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Protecting Your Mails With GnuPG

75 points by Inufu 15y ago

Inufu 15y ago
Ever since I stopped using Thunderbird and Enigmail, I felt like I was missing something. So today, I finally started to develop my own solution - can't have them read our mails, now can we?
- SquareWheel 15y ago
  I don't suppose you're working on a Gmail/Chrome extension? Because I've been looking for one of those for years.
  - mburns 15y ago
    http://getfiregpg.org/s/home http://getfiregpg.org/s/home There was some effort in just such a project, though it seems to have died out.
    - nitrox 15y ago
      There is a fork in github https://github.com/firegpg/firegpg https://github.com/firegpg/firegpg From readme, https://tails.boum.org/doc/encryption_and_privacy/FireGPG_susceptible_to_devastating_attacks/ https://tails.boum.org/doc/encryption_and_privacy/FireGPG_su...
  - Inufu 15y ago
    Why yes, I am. That's the point of this submission ^^
    - SquareWheel 15y ago
      Ah, I didn't realize you were the article submitter. Looking forward to it. And god help you keeping up with Gmail's constant changing interface.
- insertnickname 15y ago
  Just out of curiosity, why did you stop using Thunderbird+Enigmail?
  - Inufu 15y ago
    Using multiple devices (laptop with several OS, iPad, eeePC, ..), I really needed IMAP to keep them in sync, so I switched to gmail. Then, I started to use the web interface more and more, until I never really used Thunderbird anymore - I guess I like gmail's interface better.
aw3c2 15y ago
* [Gmail] * [in Chrome/Chromium]
- Inufu 15y ago
  Actually, it works on any website. However, you are right about the Chrome thing. (for the moment at least - should be possible to port it to firefox) Sorry for the not entirely accurate title, it's my first submission. btw, I seem to have some problems with the HackerNews button - any tips on what I could be doing wrong?
  - aw3c2 15y ago
    Oh nice, but then I do not understand how it works. In a mail it could check the mail addresses to see which keys to use. How does it work for any text? i always wanted something like that.
    - Inufu 15y ago
      Well, you seem to overestimate the intelligence of my extension - it simply opens a JavaScript prompt to ask you ^^
ch0wn 15y ago
This looks great. Could you give some build/install instructions? 'build.sh' tries to cd to the non-existent "firebreath-1.6/build" directory.
- Inufu 15y ago
  Ah, sorry. The plugin is based on FireBreath, so you need to download and compile that. I'll fix up the build script so it checks for that. edit: It should work now. If it doesn't, just email me.
CarlHungus 15y ago
Cool, but remember that Gmail automatically saves, to your drafts folder, everything you enter into a new email message.
- Natsu 15y ago
  Even Google got bitten by that one during the Oracle lawsuit.
- vimalg2 15y ago
  Is there a workaround for this? Until then, one should stick to native email clients/Thunderbird for confidential comms.
  - Inufu 15y ago
    Yes. Write the text of the mail somewhere else, then use the (not yet implemented, I'll do it tonight) option "paste clipboard encrypted".
chimeracoder 15y ago
This is pretty awesome - I only now wish Gmail would have native support for GPG signatures (I know they will never support GPG encryption). As it is, when people read emails I send in Gmail, the signature appears as a 'noname' 0B attachment, which is irritating.
mh_ 15y ago
You guys should checkout: http://thinkst.com/tools/cr-gpg/ http://thinkst.com/tools/cr-gpg/ We do the some thing, but hook into the DOM to blend it into the interface. (we have users across win/linux/osx so its been doing pretty well considering its hacky birth)
- MattJ100 15y ago
  I'd love to see a mashup of the two. I trialed cr-gpg, works fine, if a bit clunky at the moment. I suspect this is a much better way to interact with gpg though (+ --use-agent, etc.).
ww520 15y ago
GnuPG is pretty good. I've just recently started using the EasyPG package in Emacs to interface with GnuPG. Encrypting files couldn't be easier. Files are encrypted at saving and decrypted at loading automatically. Make backing up sensitive files to Dropbox much easier.
- dfc 15y ago
  "Gnupg is pretty good"??? Wtf? Pretty good? You have complaints with gpg?
  - mentat 15y ago
    I think it's sort of ironic since PGP was pretty good privacy.
Duff 15y ago
If you have email that warrants encryption beyond transport encryption, you're nuts to be using a web browser to generate it.
- Estragon 15y ago
  True, but the encryption does mitigate some of the problem of the email being stored on and indexed by google servers. I have personal conversations with a number of people who use gmail, and it bothers me that those conversations are indexed for marketing purposes. It's a bit of a sledgehammer for that purpose, but it looks like it might get the job done.

