Using single subkey for both signing and encryption?

[John Clizbe]

gpg.mexon at spamgourmet.com wrote:
> Hi, I just have a basic question about subkeys.  When I create an RSA
> subkey I only have the option to create one for signing or encryption,
> not both.  Why is that?  There's nothing different about the keys
> themselves, is there?  Is there supposed to be some increased security
> to doing it this way?

Given that the underlying mathematics is the same for encryption and signing,
only in reverse, if an attacker can convince a key holder to sign an unformatted
encrypted message using the same key then she gets the original.


-- 
John P. Clizbe                      Inet:John (a) Mozilla-Enigmail.org
You can't spell fiasco without SCO. hkp://keyserver.gingerbear.net  or
     mailto:pgp-public-keys at gingerbear.net?subject=HELP

Q:"Just how do the residents of Haiku, Hawai'i hold conversations?"
A:"An odd melody / island voices on the winds / surplus of vowels"

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