PGP Desktop Home

Overview

PGP® Desktop Home is an easy-to-use desktop encryption application that secures individuals' most valuable and confidential information. PGP Desktop Home uses the same trusted, mature PGP® encryption technology that has been proven effective by millions of users, security experts, and organizations worldwide to:

• Automatically encrypt email with the installed desktop email application without pressing any special buttons
• Protect files in automatically expanding virtual drives or easily shared archives
• Secure AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) sessions between PGP® Desktop users

Protect Email Privacy

Automatically detecting POP and IMAP email accounts, PGP Desktop Home encrypts emails without installing special plug-ins or requiring extra mouse clicks. You can use the default configuration to encrypt emails or customize encryption rules, including rules to encrypt based on recipient, subject header, and message content. All emails can be digitally signed, validating the integrity and source of messages for recipients. Background notification windows indicate whenever a message is encrypted, decrypted, or digitally signed.

Protect Files

Desktop and laptop computers with gigabytes of storage often contain a complete history of banking receipts, tax returns, family information, and other private data. System theft and malware are just some of the ways personal information can be exposed and used by identity thieves. PGP Desktop Home provides users with these options to encrypt files for everyday use, or encrypt and compress for sharing or backup:

• PGP® Virtual Disk-Used just like a removable disk drive, PGP Virtual Disk stores files and folders in a single file, automatically encrypting and decrypting data. PGP Virtual Disk expands automatically as needed so files can be added without additional steps or concerns over the initial volume size configured. When not in use, PGP Virtual Disk can be closed to secure data even when system power is on.
• PGP® Zip-For storing backups or sharing files, PGP Zip stores files and folders in a single, compressed file. If files need to be shared with others that do not have PGP Desktop, users can create a PGP® Self-Decrypting Archive (SDA) that automatically executes and decrypts files after successful authentication.

Keep Instant Messages Confidential

Instant messages travel across the Internet and through service providers. PGP Desktop Home allows AIM chats to remain private between PGP Desktop users. Encryption is performed automatically in the background with no change to the users' chat experience or application performance.

Technical Specifications

Supported Operating Systems

• Microsoft Windows Vista (all 32-bit and 64-bit versions, including Service Pack 1)
• Microsoft Windows XP Professional 32-bit (Service Pack 1, 2 and 3)
• Microsoft Windows XP Professional 64-bit (Service Pack 1 and 2)
• Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 (requires attached keyboard)
• Microsoft Windows XP Home
• Microsoft Windows 2003 Server (Service Pack 1 and 2)*
• Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional (Service Pack 4)
• Mac OS X 10.4.X and Mac OS X 10.5.X (Universal Binary - Intel and PPC)

* Full disk encryption functionality is not supported on Windows 2000 Server or 2003 Server.

Localization

• English
• German
• Japanese

Authentication Options

• OpenPGP RFC 4880 keys
• X.509 keys

Messaging Protocols

• POP3
• IMAP
• SMTP

Messaging Security Standards

• PGP/MIME RFC 3156
• OpenPGP RFC 4880
• S/MIME v3 RFC 2633
• X.509 v3

Supported Email Clients

• Microsoft Outlook 2007 SP1 (Outlook 12)
• Microsoft Outlook 2003 SP3
• Microsoft Outlook XP SP3
• Microsoft Outlook 2000 SP3
• Windows Mail 6.0.6000.16386
• Outlook Express 6
• Mozilla Thunderbird 2.0
• Lotus Notes 6.5.6, 7.0.3, and 8.01
• Novell GroupWise 6.5
• Apple Mail 2.1.1 and 3.3
• Microsoft Entourage 2008

Supported IM Clients

• AOL Instant Messenger 5.9.x, 6.5.5 for Windows
• Trillian 3.1 (Basic and Pro)
• Apple iChat 3.1.x, 4.0 for Mac OS X

Symmetric Key Algorithms

• AES (up to 256-bit keys)
• CAST
• TripleDES
• IDEA
• Twofish

Hashes

• SHA-2 (up to 512-bit hashes)
• SHA-1
• MD5
• RIPEMD-160

Public Key Algorithms

• Diffie-Hellman
• DSA (1024-bit keys only)
• RSA (up to 4096-bit keys)

FAQ

General

What is PGP Desktop Home and why is it important?

PGP® Desktop Home is a desktop email encryption solution that automatically encrypts email based on policy using open standards. PGP Desktop Home operates as a proxy, removing the need for application- and version-specific plug-ins, increasing performance, and eliminating potential email application conflicts or incompatibilities. PGP Desktop Home encrypts email as it is received and sent without affecting the end-user email experience, making it easy to use for home and home office users.

What problem does PGP Desktop Home solve?

Email today can contain tax return, health care, and other personal and confidential data, including bank records. PGP Desktop Home allows individual home users to use proven PGP® encryption to secure email and IM communications as well as protect their most sensitive files.

How do I know if I need PGP Desktop Home or PGP Desktop Professional?

