PGP Encryption Explained: Why It Still Matters in Modern Cybersecurity

Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) is one of the most enduring encryption systems in cybersecurity. Despite being invented in 1991, PGP remains highly relevant for protecting sensitive data, securing communications, and ensuring trust in hostile or untrusted environments.

This article explains what PGP is, why it is still needed, how it works, and where it is used today, with practical code examples and a cybersecurity-focused perspective.

What Is PGP Encryption?

PGP is a hybrid cryptographic system designed to secure data through:

Confidentiality - only intended recipients can read the data
Integrity - data cannot be altered without detection
Authentication - verifies the sender's identity
Non-repudiation - sender cannot deny authorship

PGP achieves this by combining:

Symmetric encryption (fast, bulk data)
Asymmetric encryption (secure key exchange)
Cryptographic hashing (integrity verification)
Digital signatures (authentication)

OpenPGP is the open standard (RFC 4880), implemented by tools such as GnuPG (GPG).

Why PGP Is Still Needed?

Despite TLS, cloud security tools, and zero-trust architectures, PGP fills critical gaps.

1. End-to-End Data Ownership

PGP enables user-controlled encryption, meaning:

No central authority holds your private keys
Cloud providers cannot decrypt your data
Protection persists even after data is leaked

This is critical for:

Journalists
Security researchers
CISOs exchanging sensitive artifacts
Compliance-driven organizations (ISO 27001, SOC 2)

2. Asynchronous Secure Communication

Unlike TLS, PGP does not require both parties to be online simultaneously.

You can:

Encrypt data for a recipient using only their public key
Store or transmit encrypted files safely
Allow decryption at any future time

This makes PGP ideal for:

Secure email
File transfers
Backup encryption
Long-term data storage

3. Cryptographic Assurance Beyond Transport Security

TLS protects data in transit.
PGP protects data itself, regardless of where it goes.

If an attacker:

Compromises email servers
Gains database access
Intercepts backups

PGP-encrypted data remains unreadable.

How PGP Works (High-Level)

Sender generates a random symmetric session key
Data is encrypted with the session key (AES, etc.)
Session key is encrypted with the recipient's public key
Encrypted data + encrypted session key are sent together
Recipient uses their private key to decrypt the session key
Session key decrypts the data

Key Generation with GPG

Generate a PGP key pair:

gpg --full-generate-key

Typical choices:

Key type: RSA and RSA
Key size: 4096 bits
Expiration: 1-2 years (recommended)
Strong passphrase

List keys:

gpg --list-keys

Export public key (to share):

gpg --armor --export user@example.com > publickey.asc

Encrypting and Decrypting Files

Encrypt a File

gpg --encrypt --recipient user@example.com secrets.txt

This produces:

secrets.txt.gpg

Only the recipient's private key can decrypt it.

Decrypt a File

gpg --decrypt secrets.txt.gpg > secrets.txt

You will be prompted for the private key passphrase.

Digital Signatures with PGP

PGP is not only about secrecy — authenticity matters just as much.

Sign a File

gpg --sign release.tar.gz

Or detached signature (recommended):

gpg --detach-sign release.tar.gz

Verify Signature

gpg --verify release.tar.gz.sig release.tar.gz

This ensures:

File integrity
Trusted origin
No tampering

Widely used in:

Software releases
Security advisories
Supply chain validation

PGP in Email Security

PGP enables end-to-end encrypted email where:

Email providers cannot read messages
Only intended recipients can decrypt content

Common tools:

GPG + Thunderbird
ProtonMail (PGP-compatible)
Mailvelope (browser-based)

Example: Encrypting an Email Message

echo "Sensitive report attached" | gpg --encrypt --armor -r user@example.com > message.asc

Cybersecurity Applications of PGP

1. Secure Key Exchange

PGP is often used to:

Exchange API secrets
Share root credentials securely
Transfer encryption keys between teams

2. Incident Response & Forensics

During breaches:

Logs
Memory dumps
Indicators of compromise (IOCs)

are often encrypted with PGP before sharing with:

External responders
Legal teams
Regulators

3. Compliance & Governance

PGP supports controls required by:

ISO 27001 (A.8, A.10)
SOC 2 (Confidentiality, Security)
GDPR (Data protection by design)

It provides cryptographic evidence of protection.

