PGP für Pegasus Mail - PGP for Pegasus Mail
idw's PGP-Frontend for Pegasus Mail
(6.2.7.8 / 12-2011)
CONTENTS
Purpose of the Program
This extension for Pegasus Mail implements the most important cryptographic and key/certificate management functions of Pretty Good Privacy™ versions 6.5.x, 7.x, 8.x and 9.x in Pegasus Mail 3.xx - 4.xx / 32bit on Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP and VISTA. It works best with Pegasus Mail v4.3 or later on Windows XP or later. PGP versions prior to 6.5.1 ARE NOT AND WILL NOT be supported anymore.
Requirements for Proper Use
The above listed versions of Pegasus Mail and PGP have to be installed properly under Windows and configured according to the respective instructions: Basic understanding of PGP and Pegasus Mail is required!
IMPORTANT NOTE ON RELEASE CHANGES: Every major release change of the underlying systems (Windows, Pegasus Mail or PGP) may cause problems with the currently available version of this extension. As long as new versions aren't explicitly mentioned here there is no sufficient experience with using it with new versions of the above listed software (with regard to that I request you to any problems that are not covered in this documentation - especially with new versions of Windows).
Files in the Program Package
The setup archive (ZIP-file) contains the executable setup and my detached PGP signature for verifying its integrity. The "Xx" in the following list substitutes the respective language code (e.g. "En" for the English version). The English version is always included in any setup package:
| PMPGPManualXx.htm: | Detailed instructions for using this Pegasus Mail extension |
| PMPGPHistoryXx.htm: | Version history of the extension |
| PMPGPNavigateXx.htm: | Index for comfortable use of the manual |
| PMPGPHelpXx.htm: | Frame loader for the above mentioned files |
| PMPGPHelper.exe: | Application providing some internal tools and utilities |
| PMPGPMain.dll: | Main library containing the PGP interface |
| PMPGPCryptor.dll: | Library containing the Pegasus Mail interface |
| PMPGPMain.fxx: | Main library interface data for Pegasus Mail |
| PMPGPCryptor.fxx: | Cryptographic interface data for Pegasus Mail |
| PGPErrorStringsXx.txt: | Text files containing PGP's error messages |
| PMPGPStringsXx.txt: | Files providing all other text resources |
| PMPGPXx.chm: | Help file for miscellaneous program dialogs |
| POPUPSXx.htm: | Help texts for the configuration dialog |
| AutoList.txt: | Sample file with address and key data for automated PGP processing |
| LicenceXx.txt: | Licence information for private and commercial use |
| bmp-files | Nine image files for buttons in Pegasus Mail's toolbar |
| gif/png-files: | Five illustrations for the manual |
The program uses a modified Delphi implementation (see Sébastien Sauvage's ISAAC page) of Bob Jenkins' random number generator ISAAC and modified versions of Primoz Gabrijelcic's Time Zone Routines v1.2 and Ralf Junker's Base64 module rjMime resp. DIMime version 1.5. The PGP interface is based on Steve Heller's former SPGP library source codes. The installer is Inno Setup by Jordan Russell.
Program Installation
The above listed files will be copied (by the setup program, an already existing configuration will not be changed) to a directory of your choice (though the path length including the file names must not exceed 127 characters) and a subdirectory called Resources. Besides, six entries will be added to a new program group folder (Pegasus Mail PGP Utilities) in your Start menu's Program Files folder:
- Contact loads PMPGPXx.chm with a page containing several links and the author's PGP key;
- Licence loads PMPGPLicenceXx.txt;
- Help Manual loads PMPGPHelpXx.htm into your default browser;
- Uninstall PM-PGP does exactly so;
- User-Setup has to be started each time new (Windows or Pegasus Mail) users with Pegasus Mail mailbox folders of their own want to use this extension; only for the very first user installing the extension this may be done automatically (if the respective Windows user ever started Pegasus Mail before). All configuration settings (except for the default keyserver) are user specific and don't change PGP's default settings (for PGPkeys, PGP Desktop e.g.)!
- User-Uninstall removes the fxx-files, AutoList.txt and PMPGP.cfg from the respective user's mailbox folder if they have been successfully installed via User-Setup. To manually remove these files you need to locate the user's home mailbox via Pegasus Mail's Help | About Pegasus Mail... | Info.
