CryptoPartyGuide
A CryptoParty is a public event in which people are introduced to the basic concepts of practical cryptography; typically involving topics such as Tor, public key cryptography, disk encryption, email encryption, and encrypted off-the-record instant messaging. Further background on the origin of cryptoparties may be found on Wikipedia.
This page is an active project for crowdsourcing and developing resources for running a successful CryptoParty. For collaborating upon resources for CryptoParties, please check the State Advisory Board mailing list, and also the Talk page of this article.
Requirements
Before having a cryptoparty, these requirements should be met:
- Public Location
- Capable of having 15 guests at minimum.
- If nearby parking is limited, then include on the event announcement or flyer, of the proper location for parking.
- Internet access: Required for allowing people to download cryptography software directly from their source
- If network bandwidth is limited, it's recommended to have a caching proxy, to speed up the process of large file downloads
- Public Announcement
- The CryptoParty should be announced no later than a week from the planned time.
- The event should be announced on social networks as an event, and shared
- Notify your State party, and/or the United States Pirate Party, to get additional awareness of your cryptoparty.
- Bring Your Own Device
- It should be noted in any public announcement, that participants should bring their computer along, to get the most out of the event
- If you intend people to bring their desktop computers as well, then have tables, and note of whether or not that monitors will be provided (in the announcement).
Recommended Software
- Email Encryption
- Enigmail, a PGP extension for Thunderbird.
- Encrypted Off-The-Record Messaging
- Pidgin OTR, an OTR extension for Pidgin, allowing encrypted discussion on all instant messaging protocols that Pidgin supports (Google Talk, Yahoo, Windows Live, Facebook Chat, etc)
- Cryptocat, a web-based application supporting one-on-one and group encrypted OTR discussions.
- Disk Encryption
- TrueCrypt, a cross-platform disk encryption tool.
- Ubuntu's built-in home folder encryption