Silk Road forums

Discussion => Newbie discussion => Topic started by: CheapestCocaine on July 07, 2013, 10:27 pm

Title: NEW VENDOR, I do not have any idea what PGP is!
Post by: CheapestCocaine on July 07, 2013, 10:27 pm
I have absolutely no idea what PGP is, other than a long paragraph of digits and characters. Can you guys help me understand what PGP is and what it does? As a vendor I assume this is essential so I want to know what Im doing.
Title: Re: NEW VENDOR, I do not have any idea what PGP is!
Post by: tr0gd0r on July 07, 2013, 11:22 pm
I don't have it bookmarket, but I found a tutorial on the clearweb.
Title: Re: NEW VENDOR, I do not have any idea what PGP is!
Post by: tr0gd0r on July 07, 2013, 11:23 pm
*bookmarked.
Title: Re: NEW VENDOR, I do not have any idea what PGP is!
Post by: hellobobmynameis on July 07, 2013, 11:37 pm
PGP is just standard unbreakable encryption. You download it, make a profile and a key to access that profile, and then it gives you a public PGP key.

Users can then use that public key to encrypt a message that only the person with access to that profile can decrypt and read.

This just ensures that if SilkRoad gets compromised, only the individual venders that a buyer dealt with had access to their information.
Title: Re: NEW VENDOR, I do not have any idea what PGP is!
Post by: Sasscrotch on July 07, 2013, 11:55 pm
I have absolutely no idea what PGP is, other than a long paragraph of digits and characters. Can you guys help me understand what PGP is and what it does? As a vendor I assume this is essential so I want to know what Im doing.

Ok, PGP (or if you're on a MAC GPG) is an encryption method used for encrypting text-- in this case, email text.  When you send an email over the web, it's basically like sending a postcard in the mail-- unintended 3rd party members can potentially intercept the message and read its contents.  Encrypting solves this problem.  IF someone does indeed happen across your encrypted message, you can now rest easy knowing the message will be unreadable.

How does it all work?  PGP works in two parts: 

Encrypting  (locking)    --- with a PUBLIC key

Decrypting (unlocking) --- with a PRIVATE key

When you create a key, it comes in two distinct parts.  There's the PUBLIC key, which allows anyone with PGP software to learn or save this key to their computer and later use it to encrypt message.  As a vendor, you would post this key to your profile.

Now comes the PRIVATE key.  This is the key you use to decrypt or unlock encrypted messages.  You never ever ever share this with anyone.  Come to think of it, I actually don't know how to find my private key.  It's just there in the program... just chillin..


Well that's it in a nutshell.  The public keys are numerous and openly available as some will even post them in forums.  The private keys are few and secret and are never to be given out. 

One last thing-- personally I don't think any precaution is a bad thing.  I pgp everything.  Even when I'm just like "HI VENDOR!!!"  When registering whatever free PGP program you find out there, make sure you register a tormail or something else anonymous. 

Aside from that, have fun learning whatever PGP software you decide on going with. 

Good Luck


**fuck spehlling, and who cares about a proof-reedn'**
Title: Re: NEW VENDOR, I do not have any idea what PGP is!
Post by: Chadearium on July 08, 2013, 12:26 am
Tutorial is Here:

http://32yehzkk7jflf6r2.onion/gpg4usb/
Title: Re: NEW VENDOR, I do not have any idea what PGP is!
Post by: 88fxstc on July 08, 2013, 12:36 am
I have absolutely no idea what PGP is, other than a long paragraph of digits and characters. Can you guys help me understand what PGP is and what it does? As a vendor I assume this is essential so I want to know what Im doing.

Ok, PGP (or if you're on a MAC GPG) is an encryption method used for encrypting text-- in this case, email text.  When you send an email over the web, it's basically like sending a postcard in the mail-- unintended 3rd party members can potentially intercept the message and read its contents.  Encrypting solves this problem.  IF someone does indeed happen across your encrypted message, you can now rest easy knowing the message will be unreadable.

How does it all work?  PGP works in two parts: 

Encrypting  (locking)    --- with a PUBLIC key

Decrypting (unlocking) --- with a PRIVATE key

When you create a key, it comes in two distinct parts.  There's the PUBLIC key, which allows anyone with PGP software to learn or save this key to their computer and later use it to encrypt message.  As a vendor, you would post this key to your profile.

Now comes the PRIVATE key.  This is the key you use to decrypt or unlock encrypted messages.  You never ever ever share this with anyone.  Come to think of it, I actually don't know how to find my private key.  It's just there in the program... just chillin..