The extension fff of the interface data files indicates the English version of the package. Other language specific versions are also available. Since version 4.9.5.1 it is possible to easily switch language versions provided the respective Pegasus Mail versions are installed: To do so you just have to install the proper additional resource files from the respective archives (as of version 5.0 the English version is automatically installed along with other languages); after doing so the appropriate language will automatically be selected when starting Pegasus Mail.
If you encounter any setup problems please take a look at Additional Information ... to setup or modify the extension manually.
You'll find the following modifications in Pegasus Mail after successful installation:
If the option A fixed toolbar under the menu is selected on Tools | Options | Toolbars and there's enough space available there will be six new buttons on the toolbar (cf. screen shot). To free space you might rename the bitmap files of some rarely used extensions (e.g. ...~bmp instead of ...bmp) which still will be accessible via their menu entries in Tools | Extensions. An extension consists of files like in this package: a dll-library, a bmp-bitmap, an fxx-config file and in some cases also a help file - usually of the same name. In the extension's configuration dialog you may dis- or enable these new buttons (except for the first one) according to your preferences as their functions also are accessible via menu entries (s. next section).
Pegasus Mail's main menu bar will contain a new entry (cf. screen shot) providing several new PGP related functions (some of them are disabled if no editor or reader window is on top). You can get detailed information about these functions via context help by pressing the [F1] key while highlighting one of its entries.
Besides the two buttons to the left of the PGPkeys/PGP Desktop button you'll find - if a mail folder is open - two new menu entries under Folder | Special called Find/verify digital signature and Key management.... After opening a mail message the same items show up under Reader | Special and in the window's context menu (press right mouse button in there). If a message is marked or opened the respective functions will be executed:
Key management (or the respective button) may import public keys or certificates contained in a message into your PGP keyring. Keys will be detected automatically in encrypted /signed messages if the extension's option Auto key check is enabled; you will not be prompted for importing certificates, though, as each S/MIME signed message usually contains the sender's certificates anyway.
Find/verify digital signature (or the respective button) is useful for retrieving details about a digital signature if you're working with the No signature info extension option enabled or a signature wasn't recognized automatically. For valid S/MIME signatures it will display the Windows certificate dialog where you can check the signing certificate's properties and chain validity in detail (only available with Pegasus Mail v4 on Windows 2000 Pro or XP and later).
3. Additional Information for Administrators
- During installation most files will be copied to a user defined directory (or its subdirectory) registered together with other program information under:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Pegasus Mail PGP Utilities_is1. -
To finish installation the program PMPGPHelper.exe will be launched from this directory using the command line parameter UserUpdate to copy the following files to Pegasus Mail's mailbox directory of the current user:
- AutoList.txt
- PMPGPMain.fff
- PMPGPCryptor.fff
The directory's name will be retrieved from the following registry key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Pegasus Mail\Mailbox.
If such a registry key cannot be found the installing user will be prompted for selecting Pegasus Mail's program directory for installing the extension for all users.The paths to PMPGPMain.dll and PMPGPCryptor.dll will then be written to each fff-file's respective line:
Form DLL = "DRIVE:\Path\*.dll".The fff-files may also be copied to the mailboxes of all other users registered in Users.cfg depending on the installer's confirmation and access rights. Users.cfg will be created in ..\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\PMPGP\ if it doesn't already exist.
- The last action of PMPGPHelper.exe will be to show the configuration dialog for creating the very first version of PMPGP.cfg (a simple ini-file) also located in the mailbox directory.
- A new group called Pegasus Mail PGP Utilities will then be created in the start menu under Program Files containing the following five links:
- Contact to PMPGPEn.chm
- Licence to LicenceEn.txt
- Uninstall PM-PGP to uninsXXX.exe
- User-Setup to PMPGPHelper.exe with the command line parameter UserSetup
- User-Uninstall to PMPGPHelper.exe with the command line parameter UserUninstall
User-Setup and User-Uninstall will be created in the All Users section as well as they are required for executing steps 2 and 3 and the uninstallation for both configuring new Windows and Pegasus Mail users.
