How to Solve The Following Signatures Couldn't be Verified Because the Public Key is Not Available: NO_PUBKEY EB3E94ADBE1229CF

Have you ever encountered the error message "The following signatures couldn't be verified because the public key is not available: NO_PUBKEY EB3E94ADBE1229CF" while using your computer? This error typically occurs when you are trying to update or install software packages on your Linux system. Don't worry, we're here to help you solve this problem!

This error message is related to the package manager system used in Linux distributions, such as Ubuntu, Debian, or Linux Mint. Package managers are responsible for managing software packages on your system, including installing, updating, and removing them.

Understanding the Error

When you run a command to update or install software packages, the package manager checks the digital signatures of these packages to ensure their authenticity and integrity. The digital signatures are verified using public keys, which are stored in a keyring on your system.

In this case, the error message "The following signatures couldn't be verified because the public key is not available: NO_PUBKEY EB3E94ADBE1229CF" indicates that the public key associated with the software package you are trying to install or update is missing from your keyring.

Solving the Problem

To solve this problem, you need to add the missing public key to your keyring. Follow the step-by-step instructions below:

Step 1: Identify the Key

The error message contains the key identifier, which is "EB3E94ADBE1229CF" in this case. This identifier is unique to the public key you need to add.

Step 2: Retrieve the Key

Open a terminal window on your Linux system. In the terminal, run the following command, replacing "EB3E94ADBE1229CF" with the key identifier you obtained in Step 1:

This command retrieves the missing public key from a key server and adds it to your keyring.

Step 3: Update the Keyring

After retrieving the key, you need to update your keyring to apply the changes. Run the following command in the terminal:

This command exports the retrieved key and adds it to your keyring using the apt-key utility.

Step 4: Retry the Command

Now that you have added the missing public key to your keyring, you can retry the command that caused the error. This time, it should work without any issues.

The error message "The following signatures couldn't be verified because the public key is not available: NO_PUBKEY EB3E94ADBE1229CF" can be resolved by adding the missing public key to your keyring. By following the steps outlined above, you should be able to successfully update or install the software package in question.

If you encounter similar errors with different key identifiers, you can apply the same process to add those keys to your keyring as well.