75 points by Inufu 15y ago

Inufu 15y ago

Ever since I stopped using Thunderbird and Enigmail, I felt like I was missing something. So today, I finally started to develop my own solution - can't have them read our mails, now can we?

SquareWheel 15y ago
I don't suppose you're working on a Gmail/Chrome extension? Because I've been looking for one of those for years.
- mburns 15y ago
  http://getfiregpg.org/s/home http://getfiregpg.org/s/home There was some effort in just such a project, though it seems to have died out.
  - nitrox 15y ago
    There is a fork in github https://github.com/firegpg/firegpg https://github.com/firegpg/firegpg From readme, https://tails.boum.org/doc/encryption_and_privacy/FireGPG_susceptible_to_devastating_attacks/ https://tails.boum.org/doc/encryption_and_privacy/FireGPG_su...
- Inufu 15y ago
  Why yes, I am. That's the point of this submission ^^
  - SquareWheel 15y ago
    Ah, I didn't realize you were the article submitter. Looking forward to it. And god help you keeping up with Gmail's constant changing interface.
insertnickname 15y ago
Just out of curiosity, why did you stop using Thunderbird+Enigmail?
- Inufu 15y ago
  Using multiple devices (laptop with several OS, iPad, eeePC, ..), I really needed IMAP to keep them in sync, so I switched to gmail. Then, I started to use the web interface more and more, until I never really used Thunderbird anymore - I guess I like gmail's interface better.

aw3c2 15y ago

* [Gmail] * [in Chrome/Chromium]

Inufu 15y ago
Actually, it works on any website. However, you are right about the Chrome thing. (for the moment at least - should be possible to port it to firefox) Sorry for the not entirely accurate title, it's my first submission. btw, I seem to have some problems with the HackerNews button - any tips on what I could be doing wrong?
- aw3c2 15y ago
  Oh nice, but then I do not understand how it works. In a mail it could check the mail addresses to see which keys to use. How does it work for any text? i always wanted something like that.
  - Inufu 15y ago
    Well, you seem to overestimate the intelligence of my extension - it simply opens a JavaScript prompt to ask you ^^

ch0wn 15y ago

This looks great. Could you give some build/install instructions? 'build.sh' tries to cd to the non-existent "firebreath-1.6/build" directory.

Inufu 15y ago
Ah, sorry. The plugin is based on FireBreath, so you need to download and compile that. I'll fix up the build script so it checks for that. edit: It should work now. If it doesn't, just email me.

CarlHungus 15y ago

Cool, but remember that Gmail automatically saves, to your drafts folder, everything you enter into a new email message.

Natsu 15y ago
Even Google got bitten by that one during the Oracle lawsuit.
vimalg2 15y ago
Is there a workaround for this? Until then, one should stick to native email clients/Thunderbird for confidential comms.
- Inufu 15y ago
  Yes. Write the text of the mail somewhere else, then use the (not yet implemented, I'll do it tonight) option "paste clipboard encrypted".

chimeracoder 15y ago

This is pretty awesome - I only now wish Gmail would have native support for GPG signatures (I know they will never support GPG encryption). As it is, when people read emails I send in Gmail, the signature appears as a 'noname' 0B attachment, which is irritating.

mh_ 15y ago

You guys should checkout: http://thinkst.com/tools/cr-gpg/ http://thinkst.com/tools/cr-gpg/ We do the some thing, but hook into the DOM to blend it into the interface. (we have users across win/linux/osx so its been doing pretty well considering its hacky birth)

MattJ100 15y ago
I'd love to see a mashup of the two. I trialed cr-gpg, works fine, if a bit clunky at the moment. I suspect this is a much better way to interact with gpg though (+ --use-agent, etc.).

ww520 15y ago

GnuPG is pretty good. I've just recently started using the EasyPG package in Emacs to interface with GnuPG. Encrypting files couldn't be easier. Files are encrypted at saving and decrypted at loading automatically. Make backing up sensitive files to Dropbox much easier.

dfc 15y ago
"Gnupg is pretty good"??? Wtf? Pretty good? You have complaints with gpg?
- mentat 15y ago
  I think it's sort of ironic since PGP was pretty good privacy.

Duff 15y ago

If you have email that warrants encryption beyond transport encryption, you're nuts to be using a web browser to generate it.

Estragon 15y ago
True, but the encryption does mitigate some of the problem of the email being stored on and indexed by google servers. I have personal conversations with a number of people who use gmail, and it bothers me that those conversations are indexed for marketing purposes. It's a bit of a sledgehammer for that purpose, but it looks like it might get the job done.