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Groups > linux.debian.user > #236264

[OT] openPGP: keeping primary key offline?

From Marco Möller <talby@debianlists.mobilxpress.net>
Newsgroups linux.debian.user
Subject [OT] openPGP: keeping primary key offline?
Date 2021-06-22 10:50 +0200
Message-ID <CsKgx-7vX-5@gated-at.bofh.it> (permalink)
Organization linux.* mail to news gateway

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Regarding openPGP usage, it is recommended in several user guides to 
keep the primary key offline and keeping on the main computer only 
subkeys. The argumentation is that if keeping it on the main computer 
then it could be used in an unauthorized way.
Of course, what is offline, like a good backup, is safer than what is 
kept online, simply because it cannot be accessed on the computer.
But, would it really be so easy for someone to to use a primary key? 
Isn't the primary key stored passphrase protected, thus stored encrypted?
Except the case that an attacker would be in my system and actively 
spying on me with a keylogger and other bad tools, I would assume that 
if someone would simply steel (copy and carry away) my complete ~/.gnupg 
folder with the primary key and revocation certificates somewhere being 
stored in there, the usage of these keys and certificates would only be 
possible after decryption upon the correct answer at the passphrase 
request? Isn't it like this?

Marco.

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Thread

[OT] openPGP: keeping primary key offline? Marco Möller <talby@debianlists.mobilxpress.net> - 2021-06-22 10:50 +0200
  Re: [OT] openPGP: keeping primary key offline? Andrei POPESCU <andreimpopescu@gmail.com> - 2021-06-22 12:20 +0200
  Re: [OT] openPGP: keeping primary key offline? Teemu Likonen <tlikonen@iki.fi> - 2021-06-22 13:10 +0200

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