--list-only and symmetric encryption (fwd)

[Atom 'Smasher']

On Wed, 30 Jun 2004, David Shaw wrote:
> On Tue, Jun 29, 2004 at 11:46:53PM -0400, Atom 'Smasher' wrote:

> > i'm curious how that works... i understand how a message can be encrypted
> > to multiple public keys, since the bulk encryption is only done using one
> > key. i don't understand how a message can be efficiently ("efficiently",
> > meaning that the message is only encrypted once) encrypted to multiple
> > symmetric keys.
>
> It works the same way that it does with public keys.  The data is
> encrypted using a random session key, then that session key is
> encrypted using the passphrase.  If you want to use multiple
> passphrases, just encrypt the random session key to as many
> passphrases as you like.
===================

so, GnuPG can read, but not create these messages? are there plans handle
creation? or would it have to be done by performing packet-surgery with
gpgsplit?

if only a single symmetric passphrase is used, is there still a session
key encrypted with the symmetric key? (i only have text access right now,
and can't get to a copy of the RFC).


        ...atom

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