Guide: Anonymity and Privacy for Advanced Linux Users

Created by: beac0n brought to you by DeepDotWeb.com

Intro
The goal is to bring together enough information in one document for a
beginner to get started. Visiting countless sites, and combing the internet
for information can make it obvious your desire to obtain anonymity,
and lead to errors, due to conflicting information. Every effort has been
made to make this document accurate. This guide is image heavy so it
may take some time to load via Tor.

Some general sources/Big Thanks

For more general guides checkout:
EFF Surveillance Self-Defense project
Riseup.net Security Guide
Security in a box
TAILS Documentation – for those looking for a solid starting place TAILS
OS is a great choice.

Thanks!
securityinabox.org
Deepdotweb.com
EFF and EPIC
riseup.net

For educational purposes.

Not legal advice or call to action.

Table of Contents

1 Intro
2 Some general sources/Big Thanks

3 Technical Information
3.1 Strong Passwords

3.2 Internet Connectivity

3.2.1 Firewall

3.2.2 Changing MAC Address

3.2.3 Intrustion Detection

3.2.4 Disk Encryption

3.2.5 Browsers

3.2.6 Router Configuration

3.2.7 Anonymity Networking

3.2.8 VPN

3.2.9 Proxy Chains

3.3 Operating Systems

3.3.1 Flash Firmware

3.3.2 Enabling a BIOS boot password

3.3.3 USB Bootable Operating Systems:

3.3.4 Linux (image files can be found at http://distrowatch.org)

3.4 Secure Data-Wiping Linux

3.5 Physical Destruction

3.6 Cold-Boot Attack

3.7 Basic Communications

3.7.1 Images

3.7.2 Email Providers

 3.7.3 Jabber_XMPP/OTR

3.7.4 Alternative Messaging Options

3.8 GNUPG/PGP Basics

3.8.1 TAILS PGP

3.8.2 Additional reading on PGP

3.8.3 PGP Versions

3.9 Validating Files with MD5 or SHA1:

3.9.1 SHA1 Sum

3.9.2 MD5 Sum

Technical Information
Strong Passwords
It’s difficult to remember many passwords. First off it’s good to select a
strong password manager. Keepassx is cross-platform, and has good
security features, like encryption by password and using a keyfile. It also
allows you to generate strong passwords, so if you’re not worried about
memorization it’s good practice to let Keepassx generate secure random
passwords.

It’s best not to use services that store your passwords in the cloud. If you
need you can back up your encrypted password database, on a secure
server, in an encrypted directory, and store your keyfile in a separate
location.

Passwords for encryption and critical access should be prioritized. Even a

long randomized password may not be a secure enough method. EFF
recommends you try the diceware method, or basically randomly chain a
number of words selected from a word list based on dice roles. Full
details are available here.

Although it’s an annoyance, passwords are the ever present key to what
matters most to you.

Internet Connectivity
No service provider should be presumed to completely protect your
privacy. Even if your VPN/Proxy or other ISP promises no logs, or
identifiable information, time and time again information has been
collected and used against those seeking anonymity. Open-Source
technologies where you are able to examine source, yet trust is still
ultimately placed in the hands of developers, are better than trusting a
Government of other entity with your security.

Consider reading the Terms of Service any time you sign up for a service
or install something.

Also remember that the times you use technology can be used to build a
profile of your location for identification. Consider changing up your
times of connectivity. On forums, chat and other services, it may be
worthwhile to disable the notification that outwardly displays when you
are on line or select invisible mode when applicable.

Firewall
UFW (Uncomplicated Firewall) is a great general firewall for linuux

1. sudo apt-get install ufw

2. sudo ufw enable

3. sudo ufw default deny incoming

as some malware may utilize outgoing traffic, like encrypted udp, it may
be worthwhile to limit outgoing ports

1. sudo ufw default deny outgoing

it may be better to specifically allow/deny the specific ports of concern.

