| History
of PGP
- June 5, 1991 : after several years of work, it is from his town of Boulder, Colorado (USA), that Philip R. Zimmermann (called on Internet " PRZ "), a computer engineer, published the final release of PGP 1.0. Whereas a US bill threatens to prohibit free cryptography, one of his friends of San Francisco, Kelly Goen, post in urgency PGP 1.0 on several BBS networks (the future Internet) in all USA. A few days after, RSA Data Security Inc summons Phil Zimmermann to stop the diffusion of PGP 1.0 (which uses the patented algorithm RSA without licence). - January 19, 1992 : version 1.4 - February 12, 1992 : version 1.5 - February 24, 1992 : version 1.6 - March 29, 1992 : version 1.7 - May 23, 1992 : version 1.8 - September 2, 1992 : PGP 2.0 is published outside the USA. It is the first true version of PGP such as it is known today. Developed around Phil Zimmermann by a team from Europe and New-Zealand and proposed simultaneously in English, French and Spanish, PGP 2.0 is widely diffused. - December 6, 1992 : version 2.1 - February 17, 1993 : two agents of the US Customs visit Phil Zimmermann, claiming to be interested only in the problem of licence with RSA Inc. - March 6, 1993 : version 2.2 - June 13, 1993 : version 2.3 - July 1, 1993 : PGP 2.3a is published. This version becomes the first world crypto standard. - August 1993 : Phil Zimmermann sells to the company ViaCrypt (a company of Lemcom Systems which holds a licence for the RSA) the exclusive rights for a commercial version of PGP. * - September 14, 1993 : based on a regulation considering the crypto software as an non-exportable "weapon", the office of the US Customs of San Jose, California (USA) delivers an assignment against the Viacypt companies to Phoenix, Arizona, and Austin Code Works, in Austin, Texas. The investigation aims "ViaCypt, PGP, Philip Zimmermann, and anyone gold any entity acting one behalf of Philip Zimmermann for the time period June 1, 1991 to the present" and relates to a violation of the regulation on the sales of weapons and the technological export of material. - November 6, 1993 : ViaCrypt publishes ViaCrypt PGP 2.4, a commercial version which respects the patents of RSA Inc. - May 5, 1994 : it's in the USA, under the responsibility of MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) of Boston and after an agreement with RSA Inc., that is published the new freeware version PGP 2.5, whose source uses RSAREF, a legal freeware module of RSA Inc (PGP 2.5 is locked to be partially incompatible with the preceeding versions). A commercial version ViaCrypt 2.7 for Mac is published. Many pirate versions making it possible to circumvent the incompatibility between the preceeding version 2.5 and versions start to circulate. - May 22, 1994 : version 2.6 - August 29, 1994 : version 2.61 - August 29, 1994 : version 2.61 - October 24, 1994 : MIT publishesPGP 2.62, freeware version (incompatible with the versions former to the 2.5) which will be ultimate official DOS version. - May 7, 1995 : Ståle Schumacher publishes in Norway PGP 2.62i, ("I" for "international"). Phil Zimmermann recognizes this version as sure as the US version. Contrary to the MIT 2.62, this 2.62i is compatible with the versions former to PGP 2.5. - May 17, 1995 : MIT publishes MacPGP 2.6.2, freeware version for APPLE Macintosh. * - January 11, 1996 : an official statement of seven lines of the US Customs announces that the procedure against Phil Zimmermann are stopped. No explanation is provided. The creator of PGP is not threatened any more, but like all the crypto softwares, its program remains prohibited of export of the USA. - January 18, 1996 : Ståle Schumacher publishes in Norway PGP 2.63i. For the first time, an unofficial, international and cloned version, developed starting from the public code-source of the 2.62, appears more powerful than the original official version. PGP 2.63i is compatible with the versions former to