[wplug-announce] GUM: *Wednesday* May 17 6:30PM to 9PM *Wean 5409* Special time and venue!

[Beth Lynn]

Hello,

Western PA Linux Users Group will be hosting a General Users' Meeting
(GUM) featuring "Encryption and You" with Patrick Wagstrom. It will be 
held on this Wednesday May 17, 2006 from 6:30pm to 9 pm  at Carnegie 
Mellon University, Wean Hall 5409. This meeting is free and open to the 
general public.

Directions to Wean 5409
**********************************************************************
Please consult our Wean 5409 map and directions page
http://www.wplug.org/meetings/one-location?location_id=12

The doors will be open so just come on in. If you find yourself lost
you may call on the date of the event 412 268 6704 or 8-6704 on campus.
*********************************************************************

Topic: Encryption and You
Speaker: Patrick Wagstrom
Host: Beth Lynn Eicher

Brief Description of the talk:
We will discuss how why encryption is important in protecting your 
identity. Two methods for getting involved in a web of trust will be 
introduced - OpenPGP and CACERT.

Schedule:
6:30PM-7PM Meet and greet, keysigning party, and light refreshments
7PM-7:30PM Discussion of membership issues
7:30-8:15 "Encryption and You" talk
8:15-8:30 CACERT assurance opportunity
9PM adjournment

Extended abstract: Cryptography and You

Most standard internet protocols and tools, such as email and web browsing 
transmit all data as clear text -- allowing an eavesdropper easy access to 
whatever information you might be transmitting. Luckily, applying 
encryption to your data helps to secure it and ensure that prying eyes 
can't figure out what's going on. In this talk, I'll go over some of the 
basics of cryptography - some history, the differences between symmetric 
and asymmetric cryptography, and the role of certificate authorities and 
the web of trust. Special attention will be given to methods to encrypt 
your email and using SSL for secure web page serving.

3 BONUS EVENTS:
               Keysigning Party at 6:30pm-7pm
1. Email your gpg/pgp key fingerprint to Patrick <pwagstro at andrew.cmu.edu>
before the meeting and we'll do a key signing party before the talk starts.
Make sure to bring several copies of your fingerprint on paper too along
with two forms of ID (preferably both government issued).
               CA-Cert Assurance Opportunity 8:15-8:30
2. If you're like to issue an SSL certificate for your server, sign up at 
http://www.cacert.org/ Then print up two copies of the WoT form (found 
under CAcert Web of Trust menu) and bring them with two forms of 
identification to the meeting. Beth Lynn and Patrick are both CAcert 
assurers and will get you into the web of trust.
                TBD
3. If that all seems greek to you, be sure to show up so you can learn 
what it all means.  WPLUG will schedule another keysigning party at 
another date yet to be determined.

See You There,

Beth Lynn Eicher
WPLUG Vice Chair

Upcoming Events...
Installfest: May 27 10am to 5pm Newell Simon Atrium

For questions about this event or about WPLUG, please contact
info at wplug.org