Linoma Unveils PGP Encryption Tool for Desktops

April 2, 2013 Alex Woodie

Linoma Software last week unveiled GoAnywhere OpenPGP Studio, a free tool for encrypting and decrypting files on desktop computers running Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, and Unix operating systems. The software is aimed at users who periodically need to encrypt files, and will give Linoma the chance to sell additional automation capabilities via its managed file transfer (MFT) solutions.

OpenPGP Studio is based on Open PGP, a free and open source encryption program that itself is based on the Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) encryption program that Phil Zimmerman released to the world in 1991. (That got Zimmerman into hot water with the federal government, but that’s another story.)

Open PGP employs dual-key (public and private) cryptography utilizing a variety of encryption algorithms, and is often used for encrypting email contents. Today, Open PGP is an Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) proposed standard, and is managed by OpenPGP Alliance.

One of the 14 members of the OpenPGP Alliance is Linoma Software, the Ashland, Nebraska-based developer of IBM i utilities and the GoAnywhere line of MFT products.

“We have supported Open PGP encryption in our enterprise GoAnywhere Managed File Transfer solution for many years,” says Linoma chief architect Bob Luebbe in a press release. “But our customers also needed a simple encryption tool they could use to protect data on their PCs and laptops, as well as with email attachments. GoAnywhere OpenPGP Studio addresses this need without costing users a penny.”

OpenPGP Studio allows users to encrypt documents on their desktop OSes using a public encryption key. The software supports multiple encryption algorithms, including AES and TDES, Linoma says. Only users possessing the correct private key can decrypt and open the files protected with OpenPGP Studio or other encryption solutions, including Linoma’s GoAnywhere Director.

OpenPGP Studio also provides key management capabilities, enabling users to create, import, and export the keys needed to encrypt and decrypt files. The product lets users create one or more “keyrings” for holding Open PGP key pairs and any private Open PGP keys they may need.

The keyring function of OpenPGP Studio allows users to manage their encryption keys.

In addition to encrypting files, OpenPGP Studio also lets users digitally sign files they have encrypted. Digitally signing a file (with the private key of the sender) proves to the recipient that the file has not be tampered with or altered since it was signed by the sender.

Files can be encrypted and signed as separate processes, or as single process. Similarly, the software allows users to decrypt the file and verify the digital signature as a single process or separate processes.