Working with an Online and Offline Computer when using GnuPG - Best Practice?

[Stefan Claas]

Am 10.10.2017 um 04:51 schrieb Duane Whitty:

> I find this topic quite interesting so if I may comment a little more...
>
> Firstly, I think it's really easy to get carried away here with
> security measures one probably doesn't really need.  If you do have a
> need for air-gapped computers then you also have a need for a lot of
> other security measures.
>
> 1) How good are the locks on the doors to your house?
> 2) What about your windows?
> 3) What about fire protection?
> 4) What about data backups?
> 5) Do you have a policy and mechanism in place for how long you keep dat
> a?
> 6) How about backup security, both on-site and off-site?
> 7) What mechanism will you use for media destruction when your policy
> indicates you don't need certain data any longer?
> 8) How are you protecting your public/private keys?
> 9)...
>
> I could continue to go on but maybe I'm getting carried away here.
> The point I'm trying to make is that if there are lots of attack
> vectors and just focusing on where you encrypt/decrypt messages
> doesn't necessarily make you that much more protected.
>
> Just my opinion and it's not meant as criticism just as "food for though
> t"
>
>
Thanks for your reply and the points you have outlined!

I do find this topic interesting as well, hence why i started it. :-)

My thread model is not as high as of other peoples,  i assume.

I came up with this idea while reading about black/red boxes computers,
which act as online/offline computers. And i recently discovered Neal
Walfield's "An Avanced Introduction to GnuPG". At page 42 of his .pdf
he speaks of offline computers as well.

https://begriffs.com/pdf/an-advanced-introduction-to-gnupg.pdf

Even if i'm maybe now on the radar of some folks and i could have no
chance to properly secure my PGP communications in the future,
at least this discussion may help the interested reader how to use
GnuPG in the future, in a more secured way.

Best regards
Stefan