the 2.5 and can generate public keys slightly longer. PGP 2.63i becomes the new world standard. - March 4, 1996 : PGP 2.63ia - March 12, 1996 : ViaCrypt publishes ViaCrypt-PGP 4.0 for Windows 3.1 (the number of version 3.0 is reserved for a future freeware version). This ViaCrypt-PGP version allow to crypt easyly the clipboard via its floating bar "Enclyptor". - March 21, 1996 : the MIT publishes PGPfone 1.0 beta (Windows 95), a rudimentary tool allowing to telephone by Internet under the protection of a 4096 bits public key. - April 1996 : Phil Zimmermann created the company "PGP Inc." to sell the commercial versions of PGP. - July 1, 1996 : PGP Inc repurchases Lemcom Systems ViaCrypt company which had the commercial licences on PGP. PGP Inc sells consequently DOS, Mac, Windows and Unix versions. - November 1996 : PGP Inc publishes "PGP for Windows, Business Edition", for Windows 3.1, 95 and NT. - February 4, 1997 : PGP Inc publishes "PGPmail 4.5" (Windows 95 and Mac), an updated version of PGP-ViaCrypt 4. A plug-in allowing a transparent connection with the common e-mail softwares (like Netscape/Mail 3.0) is included. - April 2, 1997 : Lutz Donnerhacke publishes a version PGP 2.63in, based on the code-source of the 2.3a. - April 28, 1997 : PGP Inc publishes "PGPmail 4.01 Businesses Edition" (DOS), which remains the most advanced version for MS-DOS. - June 16, 1997 : PGP Inc publishes PGP 5.0 (Windows 95, NT and Mac). This version 5.0 proposes a revolutionary graphic user interface, a transparent connection with the e-mail softwares, and overall a new type of public keys (a length twice higher than those of the preceding versions) and the choice between 3 sorts of algorithms for the session key. - June 16, 1997 : the MIT publishes a freeware version of PGP 5.0 (there never was PGP 3.0) for Windows 95, NT and Mac. This version is compatible with the version 2.6x. PGP 5.0 becomes the new world standard after being exported illegally of the USA by unknown ones. - Middle-1997 : One finds on Internet a multitude of different
versions of PGP 2.x freeware (official, unauthorized or pirate versions)
:
* - August 10, 1997 : Ståle Schumacher publishes in Norway an international version freeware 5.0i for Unix, based for the first time on a legal export of the USA of the code-source (under the form of a printed book which is scanned, then OCRed). - October 2, 1997 : PGP Inc publishes under the name of "PGP 5.5 for Business Security" a software intended for the companies and having an option "Corporate Message Key Recovery". This option allows coding by a second key (the key of the company) which will be held neither by the sender nor by the recipient of the message; but an individual user (not a company) can refuse the option. - October 2, 1997 : MIT publishes a version freeware for Linux of PGP 5.0. - November 26, 1997 : PGP Inc publishes PGP 5.5.3 freeware (Windows 95, NT and Mac). This version is no more compatible with keys RSA of the versions 2.6x, but it is more advanced than the preceding freeware. This version is illegally exported the USA by unknown ones. * - December 1, 1997 : PGP Inc is repurchased by McAfee Associates which becomes "Network Associates Inc." - December 1, 1997 : Ståle Schumacher and Teun Nijssen publish in Norway an international version freeware PGP 5.0i for Windows 95 and NT. Based on the code-source legally exported, the 5.0i is the certified copy of the US 5.0. The commercial version 5.0ic corresponding is sold in Europe. A version freeware MS-DOS 5.0i developed starting from the code-source of the version Unix 5.0i, is published by Georg Bauer in Germany. - January 8, 1998 : Ståle Schumacher and Teun Nijssen publish in Norway the code-sources of the international version freeware PGP 5.5.3i for Windows 95, NT and of the development tool PGPsdk (after legal export from the USA). - February 7, 1998 : Ståle Schumacher and Teun Nijssen publish in Norway the code-sources