1. sudo ufw allow port/tcp

2. sudo ufw allow port/udp

Then when you’re done check the status

1 sudo ufw status

you can see I’ve blocked some specific ports in this example

For more advanced configuration visit.

Changing MAC Address

A MAC Address is a hardware specific identifier for you network
interface. In some cases it may be useful to change your mac address to
avoid detection.

Arch Linux Guide:

1 sudo apt-get install macchanger

2 for a gui
3 sudo apt-get install macchange-gtk

With macchanger-gtk
heck your current mac addresses for future reference

1 macchanger eth0
2 macchanger wlan0

for a random macaddress

1 sudo ifconfig wlan0 down

1 sudo macchanger -r wlan0

This will change the mac address to a random value

1 macchanger -e wlan0

will change the mac address but keep it as the same vendor. This can be
useful if you’re spoofing your address but you don’t want it obviously
coming from a device not on the network.

1 sudo macchanger -A wlan0

This will change the devices MAC to a random MAC of any kind,
regardless of the original device.

1 sudo macchanger —mac=XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX interface

Will change to a specific mac address of your choice

You may want to write a script to start automatically on network
manager start, and network manager shut down.

1 sudo nano /etc/init/macchanger.conf

1 description "change mac addresses"

2
3 start on starting network-manager
4
5 pre-start script
6 /usr/bin/macchanger -A wlan0
7 /usr/bin/macchanger -A eth0
8 /usr/bin/macchanger -A wmaster0
9 /usr/bin/macchanger -A pan0
10 #/usr/bin/logger wlan0 `/usr/bin/macchanger -s wlan0`
11 #/usr/bin/logger eth0 `/usr/bin/macchanger -s eth0`
12 end script
13

you can switch out -A for -r or whatever other configuration you might
want.

1 sudo nano /etc/network/if-post-down.d/random-mac

1 #!/bin/sh
2  
3 MACCHANGER=/usr/bin/macchanger
4  
5 [ "$IFACE" != "lo" ] || exit 0
6  
7 # Bring down interface (for wireless cards that are up to scan for netwo
8 /sbin/ifconfig "$IFACE" down
9 macchanger -A "$IFACE"
10  

1. sudo chmod +x /etc/network/if-post-down.d/random-mac

2. sudo service network-manager restart

Intrustion Detection
The basic premise is monitoring the system for unusual activity. First is
to keep an eye on the logs, and the next step is to consider an IDS like
snort. There’s a learning curve, but here are some useful tools, that with
some research can increase security especially if you allow others to
access the system.
1. logwatch
1. help.ubuntu.com

1. snort
1. snort.org

2. http://manual.snort.org/

1. Open Source SECurity

1. www.ossec.net

2. http://www.ossec.net/?page_id=160

You may want to get yourself acquainted with some of the common
security tools available. Here’s a good list, definitely nmap, tcpdump,
netcat and wireshark are useful.

Disk Encryption
On first install of a linux operating system you should be prompted to
create an encrypted LVM partition, and encrypt your home folder. This is
a good start. For further security there is veracrypt.

Veracrypt is a fork of Truecrypt that is better at patching vulnerabilities. I

see a lot of tutorials touting Truecrypt, and it’s in most package
managers. However, you should download Veracrypt.

Download: veracrypt.codeplex.com/releases/view/56…

Here’s a good beginners tutorial for Veracrypt

How to create a hidden encrypted volume with Veracrypt

Select Create Volume

Select Create an Encrypted File Container

Select Hidden Veracrypt volume

Choose volume location and select never save history:

Select your encryption algorithm, AES is fine, but you may chose more
secure
Select Hash Algorithm, SHA-512 is sufficient
Select Use Key files and click the key files box… optional:

Generate save the new key.

Click add files and add the key
Click Generate Random Keyfile box if you want another key
You may also use existing keys:

Click format to create the volume that will be visible:

Now it’s recommended to load this volume with contents that appear
sensitive

You will follow the same steps, remember this is the hidden volume
consider it’s security most important.
When complete you will see this warning, read it carefully.

