Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) is a method of encrypting and signing electronic messages, such as email messages, to help ensure the confidentiality and authenticity of the message. It is designed to provide privacy and integrity for electronic communications.
PGP works by using public key encryption to encrypt the message and digital signatures to authenticate the sender and verify the integrity of the message. When a sender wants to send an encrypted and signed message, they will first generate a private/public key pair and then use their private key to sign the message. They will then attach their public key to the message and send it to the recipient.
When the recipient receives the message, they will use the sender's public key to verify the digital signature and confirm that the message was actually sent by the sender. They will then use their own private key to decrypt the message and read its contents.
By using PGP, it is possible to help ensure the confidentiality and authenticity of electronic messages, such as email messages. It is commonly used to secure communication over the internet and is often used in conjunction with other security protocols such as SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) and TLS (Transport Layer Security) to provide an additional layer of protection.