keyserver problems with my key - "Key block corrupt: more than one signature on subkey"

Len Sassaman rabbi@quickie.net
Tue Apr 30 18:49:02 2002


This is a problem with the Horowitz keyservers. pksd doesn't understand
what to do with multiple subkeys, and munges them (usually by deleting all
but one of the subkeys, and dumping the subkey binding signatures (all of
them) on the remaining subkey.

Yuck.

You may wish to discontinue use of the pksd servers.

On Sat, 27 Apr 2002 Darxus@chaosreigns.com wrote:

> A few days ago I was planning to meet someone to exchange fingerprints to
> sign keys.  We were attempting to exchange encrypted passwords beforehand
> to confirm in person, when he told me that the copy of my key he downloaded
> from a keyserver was not useable.  I have been able to replicate the
> problem, and the verbose output follows.  I would really appreciate input.
>
> I suspect the problem is related to these self-signatures:
>
> sub  1024g/2EEAB976 2000-09-05
> sig        0E9FF879 2000-09-05  Darxus <Darxus@ChaosReigns.com>
> sig        0E9FF879 2000-10-09  Darxus <Darxus@ChaosReigns.com>
>
> ..which I have guessed is a result of originally generating the key with an
> expiration date, and later removing the expiration date.
>
> My public key can be downloaded from http://www.chaosreigns.com/darxus.asc
>
> $ gpg --list-key 0E9FF879
> pub  1024D/0E9FF879 2000-09-05 Darxus <Darxus@ChaosReigns.com>
> sub  1024g/2EEAB976 2000-09-05
>
> $ gpg --version
> gpg (GnuPG) 1.0.6
> Copyright (C) 2001 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
> This program comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY.
> This is free software, and you are welcome to redistribute it
> under certain conditions. See the file COPYING for details.
>
> Home: ~/.gnupg
> Supported algorithms:
> Cipher: IDEA, 3DES, CAST5, BLOWFISH, RIJNDAEL, RIJNDAEL192, RIJNDAEL256, TWOFISH
> Pubkey: RSA, RSA-E, RSA-S, ELG-E, DSA, ELG
> Hash: MD5, SHA1, RIPEMD160
>
> $ gpg --verbose --always-trust --recipient 0E9FF879 --encrypt test.text
> gpg: using secondary key 2EEAB976 instead of primary key 0E9FF879
> gpg: No trust check due to --always-trust option
> gpg: reading from `test.text'
> gpg: writing to `test.text.gpg'
> gpg: ELG-E/TWOFISH encrypted for: 2EEAB976 Darxus <Darxus@ChaosReigns.com>
>
> $ gpg --verbose --keyserver pgp.mit.edu --send-key 0E9FF879
> <title>Public Key Server -- Add</title><p>
> <h1>Public Key Server -- Add</h1><p>
> <pre>
> Key block in add request contained no new
> keys, userid's, or signatures.
> Your key block contained 1 format errors,
> which were treated as if the erroneous elements
> hadn't been part of your submission.
> The last error was on key 0x5537ee81:
> Key block corrupt: more than one signature on subkey
> </pre>
> gpg: success sending to `pgp.mit.edu' (status=200)
>
> $ gpg --verbose --no-default-keyring --keyring ./temp.gpg --keyserver pgp.mit.edu --recv-key 0E9FF879
> gpg: ./temp.gpg: keyring created
> gpg: requesting key 0E9FF879 from pgp.mit.edu ...
> gpg: armor header: Version: 5.0
> gpg: armor header: Comment: PGP Key Server 0.9.4+patch2
> gpg: pub  1024D/0E9FF879 2000-09-05   Darxus <Darxus@ChaosReigns.com>
> gpg: key 0E9FF879: public key imported
> gpg: Total number processed: 1
> gpg:               imported: 1
>
> $ gpg --always-trust --verbose --no-default-keyring --keyring ./temp.gpg --recipient 0E9FF879 --encrypt test.text
> gpg: 0E9FF879: skipped: unusable public key