Browsers
Tor Browser
Download at: torproject.org

All Tor network addresses will be followed with .onion, not .com. It is far
more secure browsing .onion services.

In depth explanation of Tor by its head developer Arma.

Once you’ve download tor browser, expand the zipped file. Then

1 cd tordirectory
2 ./start-tor-browser.desktop

Forbidding javascript and other elements can make web browsing less
convenient, but by allowing more elements you open yourself to
potential vulnerabilities. It’s best to find the best possible security setting
you can withstand while the web browsing experience is still functional.

Configuring Security Settings

Privacy and security settings can be easily configured. Click on the Onion
in the top left.
Select “Privacy and Security Settings” Adjust the slider to your desired
level of security.

Noscript basics

Depending on your security level selected in Tor, Noscript may not

provide any advantage. That main advantage of Noscript is it’s easier to
tailor allowing on specific sites, or for specific elements on the fly. Click
the S in the Top Left next to the Tor Onion symbol and select forbid
scripts globally. You should see a red line across the S. If you allow
specific sites, you should check that the red line is there for those you do
not allow. Allowing only specific sites may create a fingerprint of your
activity. There are some advanced settings under options worth taking a
look at.
Tor bridge
in some cases if Tor is blocked or you wish to conceal the use of Tor a
bridge can be configured. This makes it more difficult for an ISP to detect
Tor. Bridges can help avoid censorship, and if your ISP Blocks Tor Traffic
it is much more difficult to detect the nature of the traffic unless deep
packet inspection is employed. It’s one of those things that since it’s
there, might as well set it up as a per-cautionary measure and see if your
connection is still, reliable and fast enough for your standards.

Click Open Settings on the Pop-up Connection Box

Click configure

Select Yes to ISP Censors or Blocks

obfs3 is fine, see below for information on other options.

 Most likely just skip use a local proxy

Click connect

Optionally if Tor is already started you can:

 click the onoin icon in the top left of the browser and select

Open Network Settings

check My ISP Blocks Connections and hit OK.

Use obfs 3 which is recommended, see next section on other types.

Pluggable Transports
Pluggable Transports are extensions to Tor which utilize it’s pluggable
transport API. These are more advanced ways to disguise traffic flow, for
instance making it appear as skype traffic or utilizing a flash proxy. Many
are now included in the Bridge Option Menu, so this is a good resource
to learn more about the specifics. Some may require custom installation.

Firefox
If you need to use another browser Firefox is preferred. Here are some
configuration settings and extensions that can be helpful.

Optional Configuration:

In the URL Bar enter: about:config

geo.enabled = false

geo.wifi.uri =leave blank

network.http.accept.default =
text/html,application/xhtml+xml,application/xml;q=0.9,/;q=0.8

network.http.use-cache = false

network.http.keep-alive.timeout = 600

network.http.max-persistent-connections-per-proxy = 16

network.proxy.socks_remote_dns = true

network.cookie.lifetimePolicy = 2

network.http.sendRefererHeader = 0
 network.http.sendSecureXSiteReferrer = false

network.protocol-handler.external = false #set the default and all the

sub-settings to false

network.protocol-handler.warn-external = true #set the default and all

the sub-settings to true

network.http.pipelining = true

network.http.pipelining.maxrequests = 8

network.http.proxy.keep-alive = true

network.http.proxy.pipelining = true

network.prefetch-next = false

browser.cache.disk.enable = false

browser.cache.offline.enable = false

browser.sessionstore.privacy_level = 2

browser.sessionhistory.max_entries = 2

browser.display.use_document_fonts = 0

intl.charsetmenu.browser.cache = ISO-8859-9, windows-1252,

windows-1251, ISO-8859-1, UTF-8

dom.storage.enabled = false

extensions.blocklist.enabled = false

Other useful options:

1. Disable all plugins: tools → addons → plugins

2. Disable all live bookmarks: bookmarks → bookmarks toolbar → R/click

latest headlines → delete

3. Disable all updates: tools → options → advanced → update

4. Enable ‘do not track’ feature: tools → options → privacy

5. Enable private browsing, configure to remember nothing & disable
3rd party cookies: tools → options → privacy

Useful plugins:
it’s best to keep plugins at a minimum but here are some to consider

HTTPS Everywhere

Privacy Badger

Close n forget

ublock

Modify Headers

NoScript

RefControl

User Agent Switcher

Adblock plus

You may consider visiting ip-check.info to see what data your browser is
sending.

