Knowledgebase

OpenPGP is a tool for secure online communication. CPanel uses GnuPG for its public-key cryptography so that users may communicate securely. Each person gets a pair of keys, called the public key and the private key. Each person's public key is published while the private key is kept secret. Messages are encrypted using the intended recipient's public key and can only be decrypted using their private key.

General documentation and comprehensive user guides are available at the GNU Privacy Guard site.

To generate a public and private key:

1. Click on the Manage OpenPGP Keys button on the home page.
2. Click on the Add Key link.
3. Enter your name, e-mail address, and nickname in the Your Name, Your Email, and Comment/NickName fields.
4. Enter the password for the key in the Key Password field.
5. Enter the expiry date for the key in the Expiry Date field. You can suffix the entered number with the following:

* y = year
* m = month
* w = week
* d = day

6. Choose the size of the key that you want to generate in the Key Size field. 1024 bytes is a common size.
7. Click on the Generate Key button. Note that it may take a few minutes to generate the key, depending on its size.


IMPORTING A KEY
You can import a key directly into CPanel. This will add it to the number of public keys that CPanel trusts.

To import a key:

1. Click on the Manage OpenPGP Keys button on the home page.
2. Click on the Import Key link.
3. Cut and paste the key from the another text file into the available area.
4. Click on the Import button.

EDITING A KEY
You can directly edit a key, if ever required.

To edit a key:

1. Click on the Manage OpenPGP Keys button on the home page.
2. Click on the Edit button next to the key that you want to edit.
3. Edit the key as required