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hß · SecurityCurated

PGP 5 beta for Linux available

Summary

In August 1997, PGP 5.0 appeared as a public beta for Linux, as an ELF binary for Intel. Officially, US export restrictions applied, but the file was already on the Dutch Hack-Tic server, and obtaining it from there was considered legal. At the same time, activists in Norway were scanning the printed source code for an international version, PGP 5.0i.

Ideas

  • With PGP 5, Linux got an up-to-date version of the most important email encryption early on.
  • European servers distributed software that the USA was not allowed to export.
  • The printed source code formed the legal basis of an international version.

Insights

  • Export restrictions moved the distribution of cryptography abroad instead of preventing it.
  • Early Linux support for important tools strengthened Linux as a working platform.

Facts

  • The international version was to be called PGP 5.0i.

References

Critique

  • The report effectively recommends getting a binary from a third-party server without addressing integrity checks.

Recommendations

  • Install crypto software only with a verified signature or from traceable source code.
  • Do not use beta versions of encryption software for important communication.

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