Well that's it in a nutshell.  The public keys are numerous and openly available as some will even post them in forums.  The private keys are few and secret and are never to be given out. 

One last thing-- personally I don't think any precaution is a bad thing.  I pgp everything.  Even when I'm just like "HI VENDOR!!!"  When registering whatever free PGP program you find out there, make sure you register a tormail or something else anonymous. 

Aside from that, have fun learning whatever PGP software you decide on going with. 

Good Luck


**fuck spehlling, and who cares about a proof-reedn'**


Pretty dam good explanation here....+1
pgp seems kinda overwhelming at first, but once you get it, it's easy s shit. I got gpg4win, it's free and pretty easy. I installed it and just fucked around with it for a few hours, once it "clicked" for me I was like, WTF?? this shit is simple. One thing that was kinda a stumbling block for me was importing someone else s public key into my pgp program. I would paste it into a program like notepad or word pad, save it and then import it into the program. It just wouldn't work, finally I figured out that you can't use note/wordpad to save it in, you need to use a text editor program, which I didn't even know what that is. I think it's a program similar to wordpad except it's for writing computer code.....ie..programing. Finally, I downloaded a program called Notepad++, this is a FREE text editor and once I got that everything came together and it now works smooth as silk.
Good Luck
Title: Re: NEW VENDOR, I do not have any idea what PGP is!
Post by: Sasscrotch on July 08, 2013, 12:53 am
I have absolutely no idea what PGP is, other than a long paragraph of digits and characters. Can you guys help me understand what PGP is and what it does? As a vendor I assume this is essential so I want to know what Im doing.

Ok, PGP (or if you're on a MAC GPG) is an encryption method used for encrypting text-- in this case, email text.  When you send an email over the web, it's basically like sending a postcard in the mail-- unintended 3rd party members can potentially intercept the message and read its contents.  Encrypting solves this problem.  IF someone does indeed happen across your encrypted message, you can now rest easy knowing the message will be unreadable.

How does it all work?  PGP works in two parts: 

Encrypting  (locking)    --- with a PUBLIC key

Decrypting (unlocking) --- with a PRIVATE key

When you create a key, it comes in two distinct parts.  There's the PUBLIC key, which allows anyone with PGP software to learn or save this key to their computer and later use it to encrypt message.  As a vendor, you would post this key to your profile.

Now comes the PRIVATE key.  This is the key you use to decrypt or unlock encrypted messages.  You never ever ever share this with anyone.  Come to think of it, I actually don't know how to find my private key.  It's just there in the program... just chillin..


Well that's it in a nutshell.  The public keys are numerous and openly available as some will even post them in forums.  The private keys are few and secret and are never to be given out. 

One last thing-- personally I don't think any precaution is a bad thing.  I pgp everything.  Even when I'm just like "HI VENDOR!!!"  When registering whatever free PGP program you find out there, make sure you register a tormail or something else anonymous. 

Aside from that, have fun learning whatever PGP software you decide on going with. 

Good Luck


**fuck spehlling, and who cares about a proof-reedn'**


Pretty dam good explanation here....+1
pgp seems kinda overwhelming at first, but once you get it, it's easy s shit. I got gpg4win, it's free and pretty easy. I installed it and just fucked around with it for a few hours, once it "clicked" for me I was like, WTF?? this shit is simple. One thing that was kinda a stumbling block for me was importing someone else s public key into my pgp program. I would paste it into a program like notepad or word pad, save it and then import it into the program. It just wouldn't work, finally I figured out that you can't use note/wordpad to save it in, you need to use a text editor program, which I didn't even know what that is. I think it's a program similar to wordpad except it's for writing computer code.....ie..programing. Finally, I downloaded a program called Notepad++, this is a FREE text editor and once I got that everything came together and it now works smooth as silk.
Good Luck

Exactly 88.  The learning curve in the beginning is understanding what PGP is, why use it, and then hunting the web for a PGP program that agrees with you and then learning how to use it.  Youtube can kind of be helpful.. although I feel that most instructional videos on there frustrate me more than anything else...

The PGP program I finally decided on allows me to add "services."  This basically means that when I right-click in my TextEditor, I am given extra options that are all related to PGP encryption (things like "Encrypt Selection" or "Decrypt Selection" or "download key from selection).  Hopefully all this will make sense in a week or so. 

Good luck though-- I remember cursing to high heavens when I tried to buy BTC for the first time, buy more BTC because of % fees from places like Bitinstant + ZipZap , find a vendor, make a selection, AND learn PGP all in the same day.  Not to mention sweating balls because I don't want to be anally rapped over some greenage...

I'm bald...

GOOD LUCK!!! :D