Router Configuration
It’s recommended to get a router compatible with an open source
firmware. The two major recommended firmwares are Tomato and dd-
wrt. In some cases Tor, or a vpn can be run directly on the router, and
this can be useful if you find yourself forgetting at times to enable your
desired connection. A backup router only used for specific connections
may also be useful to swap in and out when secure connection is
needed.. For the crafty, a Raspberry Pi can be configured as a local
device to route connections through.

Installation is device specific navigate to either the Tomato or dd-wrt site

for more information.
Tomato
tomatousb.org
Tor Version: (may not work for all versions)

dd-wrt
www.dd-wrt.com/site/support/router-data…
Tor: do your own research

Raspberry Pi
raspberrypihq.com/how-to-turn-a-raspber…
makezine.com/projects/browse-anonymousl…

Anonymity Networking

Tor
The stand alone Tor daemon can be be found in the
Ubuntu/Debian/Arch package manager.

sudo apt-get install tor

sudo pacman -S tor

However, you may wish to visit this link and add their PPA to get the
latest version.

You can use Tor as a socks proxy once the service is started, either with
the browser bundle or Tor daemon.
Navigate to the Network Settings, and Proxy section of the desired
application.
Select Socks 4 Proxy and enter 127.0.0.1 port 9050.

This will route desired connections through Tor. TAILS automatically

routes all connections through Tor.

i2p
Alternative to Tor, not as widely used since it requires some more
dependencies and not as simple setup. i2p addresses always display as
.i2p

Unlike tor i2p is a self contained network, it does not function as a proxy
with traditional exit nodes. It is generally used to browse with the
network of what are called eepsites.

Ubuntu/Debian based systems

1. follow guide to add i2p to package list

2. for ubuntu: sudo apt-add-repository ppa:i2p-maintainers/i2p

3. for debian

4. other see, and download necessary java files.

1. sudo apt-get update

2. sudo apt-get install i2p

starting i2p in terminal:

do not run as root or use sudo

i2p router start

If you have issue connecting to .i2p addresses check configuration by

visiting: localhost:7657/confignet
One main issue is your firewall or router is blocking connections. Click
networking.

Basic port unblocking

IP Tables

1. sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp —dport i2p port here -j ACCEPT

2. sudo iptables -L
UFW

1. sudo ufw allow i2p port here/tcp

2. sudo ufw status

Other Anonymity Networks and Software

Here are two good resources for additional information on available
Anonymity Networks and Software:
gnunet.org/links/
freehaven.net/anonbib/topic.html

VPN

Community VPNs
Good for activists and journalists:
riseup.net
autistici.org

Paid VPNs

Recommended resource:
torrentfreak comprehensive VPN review (2014) (remember their claims,
are not a promise and even their systems could be vulnerable)

Free VPNs
I don’t recommend these at all but will list one that has been reliable.
You’ll have to search for more.

Unfortunately you should have no expectation of privacy on a free VPN

but for one time use if you have no other choice it may be helpful.

VPNBOOK.com
Of the free VPNs seems most reliable, please delicately read terms of
service and
utilize Tor on-top of the VPN with any sensitive content. Free VPNs are
often banned
from posting on many services due to trolling. You can search for others
but so far VPNBOOK just works.

Proxy Chains
Sometimes it may be necessary to use a proxy after the Tor exit node,
for instance to appear in a desired location, or if exit nodes are banned
on a service.

The setup is relatively simple on Linux.