Those who plan to use PGP Desktop in a home or home office environment connected to a consumer Internet Service Provider (ISP) will probably want PGP Desktop Home. Those who intend to use PGP Desktop in an office environment connected to an enterprise network or in a home office environment with access to an enterprise network via a virtual private network (VPN) will need PGP Desktop Professional. Those who want to use PGP® Desktop Email and PGP® Whole Disk Encryption will need to purchase PGP Desktop Professional.

Can PGP Desktop Home be managed by PGP Universal Server?

Single-seat licensed copies of PGP Desktop Home cannot be centrally managed by PGP Universal Server. PGP Desktop Email or one of the PGP Desktop solution packages (such as PGP Desktop Professional) can be centrally managed and deployed by PGP Universal Server.

What are the key benefits of PGP Desktop Home?

PGP Desktop Home provides home users with the following benefits:

• Secure email automatically-Once installed, the PGP Desktop Home default mail policy applies encryption and digital signatures when possible, automating encryption for home users.
• Protect sensitive files-Bank records, tax returns, health care information, and other personal and confidential data are stored on home computers today. With PGP Desktop Home, home users can encrypt and lock down their most sensitive data using PGP® Zip and PGP® Virtual Disk technology, securing data from malware, identity thieves and hackers.

How does PGP Desktop Home work?

PGP Desktop Home operates as a local, desktop mail proxy service, automatically encrypting/decrypting messages according to policy. PGP Desktop Home supports the two global email encryption standards, OpenPGP and S/MIME, automatically discovering keys and certificates.

What is the end-user experience?

For end users, PGP Desktop Home operates in the background, processing email messages based on policy. Users can adapt email encryption policies and change configuration through the PGP Desktop Home application interface. When encryption or digital signature operations are performed, the PGP Desktop Home notifier window alerts users that an encryption operation is being performed and its status.

What languages (localization) does PGP Desktop Home support?

The PGP Desktop Home user interface is localized in English, German, and Japanese.

Is the source code available for download?

Yes. To validate the integrity of its products, PGP Corporation releases all product source code, including PGP Desktop, for peer review. For more information, see PGP® Source Code.

Technical

What operating systems are supported?

PGP Desktop Home supports the following operating systems:

• Microsoft Windows Vista (all 32-bit and 64-bit versions)
• Windows Server 2003 (SP1)
• Windows XP (SP1 or SP2)
• Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 (keyboard required)
• Windows 2000 (SP4)
• Mac OS X 10.4.x and 10.5.x (Universal Binary-Intel and PPC)

What email clients are supported?

PGP Desktop Home has been tested to interoperate with the following email clients:

• Microsoft Outlook 2007 (Outlook 12)
• Outlook 2003 SP2
• Outlook XP SP3
• Outlook 2000 SP3
• Windows Mail 6.0.6000.16386
• Outlook Express 6
• Microsoft Entourage
• Mozilla 1.7
• Thunderbird 1.0
• Lotus Notes 5.0.11, 6.x, and 7.0.1
• Novell GroupWise 6.5.1 or later
• Apple Mail 3.0, Mail 2.1.1

What encryption algorithms are supported?

PGP Desktop Home supports the following public key and symmetric key encryption algorithms:

• Symmetric Key Algorithms
  • AES (up to 256-bit keys)
  • CAST
  • TripleDES
  • IDEA
  • Twofish
• Hashes
  • SHA-2 (up to 512-bit hashes)
  • SHA-1
  • MD5
  • RIPEMD-160
• Public Key Algorithms
  • Diffie-Hellman
  • DSA (1024-bit keys only)
  • RSA (up to 4096-bit keys)

Does PGP Desktop Home support Windows Terminal Services?

No. PGP Corporation does not support the use of PGP Desktop Home 9.8 with Windows Terminal Services.

Does PGP Desktop Home support two-factor authentication?

No. PGP Desktop Home does not support two-factor authentication. Users requiring token-based, two-factor authentication should purchase PGP Desktop Professional.

Does PGP Desktop Home work with anti-virus software?

Yes. PGP Desktop Home is designed to interoperate with leading desktop anti-virus filters.

Does PGP Desktop Home for Macintosh support new Intel Mac OS X systems?

Yes. PGP Desktop Home is a Universal Binary and supports both Intel and PPC Mac OS X 10.4 systems.

How do I find out if someone to whom I'd like to send an encrypted email has a key to which I can encrypt it?

PGP Desktop Home automatically searches for recipient keys based the recipient's email address. First, it examines any local keyrings in which the recipient's key might have been previously placed. If no key is found on the sender's keyring, PGP Desktop Home will then automatically search any PGP Universal Server with which it is associated and/or the PGP® Global Directory, if it is configured to do so. If PGP Desktop Home finds a key, it uses it to encrypt and/or sign the message prior to sending it.

How do I know if I can use PGP Desktop Home AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) encryption with someone on my buddy list?

PGP Desktop Home automatically detects if an AIM session can be encrypted. If an intended AIM recipient is using PGP Desktop, his/her name will appear in the AIM buddy list appended with the words "PGP Enabled." Some AIM applications append the first message in each secured AIM session with the words "Conversation encrypted by PGP Desktop." Other AIM applications show a small lock icon superimposed on the AIM recipient's user icon.