# Encryption and Keyrings Manual

2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 Jacob Perkins and Adam Schreiber
2007 David Lodge (dave@cirt.net)
Seahorse Project

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2. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES AND UNDER NO LEGAL THEORY, WHETHER IN TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), CONTRACT OR OTHERWISE, SHALL THE AUTHOR, INITIAL WRITER, ANY CONTRIBUTOR OR ANY DISTRIBUTOR OF THE DOCUMENT OR MODIFIED VERSION OF THE DOCUMENT OR ANY SUPPLIER OF ANY OF SUCH PARTIES, BE LIABLE TO ANY PERSON FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY CHARACTER INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF GOODWILL, WORK STOPPAGE, COMPUTER FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION, OR ANY AND ALL OTHER DAMAGES OR LOSSES ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO USE OF THE DOCUMENT AND MODIFIED VERSIONS OF THE DOCUMENT, EVEN IF SUCH PARTY SHALL HAVE BEEN INFORMED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

Jacob Perkins
Seahorse Project
Adam Schreiber
Seahorse Project

    						sadam@clemson.edu

Seahorse Project
Encryption and Keyrings Manual V0.10.0
August 2008

Adam Schreiber sadam@clemson.edu

Encryption and Keyrings Manual V0.9.1
November 2006

Milo Casagrande milo_casagrande@yahoo.it

Encryption and Keyrings Manual V0.9.0
July 2005

Adam Schreiber sadam@clemson.edu

Seahorse Project

Encryption and Keyrings Manual V0.7.0
February 2003

Jacob Perkins

Seahorse Project

This manual describes version 2.24.x of Encryption and Keyrings

Feedback

To report a bug or make a suggestion regarding the Encryption and Keyrings application or this manual, follow the directions in the Gnome Feedback Page.

Encryption and Keyrings is the application for managing your primary encryption key and how the passphrase for your key is stored after performing an encryption operation.

## Introduction

You can use Encryption and Keyrings to select your primary encryption key and how the passphrase for your key is stored after performing an encryption operation.

Additionally, this manual contains information pertaining to encryption plugins provided for:

- Gedit Text Editor

- Nautilus File Manager

- Epiphany Web Browser

## File Manager Integration

Encryption and Keyrings integrates with Nautilus. You can encrypt, decrypt, sign and verify files as well as import public keys from the file manager window without launching Encryption and Keyrings.

### Encrypting Files

To encrypt files from the file manager, perform the following steps:

- Select one or more files from the file manager,

- Right-click on any selected file and choose Encrypt,

- Select the people to whom you would like to encypt the file, and then click OK.

### Signing Files

To sign files from the file manager, perform the following steps:

- Select one or more files from the file manager,

- Right-click on any selected file and choose Sign,

- If asked, enter the passphrase of your private key.

### Decrypting Files

To decrypt an encrypted file from the file manager, perform the following steps:

- Double-click on the file you want to decrypt,

- If asked, enter the passphrase of your private key.

### Verifying Signatures

To verify files, simply double-click on the the detached signature file.

Detached signature file names often take the form <file name>.sig

## Text Editor Integration

To enable the Text Encryption plugin in Gedit, the GNOME text editor, perform the following steps:

- Run Gedit by choosing Applications Accessories Text Editor,

- Choose Edit Preferences,

- In the Plugin tab, select the Text Encryption plugin.

### Encrypting Text

To encrypt a selection of text from Gedit, perform the following steps:

- Select the text you want to encrypt, and choose Edit Encrypt,

- Select the people you want to encrypt the text to, and click OK.

You can now copy or save the encrypted text.

### Signing Text

To sign a selection of text from Gedit, perform the following steps:

- Select the text you want to sign and choose Edit Sign,

- Insert, if asked, the passphrase of your private key.

You can now copy or save the signed text.

### Decrypting/Verifing Text

To decrypt and/or verify a selection of text from Gedit, perform the following steps:

- Select the text you want to decrypt/verify and choose Edit Decrypt/Verify,

- Insert, if asked, the passphrase of your private key.

You can now copy or save the decrypted text.

## Web Browser Integration

This extension allows encryption, decryption, signing and importing of the contents of text fields.

To enable the encryption extension in Epiphany Web Browser, the GNOME web browser, perform the following steps:

- Run Epiphany Web Browser by choosing Applications Internet Epiphany Web Browser,

- Choose Tools Extensions,

- Select the Seahorse plugin.

### Encrypting Text

To encrypt the contents of a text input field in Epiphany Web Browser, perform the following steps:

- Right-click in the text input field you want to encrypt, and choose Encrypt,

- Select the people you want to encrypt the text to, and click OK.

The encrypted text will now appear in the text input field.

### Signing Text

To sign the contents of a text input field in Epiphany Web Browser, perform the following steps:

- Right-click in the text input field you want to sign and choose Sign,

- Insert, if asked, the passphrase of your private key.

The signed text will now appear in the text input field.

### Decrypting/Verifing Text

To decrypt and/or verify the contents of a text input field in Epiphany Web Browser, perform the following steps:

- Right-click in the text input field you want to decrypt/verify and choose Decrypt/Verify,

- Insert, if asked, the passphrase of your private key.

The decrypted text will now appear in the text input field.

## Preferences

This section describes the preferences settable in Encryption and Keyrings.

### Encryption Preferences

This section describes the preferences settable by choosing System Preferences Encryption and Keyrings from the panel.

#### Encryption Settings

Default Key

  This is the key that will be used by applications and plugins to sign files. It will also be the key that files will be encrypted to if encrypt to self is selected.

When encrypting, always include myself as a recipient

  Sets the encrypt to self option: whether you will be added to the recipients list for all files that are encrypted.

  If you do not select this and you do not select yourself as a recipient you will not be unable to decrypt any files you encrypt.

#### Passphrase Cache

Enabling the passphrase caching ability will allow you to perform many operations that require entering your passphrase without re-entering it every time. `seahorse-agent` takes the place of `gpg-agent`. Letting the cached passphrases expire is usually a good idea. This will then require re-entering your passphrase, but adds security.

Never remember passphrases

  Sets to not remember any passphrase.

Remember passphrases for ... minutes

  Sets the amount of time, in minutes, for storing passphrases. Use the spin box to set the desired time.

Always remember passphrases whenever logged in

  Sets to remember any passphrases whenever you are logged in the session.

Ask me before using a cached passphrase

  Sets to ask you before using a stored passphrase.

Automatically load Secure Shell keys

  Sets to automatically cache any Secure Shell key.

## About Encryption and Keyrings

Passwords and Encryption Keys, its associated plugins, the preferences applet and the panel applet are known collectively as the Seahorse Project. The original author of the Seahorse Project is Jacob Perkins. The current maintainers are Stef Walter and Adam Schreiber. This manual is by Adam Schreiber. The project's website was designed by Jim Pharis. To find more information about Seahorse Project, the project , please visit the Seahorse Project web page.

To report a bug or make a suggestion regarding this application or this manual, follow the directions in the Feedback section of the GNOME User Guide.

This program is distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public licence as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the Licence, or (at your option) any later version. A copy of this licence is included with this documentation; another can be found in the file COPYING included with the source code of this program.

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