gnupg2 in Trusty is incompatible with ECC keys

Bug #1462648 reported by Nosphky
12
This bug affects 2 people
Affects Status Importance Assigned to Milestone
gnupg2 (Ubuntu)
Fix Released
High
Unassigned
Trusty
Confirmed
Undecided
Unassigned

Bug Description

Using Ubuntu 14.04.2 LTS with gnupg2 2.0.22-3ubuntu1.3 (trusty updates)

As a result of an answer to a question placed on answers.launchpad.net, I am placing this bug report here.

I expect to be able to check signatures on all signed emails and to decrypt all encrypted mails and other documents sent to me.

An increasing number of emails cannot be verified for signature and encrypted emails and other documents cannot be decrypted using Ubuntu 1404 LTS. The reason is linked with the release by gnupg.org in 2014 of the 'Modern' series of gnupg2 2.1.xx.

Amongst many other improvements, this modern series has introduced elliptic curve (ECC) public key encryption defined in RFC-6637. An increasing number of people are now using these keys and they are incompatible with gnupg2 2.0.xx (and also with gnupg1.4.xx). So a gulf exists now between users of the new 'modern' gnupg2 2.1.xx and users of older versions and this gulf is widening each week.

Gnupg2 2.1.xx cannot co-exist on a computer with the older 2.0.xx series so those who are sending out documents signed or encrypted with ECC cannot revert easily to the 2.0.xx series if their recipient cannot handle ECC. Other client applications like enigmail have announced the forthcoming abandon of support for 1.4

The new modern series of gnupg2 is now at release 2.1.4 and is in successful operation in the experimental branch of Debian.

It appears increasingly important that Ubuntu users should have support for gnupg2 'Modern' 2.1.xx and perhaps further development of gnupg2 packages should concentrate on this modern series.

Revision history for this message
Launchpad Janitor (janitor) wrote :

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

Changed in gnupg2 (Ubuntu):
status: New → Confirmed
Revision history for this message
themusicgod1 (themusicgod1) wrote :

Also applicable to Ubuntu 15.10 (wily werewolf)

tags: added: wily
Changed in gnupg2 (Ubuntu):
importance: Undecided → High
Revision history for this message
Lisheng (fylisheng) wrote :

Any news in 16.04 LTS ?

tags: added: upgrade-software-version xenial
Revision history for this message
themusicgod1 (themusicgod1) wrote :

Xenial now has 2.1.11-6ubuntu2 ...so this issue is basically resolved in Xenial and newer, and is now just a Precise/Trusty issue now, correct??

Revision history for this message
Dimitri John Ledkov (xnox) wrote :

Indeed this affects trusty only. It may be of interest to backport gnupg 2.1 to trusty, however I do not think it will achieve the desired goal, as most software in trusty is not compatible with agent-only/keybox based gnupg 2.1.

Changed in gnupg2 (Ubuntu):
status: Confirmed → Fix Released
Changed in gnupg2 (Ubuntu Trusty):
status: New → Confirmed
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