1. sudo apt-get install proxychains

2. sudo nano /etc/proxychains.conf

3. following ProxyList add

socks4 127.0.0.1 9050 #Tor must go first
socks5 ipaddress port
proxies etc……

You will need to search for public socks proxy lists to populate.

start firefox in terminal: proxychains firefox

Operating Systems
The best first step is stop the use of Windows and MAC OSX, and stick
with Linux.

Flash Firmware
Locate the firmware model of the motherboard on your computer and
flash it with a fresh version. Some deeper level attacks embed
themselves in the firmware, so it’s good practice for a clean start.

Enabling a BIOS boot password

Usually f12 to enter BIOS, find security section (UEFI may be different)

USB Bootable Operating Systems:

Recommended: TAILS, Alternatives: Whonix, Liberté Linux and QubesOS

This guide shows how to install TAILS on a USB Drive from a Virtual
Machine

1. Download Virtual Box

2. Download the latest extension package

3. Double click on the extension package and it should open Virtual Box,
click install

4. Download TAILS

5. Verify file identity with PGP

6. Open Virtualbox and connect the USB drive

Click new in the top left:

Name your VM and select Linux 64bit or 32bit depending on which you
downloaded:

Set memory size at least 1024 for smooth performance

Create a virtual hard drive

VDI Image is suitable

You can select dynamically allocated and set a starting amount at a
couple gigabytes

Select the image and click start

Select the location of the .iso file you downloaded.

Once started go to Applications→Tails→Tails Installer

Make sure the USB Drive is present you will see a green plus, over the
usb icon in this image

Select clone and install and follow the steps for installation
Once you’ve started tails you can create a persistent volume to store
static content

1. Next reboot you will be prompted if you wish to use persistent or not,
only use when necessary.
Linux (image files can be found at http://distrowatch.org)
Recommended base Operating Systems: Archlinux, or Kali, alternatives:
Debian Mint Ubuntu
although just using Tails as a bootable OS and having some persistent
storage is probably better than most can do in terms of hardening their
base system.

Secure VM with Whonix and Virtualbox

1. Download both Whonix-Gateway and Workstation

2. Download Virtual Box

3. You may want to verify the file identities using the Signing key see
other sections on this.

Click file import appliance and select the Whonix Gateway .ova file:

Keep the settings default and click import

Repeat for workstation, select the .ova

Import without changing settings

Select both and start both at the same time.

Once workstation has finished booting you will see this screen.
You will keep both VM Windows open but all activities will be within the
Whonix-Workstation VM Window

Base System
Essentials:
Disk encryption – LVM Encryption during install, encrypt home directory
Bleachbit – clearing day to day files (RAM wiping is experimental but
worth it on shutdown)
secure-delete package – secure wiping content

Intro guides on hardening other recommended base systems.

(may be out of date look for hardening guides)

1. Kali has basic hardening

2. Arch Security

3. Ubuntu Security
4. Debian Security

Secure Data-Wiping Linux

Consider using an OS like TAILS with minimal persistent storage and
automatic memory wiping to make this easier.

Proceed with extreme caution, man pages are your friend.

BleachBit
easy, less effective

First:
sudo apt-get install bleachbit
sudo bleachbit
You can “Shred” files and folders from the file menu, and wipe free
space, which may remove excess data that still exists, without pointers.
file→Shred files
file→Shred folder
file→wipe free space

DBAN
advanced, boot from usb/cd ideal when discarding a hard drive

go to dban.org download the dban.iso and either burn CD/DVD or write

to USB and boot off the device.
Select “RCMP TSSIT OPS-II” for the deletion method
Select the drive
Prepare to wait 12+ hours

Secure-Delete
hard mode, more secure deletion that bleachbit, easier to use if you
want to remove specific partitions or files, rather than complete wipe
with DBAN

you will need to boot off a usb/cd if you wish to wipe your primary hard
drive.

Properly deleting a drive will take time, if you’re in a hurry, you can at
least use fast mode.