- For running the extension the registry only needs to be read (including all entries of Pegasus Mail's, PGP's and the extension's keys). Write permission has to be granted for the following files: AutoList.txt and PMPGP.cfg in Pegasus Mail's mailbox directory of the respective users (attention: a single Windows user may create several Pegasus Mail users) and the default TEMP directory. Additionally the following Pegasus Mail files need to be readable: PEGASUS.INI, PMAIL.INI, *.PMM (mail folders) and *.PMR (address books). And finally (depending on the respective PGP version) write permission is required for the following files, usually located in Windows' main directory (6.5.x) or a user dependent directory (e.g. ..\Application Data\PGP Corporation\PGP\, 7.x and later):
- PGPsdk.dat (6.5.x)
- PGPprefs.txt (7.x / 8.x)
- PGPprefs.xml (9.x)
- and PGPgroup.pgr if using key groups (except for PGP 9).
Using the program
After installing the package and applying the basic configuration you may just start working without having to change any further options, but to take full advantage of the special automation features you have to set up a list of addresses and assigned keys. The leftmost of the new buttons provides a separate Edit AutoList menu which will assist you in doing so. To find out about the basic operations please read the following paragraphs.
Normal encryption: Check Encrypt... in the message editor and select Encrypt message in the dialog box shown left, then click OK: The Encryption method should already be selected, if not you may do so under Tools | Options | Encryption; idw's S/MIME Handler will only be available if you have a private key with a valid S/MIME certificate on your keyring. Selecting a method item beginning with "***" will result in creating just a single outgoing message for all recipients (and another one for any blind copy recipients) instead of a separate one for each single recipient: While this will save you bandwidth it may result in recipients not being able to read an encrypted message if you don't have or don't use the proper PGP key or certificate. Mixing encrypted and unencrypted messages won't work either and there's no way of using these methods in an automated way nor keeping such a selection "sticky".
When pushing the Send button the encryption process starts (watch Pegasus Mail's status bar at bottom left) and you will get asked to select a public key for any recipient address provided for the respective message and its attachments. If you check Add digital signature as well you will get prompted for entering your passphrase prior to selecting the keys (you don't need to provide it via Pegasus Mail's own encryption dialog).
If you don't want to get repeatedly asked whether to encode attachments or not (PGP/MIME and S/MIME include attachments by design), check Encrypt/Sign attachments on the Encoding page of the extension's configuration dialog (idw's PGP-Frontend | idw's PGP-Frontend | Configuration).
List encryption: If you've created key groups in PGP you may send multi-encrypted messages to mailing lists by selecting the desired group in the key selection dialog for the respective message. Automated encryption is not available in such cases. Unfortunately you cannot create key groups anymore with PGP 9 (at least up to version 9.6.1), but if you kept any groups created with PGP 8 you may still use them.
PGP/MIME encryption: This option is available for the first time in version 4.7.0, but it should only be used if you know about your recipient's email program being able to deal with it (e.g. Mutt for Linux or Eudora for Windows/Mac, more information). Some of PGP/MIME's advantages are that it automatically includes attachments and can easily deal with formatted and non-English messages.
Since version 4.8.9 PGP/MIME will automatically be used under the following conditions:
- You're replying to a PGP/MIME encoded message with Include text of original message ... enabled;
- the only single recipient is the original sender of the message replied to;
- and Auto encryption is enabled (see below).
As of version 4.9.6 you may also enable selected recipients via AutoList to always receive PGP/MIME-encoded messages provided your AutoList has been activated (see Automated encryption below).
S/MIME encryption (PGP 8.1 (English version) and later only): This option is available for the first time in version 5.0, but it should only be used if you know about your recipient's email program being able to deal with it. The respective encryptor option will only be enabled if your keyring contains a secret key with a valid S/MIME certificate. Encryption and signing are handled exactly the same way as with PGP/MIME (see above), only the email address used with the respective Pegasus Mail identity must be certified, i.e. signed by certificate issuers!
Easy encryption: After finishing typing your message you can simply click Encrypt > send or Encrypt + Sign > send in the menu idw's PGP-Frontend. This will check all necessary options automatically and push the Send button for you. These menu entries can also be presented via a separate menu by right clicking the respective toolbar button which you may as well configure to execute any of these single options by left clicking. If a recipient is listed on your AutoList the encoding method will be taken from the appropriate list entry (see the following paragraphs).
Automated encryption (thanks to Gary Siemund ...): You might already think: Why can't I have the encryption module automatically find the required public key? Well, you can, but you should prepare the AutoList for doing so (though most of the keys will probably be found without