4. Software Supply Chain Security

PGP signatures help defend against:

Malicious package injection
Mirror compromise
Man-in-the-middle attacks

Used by:

Linux distributions
Open-source projects
Internal artifact repositories

Limitations and Risks

PGP is powerful — but not perfect.

Key Management Complexity

Lost private keys = lost data
Revocation must be managed properly

Trust Model Challenges

Web of Trust is difficult to scale
Many users fail to verify fingerprints

Usability Issues

Poor UX leads to misconfiguration
Incorrect usage can create false security

Best Practices for Secure PGP Usage

Use strong passphrases
Rotate keys regularly
Verify fingerprints out-of-band
Encrypt private keys at rest
Use hardware security keys when possible
Maintain revocation certificates

PGP vs Modern Alternatives

Feature	PGP	TLS	Cloud KMS
End-to-end encryption	✓	×	×
User-controlled keys	✓	×	×
Asynchronous security	✓	×	×
Ease of use	×	✓	✓

PGP is not a replacement for modern security — it is a complement.

PGP Threat Model - Text Diagram

+------------------+         +---------------------+         +------------------+
|                  |         |                     |         |                  |
|   Sender System  |         |   Untrusted Medium  |         | Recipient System |
|  (PGP Client)    |         |  (Email / Cloud /   |         |  (PGP Client)    |
|                  |         |   File Transfer)    |         |                  |
+--------+---------+         +----------+----------+         +--------+---------+
         |                               |                             |
         | 1. Plaintext Data             |                             |
         |------------------------------>|                             |
         |                               |                             |
         | 2. Symmetric Encryption (AES) |                             |
         |    - Random Session Key       |                             |
         |                               |                             |
         | 3. Encrypt Session Key        |                             |
         |    (Recipient Public Key)     |                             |
         |                               |                             |
         | 4. Optional Digital Signature |                             |
         |    (Sender Private Key)       |                             |
         |                               |                             |
         | 5. Encrypted Payload          |                             |
         |    + Encrypted Session Key    |                             |
         |    + Signature (optional)     |                             |
         |------------------------------>|                             |
         |                               |  THREATS                    |
         |                               |  - Interception             |
         |                               |  - Modification             |
         |                               |  - Replay                   |
         |                               |  - Storage compromise       |
         |                               |                             |
         |                               |  MITIGATIONS                |
         |                               |  - Strong encryption        |
         |                               |  - Integrity checks         |
         |                               |  - No plaintext exposure    |
         |                               |                             |
         |                               |---------------------------->|
         |                               |                             |
         |                               | 6. Decrypt Session Key      |
         |                               |    (Recipient Private Key)  |
         |                               |                             |
         |                               | 7. Decrypt Data             |
         |                               |    (Session Key)            |
         |                               |                             |
         |                               | 8. Verify Signature         |
         |                               |    (Sender Public Key)      |
         |                               |                             |

Threat Breakdown by Component

1. Sender System Threats

Threat	Description	Primary Mitigations	Notes (Cybersecurity Context)
Malware exfiltrating plaintext	Malicious software captures data before encryption or after decryption	Endpoint hardening Disk encryption	PGP cannot protect data on compromised endpoints; EDR and least privilege are critical
Private key theft	Attacker steals PGP private key from disk or memory	Hardware security keys (YubiKey) Disk encryption	Hardware-backed keys prevent raw key extraction
Weak passphrase	Easily guessable or reused passphrase protecting private key	Strong passphrases	Use long, unique passphrases; avoid password reuse
Compromised OS or memory scraping	Attacker reads sensitive data directly from system memory	Endpoint hardening Hardware security keys (YubiKey)	Harden OS, patch regularly, and limit decryption on high-risk systems