First:

1 sudo apt-get secure-delete

If you’re wiping a disk

1 fdisk-l

find the disk/partition name: should be /dev/sdxx

at this point if you haven’t already, consider encrypting the partition, see
veracrypt.
wipe space considered free (-f is fast mode “insecure mode”)

1 sudo sfill /dev/sddisk#

if you need to clear swap space-

(-f is fast mode “insecure mode”)

1. cat /proc/swaps

2. sudo swapoff /dev/sddisk#

3. sudo sswap /dev/sddisk#

4. sudo swapon /dev/sdFdisk#

if you are strapped for time, use -m for 7 passes or -s for simple 1 pass
“insecure mode”
1 sudo srm file

or

1 sudo srm -r /directory

or

1 srm /dev/sddisk#

At the end you may also be interested at the end to wipe memory on the
system.
(-f is fast mode “insecure mode)

Enter:

1 sudo sdmem

Physical Destruction
Try to at least encrypt the disk first, if you have time to spare, follow the
instructions for disk erasure with DBAN.

Open the drive. Find the platter, score it, smash it. Then you will need to
locate any memory chips which may store cached files, and destroy them
as well. This is an important step, and can be missed easily. Remember
not to dispose in normal garbage as it’s not secure. Consider alternate
means of disposable for best measure.

Fun Fact: To “officially” destroy all remnants of magnetic data you’ll need
to heat it to 1500 kelvin.

Cold-Boot Attack
Older attack method recovering encryption keys stored in RAM. If
possible use DDR3 or better memory. When not at the computer always
shut down completely.

Consider using Bleachbit or more advanced sdmem to wipe RAM

contents.

Basic Communications
Keep in mind that your use of grammar, spelling and language can be
used as identifying factors. It is possible to single you out based on your
specific ways of communication and link you to other public content
linked to your alternate identities. When attempting to communicate
anonymously remember not to mention nicknames, locations favorite
music, weather or any other information that can be used to reveal your
identity. Something that seems mundane and friendly can quickly be
used for identification.

Images
JPG, JPEG, TIF and WAV files store EXIF data, or Exchangeable image file
format, that can store sensitive information, including GPS-location, and
the unique ID of the device used. It is recommended to always use the
PNG format, and scrub any metadata, if you need to exchange an image.
One option is the Metadata Anonymisation Toolkit that comes with
TAILS, and also available at https://mat.boum.org/

Email Providers
No mail provider can be trusted completely no matter what their security
claims are. Utilize PGP as often as possible and utilize an anonymous
connection when connecting.

protonmail.ch
Protonmail is currently invite only and requires a wait time of anywhere
from a month or more to get in. However, it’s a highly respected secure
email solution. You can employ PGP and encrypted storage. They have a
favorable location

Tutanota.com
Tutanota offers encrypted mail-storage and the use of a one time
password, however PGP has to be done manually as there is no smtp or
imap mail servers. They have a favorable location that is difficult to
retrieve data from with legal orders.

mail2tor.com
While tor based mail providers have had a storied history. If PGP is
utilized for all communications, the threat is eliminated. If you receive
something compromising in plain text, don’t consider this information
secure, and inform any correspondents to employ PGP.

riseup.net
United States based privacy centric collective that offers mail and other
privacy capabilities.

openmailbox.org
free, secure email provider

startmail.com
paid email
pgp webmail client
offshore hosting more protected from spying

vmail.me
free, no personal information
account deletion
encrypted data storage
user details like ip address and user agent stripped from headers

autistici
 privacy centric collective offering email, hosting, vpn and other
anonymity service

Jabber_XMPP/OTR
1. sudo apt-get install pidgin

2. go to tools→preferences

3. Logging: disable log all instant messages/log all chats

4. Go to proxy

5. Select Socks 4

6. enter: 127.0.0.1 9050

7. Go to this link

8. Under Security

9. Download/Install: Off-The-Record, Pidgin-GPG

10. Install any dependencies Activate Plugins in: Tools→Plugins

11. Once activated, select configure plugin for both

For OTR
1. you will need to generate a unique key

2. Enable Private messaging

3. Disable logging

4. Automatically initiate private messaging (optional)

5. Select show OTR in tool-bar

6. If a conversation is not private you will see a box saying Not Private

7. Click Start Private Conversation

8. If your partner has OTR properly configured it will display private.

For Pidgin-GPG
1. select main key in options

2. toggle encryption mode in conversations:

