PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) encryption is essential for secure communication on Atlas Market. This guide teaches you everything needed to generate keys, encrypt messages, and verify signatures.
⚠️ Critical: Your PGP private key must NEVER be shared with anyone. Atlas Market will never ask for your private key.
🎯 What is PGP Encryption?
PGP uses asymmetric encryption with two keys:
- Public Key: Share this freely. Others use it to encrypt messages only you can read.
- Private Key: Keep this secret. Use it to decrypt messages and sign communications.
📥 Step 1: Download PGP Software
🪟 Windows: Gpg4win (Kleopatra)
Download from official website: gpg4win.org
Includes Kleopatra (easy GUI) and GnuPG command-line tools.
🍎 macOS: GPG Suite
Download from: gpgtools.org
Integrates with macOS Mail and Keychain.
🐧 Linux: GnuPG (pre-installed)
Most Linux distributions include GnuPG. For GUI: install KGpg or Seahorse
🔑 Step 2: Generate Your PGP Key Pair
Using Kleopatra (Windows):
- Open Kleopatra → Click "New Key Pair"
- Enter Name: Use a pseudonym, not your real name (e.g., "AtlasUser2025")
- Email: Optional, or use throwaway email
- Advanced Settings: Select RSA 4096-bit (maximum security)
- Set Expiration: 2 years recommended (can extend later)
- Create Strong Passphrase: Minimum 20+ characters, memorize it!
🔐 Passphrase Tips:
- Use random words: "correct horse battery staple mountain river"
- Add special characters and numbers
- Must be memorable - you'll need it to decrypt messages
- Write it down and store securely offline
📤 Step 3: Export Your Public Key
Your public key needs to be uploaded to Atlas Market:
- Right-click your key in Kleopatra → "Export"
- Save as
publickey.asc - Open file in text editor - it starts with
-----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK----- - Copy entire contents including BEGIN and END lines
- Go to Atlas Market → Settings → PGP Key → Paste and Save
🔒 Step 4: Encrypt a Message
Encrypting for a Vendor:
- Import Vendor's Public Key: Copy from their Atlas Market profile → Kleopatra → "Import" → Paste → "Import"
- Write Your Message: In notepad, write shipping address and message
- Encrypt: Kleopatra → "Clipboard" → "Encrypt" → Select vendor's key
-
Send: Copy encrypted message (starts with
-----BEGIN PGP MESSAGE-----) and paste to Atlas Market
🔓 Step 5: Decrypt a Message
When vendor sends you an encrypted message:
- Copy the entire encrypted message (including BEGIN/END lines)
- Kleopatra → "Clipboard" → "Decrypt/Verify"
- Enter your passphrase when prompted
- Decrypted message will appear
✍️ Step 6: Sign Messages (Optional but Recommended)
Signing proves a message came from you:
- When encrypting, check "Sign" option
- Select your key to sign with
- Recipient can verify the signature to confirm authenticity
⚠️ Critical Security Rules
- NEVER share your private key with anyone for any reason
- NEVER upload private key to any website including Atlas Market
- Backup your private key to encrypted USB drive stored securely
- If you lose private key, you lose access to all encrypted messages forever
- Test encryption by encrypting/decrypting a test message to yourself first
🎯 Quick Reference
✓ To Encrypt: Import recipient's PUBLIC key → Write message → Encrypt → Send
✓ To Decrypt: Copy encrypted text → Decrypt with YOUR private key + passphrase
✓ To Share Key: Export PUBLIC key only → Upload to Atlas Market profile