <[email protected]>
Date: Tue, 02 Jul 1996 10:27:52 EDT
cc: [email protected]
In-reply-to: Your message of "Tue, 02 Jul 1996 06:39:41 PDT." <[email protected]>
Sender: [email protected]

> Could someone post a pointer to a FAQ that tells what to do if you loose
> your secret key file?  How can you regenerate your private key so that the
> userid number still matches the public key that has been distributed??

Pretty much you are SOL.  To re-create the secring from the pubring
you need to find the secret components of your secret key.  The only
known way of doing that is factoring you key.  How big is it?  If it
is in the range of 384-512 bits, then we can probably reproduce your
secring in about a year.  If its any bigger than that, all you can
really do is generate a new key.

You don't want to generate a key that has the same keyID, since it
wont be able to decrypt any messages that the old one could anyways.

Enjoy!

-derek

References:
- PGP secret keys
  - From: [email protected]

Prev by Date: Re: rsync and md4
Next by Date: hard drive encryption
Prev by thread: PGP secret keys
Next by thread: Re: PGP secret keys
Index(es):
- Date
- Thread