So ive been using PGP on my emails for a while. Last key i generated was in 2017. Been using it for a while. That key was expiring this month so i had to generate new ones.
So i did generate a new pair using gpg and gpa. All set perfectly. I tested the new PGP by decrypting incoming emails [manually using gpa] and it worked fine. However, im unable to access my private key. By that, i mean im unable to see my private key. I did take a backup of my keys using gpa but when i open the keyfile that i saved as txt file/or acs file, i open it with random text editor but all im able to see is my public key.
But the same key file has these headers when i open it :
[************************************************************************
WARNING: This file is a backup of your secret key. Please keep it in
a safe place.
************************************************************************]
pub rsa4096 2019-xx-xx [SC] [expires: 2021-xx-xx]
fingerprint (xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx)
uid Info of the key owner [me]
sub rsa4096 2019xx-xx [E] [expires: 2021-xx-xx]
-----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----
(My Public key)
-----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----
And the file ends. Private key nowhere to be seen. Am i missing something here?
As far as i know i should also be able to see a key that looks like
-----BEGIN PGP PRIVATE KEY BLOCK-----
(my private key)
-----END PGP PRIVATE KEY BLOCK-----
Ive been doing this as root. Wonder what went wrong or is it supposed to be like that? if yes then how can i make sure i have a backup copy of my private key on my flashdrive.
Appreciate Your Attention.