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Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) is a family of cryptographic software created by Philip Zimmermann and first released in 1991. It helps protect messages and files using encryption for confidentiality and digital signatures for integrity and authentication checks. OpenPGP is the non-proprietary standard for the message, key, and signature formats used by compatible implementations; its current specification is RFC 9580, published in August 2024.
What does PGP stand for?
PGP stands for Pretty Good Privacy. Philip Zimmermann created the original software, and version 1.0 was first released in 1991, according to RFC 1991. The name is also used more broadly for the family of software and related implementations that followed.
What is the difference between PGP and OpenPGP?
PGP refers to Zimmermann’s original program and the broader family of related software. OpenPGP refers to the non-proprietary formats and protocol for encrypting and authenticating data, standardized through the IETF. The IETF OpenPGP Working Group was formed in 1997, according to the OpenPGP organization.
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The current specification consulted here is RFC 9580, which supersedes RFC 4880. OpenPGP defines how compatible software represents messages, keys, and signatures; it does not guarantee that every application supports those formats or works seamlessly with every other application.
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What does PGP do?
OpenPGP can provide confidentiality through encryption and integrity and authentication checks through digital signatures. These are distinct protections: encrypting a message does not, by itself, prove who sent it. A sender can sign a message, encrypt it, or do both. RFC 9580 describes support for messages and data files, including signature-only uses.
The IETF specification summarizes the purpose this way: “OpenPGP provides data confidentiality and integrity for messages and data files by using public key and/or symmetric encryption and digital signatures.”
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How does PGP encryption work?
OpenPGP uses a hybrid approach: symmetric encryption protects the message or file, while public-key cryptography protects the temporary session key used for that object. This combines efficient encryption of the data with a way to make the session key available to its intended recipients.
- The sender’s software creates a fresh session key for the message or file.
- It encrypts the data with that symmetric key.
- For each recipient, it encrypts the session key with that recipient’s public key.
- The recipient’s software uses the corresponding private key to recover the session key, then decrypts the data.
The sender may also sign the message. A recipient can check the signature using the signer’s public key, separately from decrypting the content. RFC 9580 specifies these message operations; it does not prescribe how people prove identities or securely manage their keys.
What does PGP not take care of?
Using OpenPGP does not automatically make a message private in every practical sense or ensure that a signature identifies the person a reader expects. The standard defines cryptographic formats and operations, but RFC 9580 leaves key storage and management outside its scope. Users and implementations must handle private-key protection, backups, revocation, identity checks, and other operational choices.
Compatibility is another practical consideration: two tools need suitable OpenPGP support and compatible workflows to exchange protected data. NIST’s glossary notes that many mail clients have not supported OpenPGP by default and that plug-ins may be used, but that is a dated statement rather than a current survey of email software. Check the documentation for the specific app and version you intend to use.
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How are OpenPGP keys trusted?
In a web-of-trust model, users take part in managing and evaluating key relationships rather than relying solely on a central authority. NIST’s glossary explains this model as relying on users for management and control, but its entry cites older RFCs; it is useful context, not the current technical specification. In practice, the important question is whether you have a reliable way to associate a public key with the person or organization you intend to contact.
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| Year or date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1991 | Philip Zimmermann first released PGP version 1.0, as recorded in RFC 1991. |
| 1997 | The IETF OpenPGP Working Group formed to define the standard, according to the OpenPGP organization. |
| August 2024 | RFC 9580, the current OpenPGP specification consulted here, was published. |
These dates describe the software’s history and standards work; they do not measure present-day adoption or popularity.
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