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| PGP & GPG: Email for the Practical Paranoid | 
 enlarge | Author: Michael W Lucas
Publisher: No Starch Press
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $13.39
You Save: $11.56 (46%)
New (33) Used (5) from $13.39
Avg. Customer Rating:  15 reviews
Sales Rank: 110940
Format: Illustrated
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 216
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.8 x 6 x 0.9
ISBN: 1593270712
Dewey Decimal Number: 004.692
EAN: 9781593270711
ASIN: 1593270712
Publication Date: April 1, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Great book for intro to PGP and related crypto October 15, 2006
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Excellent beginning tutorial on PGP and related technologies. Author writes well, clearly, and with just enough humor (not over done). I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in PGP, GnuPGP, or any of the related technologies.
I'm a 10-year crypto hobbyist, and although I didn't learn much new, I wish I had this book when I started out. And it will be the book I recommend to friends and family interested in email and file crypto.
THE PARANOID'S BIBLE!! September 23, 2006
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Are you using PGP yet? If you're not, then this book is for you! Author Michael W Lucas, has done an outstanding job of writing a book that will show you enough about the ideas behind encryption and digital signatures that you'll be able to make intelligent choices about which of the available options you should use in any given circumstance .
Lucas, begins by covering the basic ideas behind encryption. Then, the author shows you the basic ideas underlying OpenPGP. Next, he guides you through the installation of the PGP desktop client. The author continues by walking you through the installation of GnuPG on both Windows and Unix like systems. He then discusses how OpenPGP keys are connected to one another, identity verification, and keysigning. Then, the author takes you through the managing of the Web of Trust with PGP software. Next, he shows you how to manage the Web of Trust with GnuPG. The author continues by discussing how to integrate OpenPGP into your email and some of the issues that can arise with email usage and PGP. He also discusses how to use PGP software with e-mail. Then, the author covers integrating GnuPG with various e-mail clients. Finally, he shows you how to deal with some of the things that can go wrong with OpenPGP, how to use OpenPGP as part of a group of people, and how to use some other significant features in GnuPG and PGP.
In this most excellent book, the author demonstrates how to integrate encryption and digital signatures with popular e-mail clients so that you can easily exchange secure e-mail with others. More importantly, he shows you how to install the PGP and the GPG encryption packages on Windows and Unix-like operating systems, and how to use them to secure your personal data.
Must-have PGP and GPG book August 8, 2006
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
PGP & GPG is another excellent book by Michael Lucas. I thoroughly enjoyed his other books due to their content and style. PGP & GPG continues in this fine tradition. If you are trying to learn how to use PGP or GPG, or at least want to ensure you are using them properly, read PGP & GPG.
Content-wise, PGP & GPG covers just about everything I would like to see in a book on encrypting email. Lucas addresses Windows and Unix options, both commercial and open source. I only paid real attention to sections on GPG and the Thunderbird Enigmail extension, since that is what I use.
Style-wise, PGP & GPG is incredibly readable. Email encryption could be a dense topic when covered by another author. Lucas addresses the right points, in the right order, with the right attitude. He's one of my favorite authors in this regard. Certain tips he shares, like setting keys to expire annually, or CC'ing yourself when sending encrypted email, or mentioning smart cards for keys, really make a difference. I agree with previous reviewers who liked the task-oriented chart on p. 14 -- that is awesome.
PGP & GPG is definitely a winner. The word "practical" in the subtitle could easily apply to the message of this book.
Wonderful Introduction to PGP June 30, 2006
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
PGP & GPG: Email for the Practical Paranoid by Michael Lucas is a wonderful introdution book for anyone that wants to learn more about OpenPGP. What it is, where it's been, where it's going and why it's important in the high tech world, this is the perfect book. At 180+ pages in length this is the kind of overview book that I would expect to get. Nothing bulky with 1,000 pages, this is the kind of book that can be opened up and read in a short amount of time, while providing a massive amount of content about PGP. Anyone that wants to learn more about encryption and specifically PGP would be wise to pick up this book, nicely done!
***** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
 Pretty good overview of how to use PGP June 26, 2006
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) is one of the most popular software encryption programs ever. It is so good and so effective that in the early 1990s the FBI launched a multi-year investigation against Phil Zimmerman, the creator of PGP, for possible violation of federal export laws, especially ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulation). After many years of investigation, the FBI ultimately dropped its case against Zimmerman. Even though PGP is synonymous with end-user encryption, there have only been a few books written on the subject. Jump to 2006, and PGP & GPG: Email for the Practical Paranoid is a welcome title.
On page 167 in Appendix A of the book, the author candidly writes that PGP "comes with a very good and complete manual at over 300 pages". With that, one may question why one would spend $24.95 on a book which covers much of the same information as the bundled documentation.
The reality is that there is a large class of people that will simply not read any form of documentation. Rather, they prefer something with an ISBN number. Such people are a boon to authors (of which I am one) and publishers. For that group, PGP & GPG: Email for the Practical Paranoid provides a pretty good overview of how to use PGP.
The book is written for an end-user who, while comfortable with the workings of technology, is new to the sometimes strange world of public key cryptography. The author writes in an easy-to-read style and, through repetition, inculcates the principal ideas of encryption and cryptography to the reader.
The introduction and first chapter provide a good presentation of the concepts of encryption, cryptography and public-key cryptography. The idea of public-key cryptography, on which PGP is based, is not so intuitive, and many people struggle with the basic concepts. The first chapter, appropriately titled 'Cryptography Kindergarten' is a good read for those who are public-key cryptography challenged.
On a side note, the notion that even smart end-users can be intimidated by public key cryptography was detailed in a now seminal research paper 'Why Johnny Can't Encrypt: A Usability Evaluation of PGP 5.0.'
The premise of the paper is that user errors cause or contribute to most computer security failures, yet user interfaces for security still tend to be clumsy, confusing, or near-nonexistent. The authors argue that effective security requires a different usability standard, and that it will not be achieved through the user interface design techniques appropriate to other types of consumer software. The authors conclude that PGP 5.0 is not usable enough to provide effective security for most computer users despite its attractive graphical user interface. Even though PGP is in version 9.x, it still suffers from usability flaws.
Cryptography purists may recoil when the author repeatedly uses the term 'military-grade encryption.' Military-grade encryption and military-grade cryptography are overused terms, most often by marketing departments, but there is no real definition of 'military-grade encryption' -- and even if there were, it would be classified. Most people use 'military-grade encryption' to mean really strong crypto, much like those who use the term 'Olympic-size swimming pool' to refer to a really large pool. But the term 'military-grade encryption' is so misused by so many people that it is a lost cause to try to fight it.
In the rest of the book, chapters 2 - 11, the author details the varied usages of PGP & GPG. The book also details the differences between OpenPGP, PGP and GPG.
The difference between them is that PGP is a commercial piece of software, GPG (Gnu Privacy Guard) is open source, and OpenPGP is a protocol that defines a standard format for encrypted messages, signatures, and certificates for exchanging public keys.
The author astutely writes that while PGP provides really strong security, this is only if, and this is a huge if, it is implemented correctly. Chapter 11 notes that although OpenPGP provides a reliable method of authentication and encryption, it is also not unbreakable. OpenPGP can be vulnerable to many different types of attacks and weaknesses, including poor implementation, hardware or software compromise, fake keys and more. It is important to realize that OpenPGP provides significant, but not unbreakable security.
At 180 pages and priced at $24.95, PGP & GPG: Email for the Practical Paranoid is an excellent book that shows the end-user in an easy to read and often entertaining style just about everything they need to know to effectively and properly use PGP and OpenPGP.
For those that want to save money and perhaps save a few trees, the free documentation that comes along with the product is similarly worth reading.
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