3. options→toggle openpgp encryption

Alternative Messaging Options

pond (pond.imperialviolet.org)
forward secure, asynchronous messaging for the discerning. Pond
messages are asynchronous, but are not a record; they expire
automatically a week after they are received. Pond seeks to prevent
leaking traffic information against everyone except a global passive
attacker.

scramble.io
secure messaging between scramble users

bitmessage.org
p2p encrypted messaging, like sending messages as Bitcoins

bitmessage.ch (tor and i2p urls available)

webmail gateway for bitmessage with instant send to other users with
@bitmessage.ch address

GNUPG/PGP Basics
A PGP Key is a unique identifier, do not re-use across accounts and
especially not with any public address.
Simple PGP On Linux
terminal
Ubuntu- sudo apt-get install gpa gnupg2
Arch- sudo pacman -s gpa gnupg2
Generating Keys-

1. in terminal enter: gpg –gen-key or open gpa in terminal and it will

prompt you to create one.

2. follow the prompts

in most cases select option 1 – RSA and RSA (default)

select at least 2048 key size
key expiration, hit enter if not needed.
do not enter real information for contact (unless intended)
use a secure passphrase for the key
it will then ask you to move the mouse, type etc to create entropy

Simple PGP with GNU Privacy Assistant

If you open gpa it will guide you through creating your first key
don’t put real information unless intended, obviously
Either click refresh or restart gpa and the keys will appear
Click the clipboard

Enter your message

Select the key you wish to sign it with
You will now see an encrypted message.
To decrypt a message click the mail icon with the key, and it will allow
you to choose the appropriate key.
More details on GPA

Exporting/Importing Public Key

gpa

1. select your key-pair, and then select keys→export or import keys and
proceed

Exporting/Importing Private Key

gpa

1. select your key-pair, and then select→keys→export or import keys

and proceed

2. either choose where to save or paste the desired key

Verifying a message
gpa

1. select→keys→imports
2. paste the public key

3. Select window→clipboard

4. Paste the entire text

5. Click icon with the green key (hover over for title if hard to see)

6. If the information is genuine it will display the name of the previously

imported public key.

Verify a file

1. gpa

2. select→keys→import

3. paste the public key

4. back to terminal

5. gpg —verify file

PGP with Email

Thunderbird is probably the most widely known, if you prefer reference
the Ubuntu guide below which explains alternates.

1. sudo apt-get install thunderbird enigmail

2. Open Thunderbird

3. Open Preferences→enigmail→Preferences

4. Set the GPG path, in Ubuntu default is /usr/bin/gpg

You can also cut and paste your messages from GPA into the message
window.

TAILS PGP
TAILS has an OpenPGP Applet – Visual Guide
Additional reading on PGP
Recommended Best Practices for PGP from Riseup.net or:
http://nzh3fv6jc6jskki3.onion/en/security/message-
security/openpgp/best-practices

Additional Reading:

GnuPrivacyGuardHowto

PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) and GnuPG (GNU Privacy Guard) notes

PGP Versions
PGP Versions can reveal the users operating system, and you should
research strange versions as some PGP Libraries are known to have
weak encryption.

Validating Files with MD5 or SHA1:

SHA1 Sum
When the file is provided ideally a SHA1/MD5/PGP Sum will be provided.
It will look like a long string of characters.
In Linux terminal type: sha1sum filename
The output should be the same as the supplied string.

MD5 Sum
When a file is provided ideally an SHA1/MD5/PGP Sum will be provided.
It will look like a long string of characters.
In Linux terminal type: md5sum filename
The output should be the same as the supplied string.