[Pkg-gnupg-maint] Bug#638619: Misleading "gpg: Ohhhh jeeee: no decrypt() for 17" message from gpg when trying to decrypt a file without the public key being imported

[Xavier Roche]

Package: gpgv
Version: 1.4.10-4
Severity: minor

Note: this is a minor problem, but which can greatly increase your blood pressure when reinstalling backuped files during a crash recovery :)

Attempting to decypher a gpg encrypted file with the private key imported (gpg --import < my_private_key) but without the public key actually imported leads to a misleading gpg error message suggesting that the encrypted file is somehow invalid because it was encrypted using an unsuitable (signing) algorithm:
gpg: Ohhhh jeeee: no decrypt() for 17

Importing the public key solves this minor issue.

Maybe a message such as:
gpg: Ohhhh jeeee: no decrypt() for 17: did you forget to import the public key ?

Would be better.


-- System Information:
Debian Release: 6.0.2
  APT prefers unstable
  APT policy: (500, 'unstable'), (500, 'stable')
Architecture: i386 (i686)

Kernel: Linux 2.6.34.4-grsec (SMP w/1 CPU core)
Locale: LANG=fr_FR.UTF-8 at euro, LC_CTYPE=fr_FR.UTF-8 at euro (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/bash

Versions of packages gpgv depends on:
ii  libbz2-1.0              1.0.5-6          high-quality block-sorting file co
ii  libc6                   2.11.2-2         Embedded GNU C Library: Shared lib
ii  libreadline6            6.1-3            GNU readline and history libraries
ii  zlib1g                  1:1.2.3.4.dfsg-3 compression library - runtime

gpgv recommends no packages.

Versions of packages gpgv suggests:
ii  gnupg                         1.4.10-4   GNU privacy guard - a free PGP rep

-- no debconf information