# Sharing private key

**URL:** <https://forum.getodk.org/t/sharing-private-key/3623>\
**Category:** Support\
**Created:** [September 12, 2014, 2:13pm UTC](https://forum.getodk.org/t/sharing-private-key/3623 "2014-09-12T14:13:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Shreya\_Agrawal](https://getodk.b-cdn.net/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/bc8723/32.png) [@Shreya\_Agrawal](https://forum.getodk.org/u/Shreya_Agrawal)\
**Post date:** [September 12, 2014, 2:13pm UTC](https://forum.getodk.org/t/sharing-private-key/3623/1 "2014-09-12T14:13:58Z")

</div>

Hello,

A few of us are working on analyzing the data as we do field work. We have  
encrypted the data and are all working from different locations. So we need  
to be able to share the Private key.

However, when we try to email the private key - the receiving computer is  
not able to use it in the ODK Briefcase. The export tab leads to FAILED!  
in the status when we use the private key. This is the error we get:

Starting Export...  
Processing instance: uuid055bd747-aac7-465d-8e25-c30786612d98  
Error decrypting submission uuid055bd747-aac7-465d-8e25-c30786612d98 Cause:  
org.opendatakit.briefcase.model.CryptoException: Error  
decrypting:submission.xml.enc Cause: java.security.InvalidKeyException:  
Illegal key size  
FAILED!

When we try to export the data from the computer where the public/private  
key was generated, there is no problem.

Is there a way around this? Do we need to share the Private Key via a  
thumbdrive or is there another way to send it via email?

Thanks!  
Shreya

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![yanokwa](https://getodk.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/forum.getodk.org/yanokwa/32/1695_2.png) [@yanokwa](https://forum.getodk.org/u/yanokwa)\
**Post date:** [September 12, 2014, 2:30pm UTC](https://forum.getodk.org/t/sharing-private-key/3623/2 "2014-09-12T14:30:20Z")

</div>

Shreya,

Sharing private key via unencrypted channels (e.g., email) isn't  
secure. I prefer sharing private keys over a physical medium (e.g.,  
USB key) and then I secure erase the key when I'm done.

Make sure both computers are using the same copy of Briefcase (e.g.,  
v1.4.4). Then make sure you've installed the Java Cryptography  
Extensions. See [http://opendatakit.org/help/encrypted-forms](http://opendatakit.org/help/encrypted-forms) (under  
Configuration) and  
[https://groups.google.com/d/msg/opendatakit/ZCMJAsGjpxw/RSMajNZjvioJ](https://groups.google.com/d/msg/opendatakit/ZCMJAsGjpxw/RSMajNZjvioJ)  
for more.

Yaw

> **···**
>
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> 
> On Fri, Sep 12, 2014 at 7:13 AM, Shreya Agrawal [s.agrawal927@gmail.com](mailto:s.agrawal927@gmail.com) wrote:
> 
> > Hello,
> > 
> > A few of us are working on analyzing the data as we do field work. We have  
> > encrypted the data and are all working from different locations. So we need  
> > to be able to share the Private key.
> > 
> > However, when we try to email the private key - the receiving computer is  
> > not able to use it in the ODK Briefcase. The export tab leads to FAILED! in  
> > the status when we use the private key. This is the error we get:
> > 
> > Starting Export...  
> > Processing instance: uuid055bd747-aac7-465d-8e25-c30786612d98  
> > Error decrypting submission uuid055bd747-aac7-465d-8e25-c30786612d98 Cause:  
> > org.opendatakit.briefcase.model.CryptoException: Error  
> > decrypting:submission.xml.enc Cause: java.security.InvalidKeyException:  
> > Illegal key size  
> > FAILED!
> > 
> > When we try to export the data from the computer where the public/private  
> > key was generated, there is no problem.
> > 
> > Is there a way around this? Do we need to share the Private Key via a  
> > thumbdrive or is there another way to send it via email?
> > 
> > Thanks!  
> > Shreya
> > 
> > ## --
> > 
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