[OTR-users] Idiots Guide Needed

Brian Morrison bdm at fenrir.org.uk
Thu Jul 9 05:41:11 EDT 2009


ZL1DX1M wrote:

> Is there an Idiots Guide somewhere that I can use to learn how to use OTR?
> I'm brand new to this and have just installed OTR in Miranda IM, but don't
> have a clue how to use it.

I don't know of a guide as such, but you could try reading the papers
listed on the OTR web pages at Cypherpunks. IIRC at least one of them
has a discussion of users' difficulties and as such it describes the
steps to use it.

Essentially all you do is generate a key for a given IM service (this is
done off line, or at least not during a conversation), then authenticate
someone you talk to by exchanging a shared secret, or switching to
advanced mode and exchanging key fingerprints via a different mechanism,
say over a mobile phone, landline phone or email. The latter should
preferably be encrypted. The shared secret approach is useful when you
already know someone, for people you don't know the other method is
sensible. Once you have done this you can mark that person's key as
authenticated and it will then be trusted.

You can use OTR without authenticating, but then you are not certain who
you are talking to.

-- 

Brian



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