PGP262 and 4096-bit Keys

[Damaeus]

How do you actually get pgp262g to make 4096-bit keys? I only get
option for up to 1024. I tried 4 and 5 instead of 1-3, thinking maybe
it was an option not listed, but while this one will make the keys, I
can't find the command to actually do it.

Damaeus

[Damaeus]

Reading from news:alt.security.pgp,

Post by Damaeus
How do you actually get pgp262g to make 4096-bit keys? I only get
option for up to 1024. I tried 4 and 5 instead of 1-3, thinking maybe
it was an option not listed, but while this one will make the keys, I
can't find the command to actually do it.

I found the source code for that version and checked it. I found the
area where the options 1-3 are available for up to 1024 bits, but I
don't even see an option for a 2048-bit key.

Anybody still using that version?

Damaeus

[Neil W Rickert]

Post by Damaeus
I found the source code for that version and checked it. I found the
area where the options 1-3 are available for up to 1024 bits, but I
don't even see an option for a 2048-bit key.

I just tested. I was able to generate a 2047 bit key (by entering 2047
when asked for the size of key).

Post by Damaeus
Anybody still using that version?

Only when needed for testing and compatibility with old stuff. I
normally use gnupg.

[Damaeus]

Reading from news:alt.security.pgp,

Post by Neil W Rickert

Post by Damaeus
I found the source code for that version and checked it. I found the
area where the options 1-3 are available for up to 1024 bits, but I
don't even see an option for a 2048-bit key.

I just tested. I was able to generate a 2047 bit key (by entering 2047
when asked for the size of key).

Oh, okay, that works.

Thanks

[David E. Ross]

Post by Damaeus
How do you actually get pgp262g to make 4096-bit keys? I only get
option for up to 1024. I tried 4 and 5 instead of 1-3, thinking maybe
it was an option not listed, but while this one will make the keys, I
can't find the command to actually do it.
Damaeus

From <http://www.spywarewarrior.com/uiuc/pgp-summ.htm>:
"PGP 2.6.2 contains a bug that causes PGP to generate 2047 bit RSAv3
keys even when 2048 bit keys (the max) are requested. It can use true
2048 bit RSAv3 keys generated by other versions of PGP."

Yes, PGP 2.6.2 is still in use by those who want freeware command-line
capabilities. While later freeware versions -- including those that
used DH/DSS keys -- had command-line capabilities, they cannot be
successfully installed with the latest versions. PGP 2.6.2 does not
have such a conflict.

I believe that GPG has command-line capabilities, even for DH/DSS and
RSA v.4 keys. Since I don't use GPG, however, I can't verify this. The
Spywarewarrior site indicates that versions of GPG later than (not equal
to) 1.0.4 are compatible with RSA v.3 keys providing an IDEA extension
is installed. Recent versions of GPG can generate RSA v.3 keys with as
many as 4096 bits and use RSA v.3 keys with as many as 8192 bits.
However, such large keys exceed the OpenPGP specification for RSA v.3
and cannot necessarily be used by other OpenPGP software.