> gpg: test.text: encryption failed: unusable public key
>
> $ gpg --list-sigs 0E9FF879
> pub  1024D/0E9FF879 2000-09-05 Darxus <Darxus@ChaosReigns.com>
> sig        0E9FF879 2000-09-05  Darxus <Darxus@ChaosReigns.com>
> sig        FE3821D9 2000-09-11  darxus@op.net
> sig        D31DE851 2000-09-11  Nathaniel E. Barwell <nbarwell@chaosreigns.com>
> sig        69350CFC 2000-10-05  Pete Foley <pete@lynchman.net>
> sig        EB281E23 2000-09-21  Alexander Shinn <foof@debian.org>
> sig        67A7B584 2000-10-05  Walter C. Mankowski <waltman@pobox.com>
> sig        D9367DD8 2000-10-05  George E McNeal Jr (george) <gmcneal@op.net>
> sig        5AA5BCDF 2000-09-21  Michael J. Leone <userdude@yahoo.com>
> sig        80675E65 2000-09-22  Leonard D. Rosenthol <leonardr@rogue-admins.com>
> sig        E4642C01 2000-09-28  Bill Jonas (This address preferred) <bill@billjonas.com>
> sig        140BF9C1 2000-11-22  Nathaniel E. Barwell <nbarwell@aspre.net>
> sig        70210CAA 2000-11-30  N-Tropy (Flint Heart) <n-tropy@n-tropy.com>
> sig        8060510A 2000-12-08  Chris Beggy <chrisb@kippona.net>
> sig        7994A571 2000-12-09  Tony Dominello (Tony) <tony_dominello@yahoo.com>
> sig        0C3F6A8E 2000-12-11  David A Nurse <dnurse@aspre.net>
> sig        7EC535F3 2000-12-17  lx <lx@lo-tek.net>
> sig        116F0CBD 2000-12-17  Bill Jonas <bill@billjonas.com>
> sig        52703839 2001-01-04  Mike Phillips <phillim2@home.com>
> sig        E57369CC 2001-06-07  Michael Bevilacqua <michael@clockbot.net>
> sig        54DA9506 2001-01-08  Joseph B. Welsh (Work E-Mail) <JWelsh@ConsecoDirect.com>
> sig        0E9FF879 2000-10-09  Darxus <Darxus@ChaosReigns.com>
> sig        DB7F41B4 2001-07-12  Brian Epstein <ep@epiary.org>
> sig        F1AE6BBC 2001-06-19  M. Jackson Wilkinson <mjwilkin@bowdoin.edu>
> sig        343BB2A7 2001-07-13  Adam Schaible (aka kb3edk) <taxindeath@yahoo.com>
> sig        0E6FC266 2000-09-09  Mental <mental@neverlight.com>
> sig        5D8EB927 2001-07-18  Jason Stelzer <Mental@NeverLight.com>
> sig        19BC76F8 2001-08-02  Ian Reinhart Geiser (geiseri) <geiseri@yahoo.com>
> sig        C1A6C2DC 2001-08-02  Zachary C Whitley <zachary@whitley.org>
> sig        7262954A 2001-08-02  John Beck <jbeck@jbwd.net>
> sig        0CF9091A 2001-08-08  gabriel rosenkoetter <gr@eclipsed.net>
> sig        52AC566B 2001-02-16  Michael C. Toren (MCT) <mct@toren.net>
> sig        2AB165F9 2002-02-23  Paul L. Snyder <pls@littleraven.com>
> sig        55FF8CEF 2001-12-09  Kristin Hill <pinkee@cavegirl.org>
> sig        F0A0A919 2002-02-20  Jason Nocks <jason@nocks.com>
> sig        8477626F 2002-04-19  Mike Joseph <mjoseph@netaxs.com>
> sig        56C84DC3 2002-04-17  Elizabeth Krumbach <lyz@princessleia.com>
> sig        CBAC94EA 2002-04-19  Michael Bevilacqua <michael@clockbot.net>
> sig        8DAC6BEA 2001-06-08  Kevin Mudrick (darkspur) <kevin@furhurts.com>
> sig        742B67FE 2002-04-19  Eric Allan Lucas <eric@lucii.org>
> sig        2BA48C46 2002-04-19  John J Lavin Jr <jlavin@ccil.org>
> sig        FE4BC82F 2002-04-19  Danita M. Fries <nita@digitalsylph.com>
> sig        D72CB41E 2002-04-25  Christophe Barbe <christophe@debian.org>
> sub  1024g/2EEAB976 2000-09-05
> sig        0E9FF879 2000-09-05  Darxus <Darxus@ChaosReigns.com>
> sig        0E9FF879 2000-10-09  Darxus <Darxus@ChaosReigns.com>
>
>
> --
> "Blessed are the cracked, for they shall let in the light."
> http://www.ChaosReigns.com
>

--Len.