Decrypt with GPG, says I need a passphrase when I am inputting passphrase

9,684

You need to set the trust level of the key that you imported:

gpg --edit-key <KEY_ID>
gpg> trust

You will be asked to select the trust level from the following:

1 = I don't know or won't say
2 = I do NOT trust
3 = I trust marginally
4 = I trust fully
5 = I trust ultimately
m = back to the main menu

Select 5 since you trust yourself ultimately. It will ask you to confirm your decision:

Your decision? 5
Do you really want to set this key to ultimate trust? (y/N) y

After confirming, you should be able to encrypt using that key.

Share:
9,684

Related videos on Youtube

Admin
Author by

Admin

Updated on September 18, 2022

Comments

  • Admin
    Admin over 1 year

    I have 2 boxes, box A and B. Box A and B both use the same public/private key pair to encrypt and decrypt data. Everything works fine in box A, but in box B I can't decrypt the files i encrypt with the same key.

    I export the key from A and import it to B, and when doing a simple encryption/decryption I get the following:

    In A I am running pgp version:

    PGP Command Line 9.0.6 build 59
    

    and I encrypt/decrypt with the following:

    pgp --recipient <KEY UID> --encrypt foo  
    pgp --passphrase <PASSPHRASE> --decrypt foo.pgp
    

    And the file encrypts/decrypts without failure.

    Now in B running gpg version:

    gpg (GnuPG) 2.0.22
    

    and I encrypt/decrypt with the following:

    gpg --recipient <KEY UID> --encrypt foo  
    gpg --passphrase <PASSPHRASE> --decrypt foo.gpg 
    

    But when encrypting I get the following output:

    gpg: <SUBKEYID>: There is no assurance this key belongs to the named user
    
    pub  1024R/<SUBKEYID> 2017-12-15 <KEY UID>
     Primary key fingerprint: <PKEY FINGERPRINT>
          Subkey fingerprint: <SKEY FINGERPRINT>
    
    It is NOT certain that the key belongs to the person named
    in the user ID.  If you *really* know what you are doing,
    you may answer the next question with yes.
    
    Use this key anyway? (y/N) y
    

    And it encrypts successfully (imo) and then when decrypting with the exact same passphrase that works in A, I get the following error:

    You need a passphrase to unlock the secret key for
    user: "<KEY UID>"
    1024-bit RSA key, ID <SUBKEYID>, created 2017-12-15. (main key ID <PUBID>)
    
    gpg: cancelled by user
    gpg: encrypted with 1024-bit RSA key, ID <SUBKEYID>, created 2017-12-15
          "<KEY UID>"
    gpg: public key decryption failed: Operation cancelled
    gpg: decryption failed: No secret key
    

    Why could I be getting the error in B if it's the same key and passphrase that works in A? I've tried a lot of things online that haven't worked and I am new to this so really stuck. Thanks in advance.