of the international version freeware PGP 5.5.3i for Mac. - March 11, 1998 : Network Associates Inc (NAI) publishes "PGP Total Network Security Suite", which includes PGPdisk 1.0 for Windows 95 and PGPdisk 1.01 for Mac. But NAI is blamed for its participation in the KRA (Key Recovery Alliance), a consortium militant for the recovering of keys (Phil Zimmermann will confirm its confidence in NAI). - March 18, 1998 : PGP 5.5.5 freeware is illegally exported the USA by unknown ones. - March 20, 1998 : NAI announces the sale of a version of PGP outside the USA by the intermediary of a Swiss company and a Dutch subsidiary company, in all legality after export of the code-source of PGP under the form of printed documents. - March 28, 1998 : Ståle Schumacher and Teun Nijssen publish in Norway PGP 5.5.3i for Mac. This version allows the use of keys RSA and is compatible with the versions 2.6x - April 7, 1998 : Ståle Schumacher and Teun Nijssen publish in Norway PGP 5.5.3i for Windows 95 and NT (compatible 2.6x) - April 14, 1998 : Appition of a version PGP 5.5.3i modified and allowing public keys RSA of 8192 bits. - May 1998 : Network Associates International BV (NAI-BV) starts to sell on line PGP from the Netherlands. But the site web refuses the downloads by the internautes identifying themself like french or russian, pretexting the anti-cryptography laws of these two countries. - June 22, 1998 : Imad R. Faiad publishes a version 5.5.3 modified C-KT allowing DH keys of 8192 bits, RSA of 16384 bits and signatures DSS of 2048 bits. Phil Zimmermann condemns this inflation length of the keys. * - September 1, 1998 : NAI publishes in the USA PGP 6.0 freeware for Windows 95/98/NT and Mac. It is the first new version of PGP since the repurchase of the Phil Zimmermann company by Network Associates Inc (NAI). The version freeware brings new functions to the public keys (share of key, photographic ID, etc), and the commercial version includes moreover the PGPdisk tool (for Windows 95 and 98). The versions freeware and commercial are illegally exported the USA by unknown ones. - November 12, 1998 : NAI publishes PGP 6.02 Personal Privacy, and PGP 6.02 Desktop Security, versions which correct a bug safety detected in the module PGPdisk (tool which becomes also usable with Windows NT). - January 1999 : an Italian version PGP 5.5.3it and Japanese PGP 5.53j for Windows 95, 98 and NT are published in Italy and in Japan on the basis of code-source international 5.5.3i. - February 4, 1999 : Ståle Schumacher Ytteborg publishes in Norway the code-sources of the international version freeware PGP 6.0.2i for Windows 95, 98, NT and for Mac (after legal export of the USA) which includes PGPdisk. - February 21, 1999 : Ståle Schumacher Ytteborg publishes PGPfreeware 6.0.2i for Windows 95/98/NT. - Mars 1999 : a French version PGP 5.5.3fr is published in UK on the basis of code-source international 5.5.3i. - May 12, 1999 : NAI publishes in the USA a version "command-line" PGP 6.5 for Linux, Solaris, and Windows NT. This version is illegally exported the USA by unknown ones. - May 31, 1999 : Ståle Schumacher Ytteborg publishes PGPfreeware 6.0.2i for Mac. - July 6, 1999 : the MIT, in collaboration with NAI and RSA Inc, publishes in USA PGP 6.5.1 freeware for Windows 95/98/NT, Mac, Linux, and Solaris. The Windows/Mac version is first "GUI" version really compatible with PGP 2.6x (compatible command lines, and generation/use of keys RSA). It is illegally exported the USA by unknown ones. * - September 7, 1999 : after nine months of beta-test, a team
directed by Werner Koch publishes in Germany GnuPG
1.0 (GNU Privacy Guard) for Linux, a version under free licence
GNU GPL of PGP 5.x and 6.x in conformity with the OpenPGP standard.
(See scrcreenshots of all versions)
Mise à jour : septembre 1999 © 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, pplf 14A0 4A67 0431 2402 684D 6EBA 537F 664D 3F80 0D58 pgpenfrancais@bigfoot.com |
