PMAPP(1)PMAPP(1)NAMEpmapp - insert a verifiable signature into a news article.
SYNOPSISpmapp [newsgroups|user] [file]
DESCRIPTION
Pmapp accepts an article from the named file (or standard input if not
specified), computes a digital signature from the important part of the
contents, and inserts a special header into the article which enables
subsequent checking of the signature. The amended article is produced
on standard output, suitable for injection into the news system.
The signature is created using the defaults for the user name (and
optionally password) built into the script when a newsgroup is speci‐
fied. This is the most common case for a newsgroup moderator who will
use a customised version of the script. These defaults can be overrid‐
den with environment variables PMUSER and PMPASSWORD.
In any case, whenever the password is the empty string, a prompt is
written to the controlling terminal and a password is read from it.
When a user is specified (by way of an email address containing an "@")
this is used to select the signing user, and a password will be
requested.
When the signature is being generated for a newsgroup, it is assumed
that the newsgroup is moderated and the invoking user is (one of) the
moderator(s). The simple case is that there is only one newsgroup
specified; an Approved: line is added as well as the X-Auth: line, and
the article is ready for posting.
Pmapp goes to some trouble to handle the case of multiple moderated
newsgroups in the Newsgroups: line. The first, and probably most impor‐
tant, case, is when a moderator wants to cross-post a FAQ to their own
group, as well as news.answers (for example). In this case their
approval counts for both groups, so they can insert the Approved:
header and post away. Presumably the other groups are not under the
contol of the PGP Moose Daemon. The moderator can just go ahead and
put in the Approved: header, and save themself and pmapp a lot of time.
It will be passed right through.
The other case is harder to get right. This is when the article really
is meant to be posted to two (or more) unrelated moderated newsgroups.
The approval script checks whether there are any moderated newsgroups
left that don't have X-Auth: headers for them. If there are none left,
an Approved: header is inserted and the article gets posted. Other‐
wise, it issues a warning, and re-orders the newsgroups header with a
newsgroup which is moderated but has no X-Auth: line at the start.
When the article is posted, the news system will forward it to the mod‐
erator of the (new) first moderated group. If all moderators are sensi‐
ble, and check for moderated newsgroups in this fashion, the mess
should sort itself out and the last moderator will go ahead and post
it. A warning message to the subsequent moderator NOT to change the
article is also inserted.
SEE ALSOpmcheck(1), pmcanon(1) for a description of the fields which go into
the signature calculation, the PGP User's Manual.
AUTHOR
Greg Rose, RoSecure Software.
PGP Moose PMAPP(1)
