Export secret key from WinXP (GnuPG) 1.4.7 to AIX PGP Version 6.5.8 gives Bad Pass Phrase

[David Shaw]

On Sep 16, 2008, at 10:08 AM, rlively wrote:

>
> Setup:
>
> Windows XP gpg (GnuPG) 1.4.7
> Windows Privacy Tray
> Version: 1.2.0 (Sep 17 2007)
> Copyright (C) 2006 Timo Schulz <twoaday at freakmail.de>
>
> AIX 5.3.0.0
> Pretty Good Privacy(tm) Version 6.5.8
> (c) 1999 Network Associates Inc.
> Uses the RSAREF(tm) Toolkit, which is copyright RSA Data Security,  
> Inc.
> Export of this software may be restricted by the U.S. government.
>
> -----
>
> At first we generated keys on the AIX server and then exported the  
> keys to
> Windows, but PGP made RSA/IDEA keys which GnuPG can't decrypt, so I  
> decided
> to generate the keys on GnuPG on Windows and then export to the AIX  
> server.
> I've tried it now multiple times with different keys, and each time  
> I try to
> edit the key or decrypt something I get errors on AIX.  I am  
> absolutely sure
> I am typing the pass phrase correctly, because I can do all of the  
> same
> things on Windows by typing the same pass phrase, and I even edited  
> the key
> to change the pass phrase multiple times to simple things (like  
> abc123) and
> then exported to AIX again and on AIX I still couldn't authenticate.

PGP 6 is really, really old.  It predates some of the OpenPGP  
standard, so I suspect a passphrase encoding problem between the two  
programs.  I suggest removing the passphrase completely (just hit  
enter when asked for the new passprase), then copying the key over to  
PGP, and changing the passphrase to what you want it to be.

> Key for user ID: <userid>
> 1024-bit DSS key, Key ID 0xxxxxxxxxF, created 2008/09/15
> Key can sign.
> You need a pass phrase to unlock your secret key.
>
> Enter pass phrase:
>
> received signal 11
>
> [no cleartext file is created]

That said, a signal 11 is a segfault.  If PGP is actually *crashing*,  
there isn't much you can do.

David