2. Key Management Threats

Threat	Description	Primary Mitigations	Notes (Cybersecurity Context)
Public key spoofing	Attacker distributes a fake public key posing as a trusted user	Fingerprint verification (out-of-band) Trusted key servers	Always verify fingerprints via a separate trusted channel (voice, secure chat)
Man-in-the-middle during key exchange	Attacker intercepts and replaces public keys during exchange	Fingerprint verification (out-of-band) Trusted key servers	MITM is ineffective once key fingerprints are verified and trusted
Expired or revoked keys ignored	Encryption performed using invalid or compromised keys	Key expiration policies Revocation certificates	Enforce automated checks and key refresh workflows

3. Untrusted Transport Threats

Threat	Description	Primary Mitigations	Notes (Cybersecurity Context)
Email interception	Emails captured by mail servers or attackers in transit	End-to-end encryption Metadata minimization	PGP protects content even if mail servers or TLS are compromised
Cloud storage compromise	Encrypted files accessed via breached cloud storage	End-to-end encryption Authenticated encryption	Attackers gain ciphertext only; key separation is critical
Network-level MITM	Man-in-the-middle alters or inspects transmitted data	Authenticated encryption Signed messages	Prevents undetected tampering and sender impersonation
Replay attacks	Previously captured encrypted messages resent by attacker	Signed messages Authenticated encryption	Signatures and integrity checks expose replayed or altered content

Note: Transport compromise does not break confidentiality in PGP.

4. Recipient System threats

Threat	Description	Primary Mitigations	Notes (Cybersecurity Context)
Private key theft	Attacker gains access to the PGP private key	Private key encryption at rest Access controls	Use strong passphrases, hardware tokens (e.g., YubiKey), and least-privilege access
Insecure backups	Private keys or decrypted data stored in unsafe backups	Secure backup handling Access controls	Encrypt backups, restrict access, and test restore paths regularly
Social engineering	User tricked into revealing keys or passphrases	Access controls Key usage auditing	Enforce MFA, user awareness training, and alert on anomalous key usage
Decryption on compromised host	Data decrypted on malware-infected or untrusted system	Private key encryption at rest Key usage auditing	Harden endpoints, monitor decryption events, and avoid decrypting on shared systems

STRIDE Mapping (PGP Perspective)

Threat	PGP Coverage
Spoofing	✓ Digital signatures
Tampering	✓ Hash + signature
Repudiation	✓ Signed messages
Information Disclosure	✓ Strong encryption
Denial of Service	× Not addressed
Elevation of Privilege	× Out of scope

Trust Boundaries (Explicit)

Trust Boundary / Component	Description	Trusted
Sender Private Key	Cryptographic key used to decrypt data and create digital signatures	✓
Recipient Private Key	Cryptographic key used to decrypt received PGP-encrypted content	✓
Verified Public Keys	Public keys whose fingerprints have been validated out-of-band	✓
Sender Endpoint	Device where data is encrypted and signed	✓
Recipient Endpoint	Device where data is decrypted and verified	✓
Network Infrastructure	Internet, corporate networks, Wi-Fi, and routing infrastructure	×
Email Servers	SMTP/IMAP servers handling encrypted email transport	×
Cloud Storage Providers	Third-party storage services holding encrypted files	×
File Transfer Systems	SFTP, file-sharing platforms, or removable media used for exchange	×
Public Key Servers	Key distribution services (e.g., SKS, WKD)	× *
Backup Storage	Systems storing encrypted backups of keys or data	×
Endpoint Operating System	OS enforcing local security controls	✓ *

* Trust is conditional and dependent on hardening, monitoring, and verification controls.

Residual Risks

User fails to verify public key fingerprint
Private key compromise
Poor operational key hygiene
Weak endpoint security

PGP assumes hostile infrastructure but trusted endpoints.

Summary

PGP protects data in transit and at rest across untrusted systems, but its security ultimately depends on endpoint integrity and key management discipline.

PGP encryption remains one of the most trustworthy, transparent, and resilient cryptographic systems available. While it requires discipline and operational maturity, it provides something increasingly rare in modern security:

True control over your data.

For cybersecurity professionals, PGP is not legacy tech — it is foundational cryptography that still earns its place in 2026 security architectures.