E-Business Server:E-Business Server reports you do not have the private key required to decrypt a file

From SDS
Jump to navigation Jump to search



E-Business Server reports you do not have the private key required to decrypt a file

Technical Articles ID: SDSKB12


Environment E-Business Server 8.x and 7.x


Problem E-Business Server reports that you do not have the private key required to decrypt a file sent to you.


Cause A decrypt operation searches your private key ring for a matching key. If none is found, a message reports that you do not have the private key to decrypt the file.


Solution Likely / possible causes and solutions:

  1. Sender did not use your public key to encrypt. Have them resend after encrypting with your public key.
  2. You are pointing to the wrong keyring. Update your config to put to the right ring.
  3. You have migrated from one system to another and only moved the public keyring (pubring.pkr). Be sure to move the correct versions of both the public keyring (pubring.pkr) and the secure / private keyring (secring.skr).
  4. You are using the wrong config. Update the PGPPATH variable to point to the right config.
  5. Someone deleted the key. Restore from backup. If you have no backup, you will have to create a new key pair, distribute the public key, and have the sender re-encrypt and send the file. Note that E-Business Server does not automatically backup your keys, nor is there a “backdoor”. If you lose / delete a key and do not have a backup, the key is not recoverable and files sent encrypted with the public key cannot be decrypted.