X-Git-Url: http://git.chise.org/gitweb/?a=blobdiff_plain;f=README;h=9fdf6d79baa5ea1ab9c28e271c4829f29bc2bc0e;hb=93ea9862c87f44d904ed46c383f6f395afcb082d;hp=b414c85e42a46c6c28b9b32148a80c87d096e32b;hpb=053e827352f5d8f7c356c695353e478cc112e088;p=elisp%2Fepg.git diff --git a/README b/README index b414c85..9fdf6d7 100644 --- a/README +++ b/README @@ -24,7 +24,8 @@ Add the following line to your ~/.emacs (require 'epa-setup) -Then you can do some cryptographic operations on dired. +Then you can browse your keyring by `M-x epa-list-keys'. In addition, +you can do some cryptographic operations on dired. M-x dired (mark some files) @@ -33,21 +34,24 @@ Then you can do some cryptographic operations on dired. * Security consideration -** `call-process-region' writes data in region to a temporary file +There are security pitfalls around Emacs. + +** Passphrase may leak to a temporary file. `call-process-region' writes data in region to a temporary file. -EasyPG does *not* use `call-process-region' to communicate with a gpg +The EasyPG Library does not use `call-process-region' to communicate with a gpg subprocess. -** `(fillarray string 0)' is not enough to clear passphrases +** Passphrase may be stolen from a core file. -If Emacs crashes and dumps core, passphrase strings in memory are also +If Emacs crashes and dumps core, Lisp strings in memory are also dumped within the core file. `read-passwd' function clears passphrase strings by `(fillarray string 0)'. However, Emacs performs compaction in gc_sweep phase. If GC happens before `fillarray', passphrase -strings may be moved elsewhere in memory. +strings may be moved elsewhere in memory. Therefore, passphrase +caching in elisp is generally a bad idea. -Fortunately, there is gpg-agent to cache passphrases in more secure -way, so the EasyPG Library dares *not* to cache passphrase by itself. -Elisp programs can set `epg-context-passphrase-callback' to cache -user's passphrases. +The EasyPG Library dares to disable passphrase caching. Fortunately, +there is more secure way to cache passphrases - use gpg-agent. Elisp +programs can set `epg-context-passphrase-callback' to cache user's +passphrases, it is not recommended though.