OpenPGP Connector

The OpenPGP connector supports encryption, decryption, signing, and verification according to the Open Pretty Good Privacy standard.

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Key Capabilities

• Complete OpenPGP encryption, decryption, signing, and signature verification with multiple algorithm support
• Encoding mode (encrypt/sign) and decoding mode (decrypt/verify) with compression options
• Keyring management and ASCII armor encoding for readable encrypted data transmission

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Overview

OpenPGP connectors are the primary way that supports protecting data in a flow. OpenPGP connectors operating in Encode mode can encrypt and/or sign files, and OpenPGP connectors operating in Decode mode can decrypt files and/or verify signatures. Encryption and signature verification require a public OpenPGP key, and decryption and signing require a private OpenPGP key. These keys must be created or imported into OpenPGP keyring files (.gpg) before you can use them with the application.

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Connector Configuration

This section contains all of the configurable connector properties.

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Settings Tab

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Configuration

Settings related to the core operation of the connector.

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Message Settings

Settings related to creating an OpenPGP message. Only available when encoding.

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Keys

Settings related to the OpenPGP keys used by the connector. Encryption and signing are only available when encoding, while verification and decryption are only available when decoding.

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Advanced Tab

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Advanced Settings

Settings not included in the previous categories.

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Logging

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Miscellaneous

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Automation Tab

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Settings

Settings related to the automatic processing of files by the connector.

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Performance

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Alerts Tab

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SLAs Tab

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Encoding

When encoding files, configure each of the settings under Message Settings. These determine how the file is encoded. If encryption is required, specify a public encryption key in the Encryption Key field. If signing is required, specify a private signing key in the Signing Key field. To select a key in a keyring, import the keyring file then use the dropdown to choose a user Id. To sign with a private key, provide the Passphrase required to access the private key. You can enable the ASCII Armor option on the Advanced tab to ASCII-encode encrypted data so that it remains readable. You can use the Clear Signature option if the signature should appear in clear text (not possible when encrypting files). Once you set these options, files sent to the input directory of the OpenPGP connector are automatically encoded.

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Decoding

When decoding files, the connector automatically attempts to determine what encryption and/or signature algorithms were applied, so you do not need to configure the connector for specific algorithms. If decryption is required, specify a private decryption key in the Decryption Key field (supply the private key that corresponds to the public key that was used to encrypt). If signature verification is required, specify a public verification key in the Verification Key field (supply the public key that corresponds to the private key used to sign). To select a key in a keyring, import the keyring file then use the dropdown to choose a user Id. To decrypt with a private key, provide the Passphrase required to access the private key. Once you set these options, files sent to the input directory of the OpenPGP connector are automatically decoded: encrypted files are decrypted, and signed files are verified.

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Creating Keys

To create a key:

• Select Import/Export > Create Key to begin creating a new OpenPGP key pair:
  • If the connector is in Encode mode, this is next to Signing Key.
  • If the connector is in Decode mode, this is next to Decryption Key.
• Enter the following information:
  • User Id: Provide at least First Name or Email to create a key. The User Id for the key is comprised of the first name, last name, and email fields in the key creation wizard.
  • Passphrase: Enter a passphrase to protect the private key. The passphrase is used in the decrypt, encrypt, and sign operations.
  • Key Encryption Algorithm and Key Signature Algorithm: Select the encryption algorithm that corresponds to the desired strength of your encryption. Select the signature algorithm that corresponds to the desired length of the hash of the message.
• Click Create Key. Keys are created in the data/~Profiles/OpenPGP folder relative to the Application Directory.

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Macros

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Examples

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Common Errors

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Error: Unknown PGP Packet tag

When attempting to decode a GPG message using the OpenPGP connector, you might get the error Unknown PGP Packet tag on the Transactions tab and in the logs. Cause The GPG message has been encrypted with the AEAD cipher. AEAD is a cipher that is still in draft, and does not yet support it. Resolution GPG messages encrypted in GPG 2.3.0 and later using keys created in GPG 2.3.0 and later need to be encrypted using the following options to disable the cipher: --force-mdc --rfc2440 --encrypt GPG packets encrypted in earlier releases or encrypted in GPG 2.3.0 or later using keys created in prior releases are not affected.