Frontier Solutions PGP Public Key
If you wish to send either commercially sensitive or confidential e-mails to Frontier Solutions Limited please encrypt them using our PGP Public Key. Please ensure you are authorised to release this material to Frontier Solutions before sending it.
The key can be copied from the column to the right. If possible, please also sign your messages. We may contact you to verify the signed message before accepting it if we have not previously verified your keys validity.
What is a PGP Public Key?
PGP stands for Pretty Good Privacy. It's a piece of encryption software that can be used to make sure that no-one reads your mail or files you send except the intended recipient. It can also be used to add digital signatures (signing) to things so people can trust they actually came from you. You can get a copy for yourself or learn more by visiting the PGP Home Page. A free for non commercial use version is also available from the PGP Desktop Trial page. The trial version reverts to a free for use version after 30days. An open source freeware application called GnuPG can also be used.
Most encryption systems require a method and a key. The method describes how to take the message and encrypt it. The key is some extra information you use along with the method. To decrypt the message, one needs to know both the method and the key.
The methods used by PGP are recognised as some of the most secure available, however, keys are a problem. Traditionally when someone wants to send a secure message, the receiver needs to let the sender know both the method they support and their key. But if the receiver gives the sender their key, then the sender can use it to encrypt or sign other messages pretending to be the receiver. Worse, if the sender accidentally leaves the key somewhere, some third party might obtain it and use it to pretend to be the receiver and/or decrypt the receivers secure communications.
PGP solves this problem by using specially matched pairs of keys (Public & Private Keys). The public key only encrypts, while the private key decrypts or can be used for signing. If we can use a brief analogy, imagine a safe which has two keyholes in it. One keyhole takes a key which can only turn one way, and which locks the safe. The other keyhole takes a key which can only turn the other way, and which unlocks the safe. If you want someone to leave you a package, you give them a copy of the locking key and leave the safe unlocked. They bring the package to the safe, insert it, and lock it. Only you have the unlocking key, so the package is safe. Since the locking key is useless for stealing things, you don't care who has a copy. You can give copies to the postman, the UPS guy, the neighbour down the street who might someday return your drill, you could even publish the key in the newspaper. This is the public key. The private key is never sent out and is always kept secure.
The text on the right of this page is Frontier Solutions PGP Public Key. If you have a copy of PGP, you can use this key to send a secure message that only designated staff at Frontier Solutions which have access to the private key can read.