Asymmetric encryption and decryption series table of contents

Monday, July 20, 2026 at 12:33 PM | 3 min read

Last modified on Monday, July 20, 2026 at 1:46 PM

#asymmetric encryption, #command line, #digital signature, #gpg, #linux, #linux mint, #pgp, #security, #series

Two hands exchanging keys

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This is the table of contents for my Asymmetric encryption and decryption series. I'll add new parts to this series as they are published.

Asymmetric encryption and decryption series

  1. Making and verifying digital signatures using GPG in Linux: In this article, I go over:

    • what a digital signature is, why use them,
    • the digital signature process,
    • why they should be used with PGP (or PKI, but that is outside the scope of this article),
    • how to create a digital signature using a PGP key pair (a form of asymmetric encryption),
    • why asymmetric encryption is more secure than symmetric encryption,
    • how to edit a public PGP key, how to list the public PGP keys,
    • how to delete a PGP public key uid,
    • how to create a revocation certificate for a PGP key pair and why you should have one,
    • how to make a signature, and how to verify it.

    In my next post regarding digital signatures, I will discuss how to make a detached signature using a PGP key pair and how it differs from a complete digital signature using a PGP key pair. Stay tuned!

  2. Making and verifying a detached signature using a PGP key pair in Linux: In this section, I illustrate how to create a detached digital signature using --detach-sign and how to verify it. Then I compare creating a "complete" signature using the gpg -s command vs making a detached one using the gpg --detach-sign. And finally, as I mapped out above, it comes down to whether bundling the data with the signature matters more than keeping them separate. The answer always is, it depends on what kind of data I am using the digital signature for. Learn more in the next post in the series entitled "Making and verifying a cleartext digital signature using a PGP key pair in Linux."

  3. Making and verifying a cleartext digital signature using a PGP key pair in Linux: In this post, I walk through the process of creating a cleartext digital signature with the --clear-sign option, and verifying it. I also compare detached signatures to cleartext signatures. The difference between a detached and cleartext signature is that the signature itself is stored in a standalone .sig file, separate from the original text file. The original file is also not modified. This is good for situations where it is crucial that the original content remains untouched during the signing process. On the other hand, a cleartext signature contains both the original content and the signature. Whether I use a cleartext digital signature or detached signature depends on what my procedural requirements are.

  4. Using a specific PGP key pair for digital signing: Even though this is a very short piece, I still found it important to include in the series. So next time you hear someone talk about "Digital signing a file using a specific key", you will know exactly what they are talking about!

  5. Exchanging public keys using a PGP key pair: In this piece, I walk through the process of how two people can exchange their PGP public keys. This is so they can decrypt messages they send to each other via email on a local network. I will be covering that step in the post entitled Setting up and using the Mutt email client in Linux, the sixth article in the "Asymmetric encryption and decryption series".

  6. Setting up and using the Mutt email client in Linux: In this post, I cover the basics of sending, receiving, and saving email attachments using Mutt.

  7. Sending encrypted emails and decrypting received emails using GnuPG: In this piece, I walk through the process of one local user sending encrypted emails to another local user using Mutt. I use three approaches to check whether two files are exactly the same. First, I use the diff -s command, then I use a sha512sum checksum hash, and lastly, I use the cmp (compare) command. Each method has its specific uses, so which one I select depends on the type of data being scrutinized.