Easy Paper Backups of Ascii PGP Keys
Shell scripts to convert between ascii armor PGP keys and QR codes for paper backup.
After exporting your private keys in ascii armor format, you can use the scripts in this project to convert them to PNG images that can be printed and archived.
This is ever so slightly easier than printing the ascii key directly and using OCR software to recreate the key files.
Dependencies
This project depends on a couple libraries that come with applicatons that are called by these scripts.
Export keys From GPG
There are several good guides on the web about managing GPG keys and creating backups. The quick version is to use one of these commands:
gpg --armor --export > pgp-public-keys.asc
gpg --armor --export-secret-keys > pgp-private-keys.asc
gpg --armor --gen-revoke [your key ID] > pgp-revocation.asc
NOTE Be sure to securely remove your private and revocation keys once they are correctly backed up. This can be done from the command line with either the 'srm' tool on Max OS X or with 'shred' on Linux.
Convert To QR Code Images
Use the asc2qr.sh script to convert a public or private key in ascii armor format into QR code PNG images.
[kevin@computer]$ asc2qr.sh ~/gpg_public_key.asc
generating QR1.png
generating QR2.png
[kevin@computer]$ ls -l
total 24
-rw-r--r-- 1 kevin group 6873 Mar 7 11:30 QR1.png
-rw-r--r-- 1 kevin group 1251 Mar 7 11:30 QR2.png
Print the resulting images and save them in a fireproof safe or safety deposit box.
Convert To Ascii Armor Key Files
Use the qr2asc.sh script to convert QR code images (created from an photo of the image) to a public or private key in ascii armor format.
[kevin@computer]$ qr2asc.sh *.png
decoding QR1.png
decoding QR2.png
[kevin@computer]$ ls -l
total 32
-rw-r--r-- 1 kevin group 3127 Mar 7 11:30 mykey.asc
[kevin@computer]$ diff ~/gpg_public_key.asc mykey.asc
[kevin@computer]$
Import Keys Into GPG
To import keys into GPG use one of these commands:
gpg --import pgp-public-keys.asc
gpg --import pgp-private-keys.asc
NOTE Be sure to securely remove your private and revocation keys once they are correctly backed up. This can be done from the command line with either the 'srm' tool on Max OS X or with 'shred' on Linux.