Disabling AEAD in GnuPG 2.4: A Solution for Creating PGP Keys
In recent versions of GnuPG, version 2.4 and higher, the default settings for generating new PGP keys have changed. These changes have caused issues for some users, particularly when attempting to generate new ECC/ED25519 keys. This article will provide a detailed overview of the problem and a solution for disabling AEAD in GnuPG 2.4 when creating PGP keys.
Background: AEAD and GnuPG
Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is a widely used symmetric encryption algorithm. Authenticated Encryption with Associated Data (AEAD) is a mode of operation for AES that provides both confidentiality and authenticity. GnuPG 2.4 and higher versions use AEAD as the default mode for symmetric encryption.
However, some users have reported issues when attempting to generate new ECC/ED25519 keys with the default AEAD settings in GnuPG 2.4. These issues can be resolved by disabling AEAD when creating PGP keys.
Disabling AEAD in GnuPG 2.4
To disable AEAD in GnuPG 2.4 when creating PGP keys, you can use the following command:
gpg2 --full-generate-key --cipher-algo aes256This command will generate a new PGP key with the AES-256 cipher algorithm, which does not use AEAD. This will resolve the issues encountered when attempting to generate new ECC/ED25519 keys with the default AEAD settings in GnuPG 2.4.
The changes to the default settings for generating new PGP keys in GnuPG 2.4 have caused issues for some users. However, by disabling AEAD when creating PGP keys, these issues can be resolved. The command gpg2 --full-generate-key --cipher-algo aes256 can be used to generate a new PGP key with the AES-256 cipher algorithm, which does not use AEAD.
References
This article was written to provide a solution for users experiencing issues with the new default settings for generating PGP keys in GnuPG 2.4. It was created using the following resources:
- GnuPG Ciphers: https://gnupg.org/documentation/manuals/gnupg/Ciphers.html
- GnuPG Manual: https://gnupg.org/documentation/manuals/gnupg/gnupg.html
- GnuPG 2.2.20 fails to import keys created with GnuPG 2.2.19: https://security.stackexchange.com/questions/225542/gnupg-2-2-20-fails-to-import-keys-created-with-gnupg-2-2-19
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