--list-only and symmetric encryption (fwd)

[Atom 'Smasher']

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On Mon, 28 Jun 2004, David Shaw wrote:
> On Mon, Jun 28, 2004 at 04:59:56AM -0400, Atom 'Smasher' wrote:
>> (resending this now that this list should be working better)
>>
>>
>> using "--list-only" to learn more about a symmetrically encrypted file, it
>> tells me (something like):
>>   	gpg: CAST5 encrypted data
>>   	gpg: encrypted with 1 passphrase
>>
>> it says it's "encrypted with 1 passphrase"... can it be encrypted with
>> multiple passphrases?
>
> Yes and no.  GnuPG will properly handle a message encrypted with
> multiple passphrases.  However, it will not currently generate a
> multiple passphrase message for the usual reasons.
>
> Note that this is different than a message that can be decrypted with
> both passphrases and public keys.  That feature exists today in 1.3.x:
> just do --encrypt --symmetric.
===================

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.


  	...atom

  _________________________________________
  PGP key - http://atom.smasher.org/pgp.txt
  762A 3B98 A3C3 96C9 C6B7 582A B88D 52E4 D9F5 7808
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 	We got around to the subject of war again and I said
 	 that, contrary to his attitude, I did not think that
 	 the common people are very thankful for leaders who
 	 bring them war and destruction.

 	"Why, of course, the people don't want war," [he] shrugged.
 	 "Why would some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life
 	 in a war when the best that he can get out of it is to
 	 come back to his farm in one piece. Naturally, the common
 	 people don't want war; neither in Russia nor in England
 	 nor in America, nor for that matter in Germany. That is
 	 understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the
 	 country who determine the policy and it is always a
 	 simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a
 	 democracy or a fascist dictatorship or a Parliament or a
 	 Communist dictatorship."

 	"There is one difference," I pointed out. "In a democracy
 	 the people have some say in the matter through their
 	 elected representatives, and in the United States only
 	 Congress can declare wars."

 	"Oh, that is all well and good, but, voice or no voice,
 	 the people can always be brought to the bidding of the
 	 leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them
 	 they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for
 	 lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger.
 	 It works the same way in any country."

 		-- conversation on April 18, 1946 between Hermann
 			Goering (Nazi Reichsmarshall and Luftwaffe-Chief)
 			and Gustave Gilbert, a psychologist and
 			journalist who met regularly with Goering
 			during the Nuremberg trails. These
 			conversations were published in the
 			"Nuremberg Diary" in 1947
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Comment: What is this gibberish?
Comment: http://atom.smasher.org/links/#digital_signatures

iEYEARECAAYFAkDiN7YACgkQnCgLvz19QeNQ1ACfSSenerCeM3+uadopvUoOFviR
+fMAnA+ouRgiMj2EHST2mowlB8N+zbW7
=s3j3
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