// Essential Resources

Tools & References for Your Cypherpunk Journey

Everything you need to support your learning: installation guides, command references, foundational reading, and advanced topics.

Install the Tools

// Weeks 1–5 · Core Encryption

GnuPG (GPG)

Public key cryptography standard. Used for encrypting files, signing messages, and verifying identities.

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install gnupg

# Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S gnupg

# macOS
brew install gnupg
// Weeks 1–5 · Core Encryption

age — Modern File Encryption

A simple, modern file encryption tool with small explicit keys. Designed as a secure replacement for GPG for file encryption.

# Using Go
go install filippo.io/age/cmd/...@latest

# From GitHub releases
# https://github.com/FiloSottile/age/releases
// Weeks 1–5 · Filesystem Encryption

gocryptfs

Encrypted overlay filesystem. Mount encrypted directories and work with files transparently. Safe for cloud sync.

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install gocryptfs

# Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S gocryptfs

# From source
# https://github.com/rfjakob/gocryptfs
// Weeks 6–7 · Anonymity

Tor — Anonymous Networking

Route traffic through the Tor network to hide your IP address and browsing patterns. Essential for strong anonymity.

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install tor

# Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S tor

# macOS
brew install tor
// Weeks 6–7 · VPN

WireGuard — Modern VPN

Fast, modern VPN protocol. Lean codebase, strong cryptography, and simpler setup than OpenVPN or IPsec.

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install wireguard

# Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S wireguard-tools
// Week 7 · Secure Shell

SSH — Secure Shell

Cryptographic network protocol for secure remote login, file transfer, and port forwarding. Usually pre-installed.

# Debian/Ubuntu (if not installed)
sudo apt install openssh-client openssh-server

# Generate ed25519 key
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your_email@example.com"

Command Cheat Sheets

// GPG

GPG Command Reference

# Generate new keypair
gpg --full-generate-key

# List keys
gpg --list-keys
gpg --list-secret-keys

# Export public key
gpg --armor --export your@email.com > pubkey.asc

# Import public key
gpg --import pubkey.asc

# Encrypt file
gpg --encrypt --recipient recipient@email.com file.txt

# Decrypt file
gpg --decrypt file.txt.gpg > file.txt

# Sign file
gpg --sign file.txt

# Verify signature
gpg --verify file.txt.sig
// age

age Command Reference

# Generate new keypair
age-keygen -o key.txt

# Encrypt with public key
age -r age1ql3z7hjy54pw3hyww5ayyfg7zqgvc7w3j2elw8zmrj2kg5sfn9aqmcac8p \
  file.txt > file.txt.age

# Decrypt with private key
age --decrypt -i key.txt file.txt.age > file.txt

# Encrypt with passphrase
age --passphrase file.txt > file.txt.age

# Encrypt to multiple recipients
age -r recipient1_pubkey -r recipient2_pubkey \
  file.txt > file.txt.age
// SSH

SSH Command Reference

# Connect to remote host
ssh user@hostname

# Copy files to remote (scp)
scp file.txt user@hostname:/remote/path/

# Copy files to remote (rsync)
rsync -avz file.txt user@hostname:/remote/path/

# Port forwarding (local)
ssh -L 8080:localhost:80 user@hostname

# Port forwarding (remote)
ssh -R 8080:localhost:80 user@hostname

# SOCKS proxy
ssh -D 1080 user@hostname

# Copy SSH key to remote
ssh-copy-id user@hostname

Essential Manifestos & Whitepapers

Essential reading hosted locally for permanence. These documents shaped the cypherpunk movement and modern cryptographic systems.

// 1993

A Cypherpunk's Manifesto

Eric Hughes. The founding document of the cypherpunk movement. Articulates the philosophy that privacy is a human right and code is the tool to defend it.

IPFS: QmU3BNNexKbAfMXpeJniTTYBRC9GCUNzyXkD73cK53u3vx
// 2008

Bitcoin Whitepaper

Satoshi Nakamoto. "A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System." The document that introduced blockchain and trustless decentralized consensus to the world.

IPFS: QmRA3NWM82ZGynMbYzAgYTSXCVM14Wx1RZ8fKP42G6gjgj
# Verify integrity
sha256sum bitcoin-whitepaper.pdf
# b1674191a88ec5cdd733e4240a81803105dc412d6c6708d53ab94fc248f4f553
// 2013

CryptoNote Whitepaper

Nicolas van Saberhagen. The foundational paper behind Monero's privacy primitives — ring signatures, stealth addresses, and confidential transactions.

IPFS: QmWGqFvNh9ia3LAnvdsztkMELLrQUm7ArgAbJavYx9EsKj

Books & Articles

Required Reading

Start here before anything else.

The Cypherpunk Manifesto (1993)

Why Privacy Matters

Recommended Books

  • Crypto 101 by Laurens Van Houtven — Free PDF
  • The Code Book by Simon Singh — History of cryptography
  • Permanent Record by Edward Snowden — Why privacy matters
  • Applied Cryptography by Bruce Schneier — Comprehensive reference
  • Security Engineering by Ross Anderson — Free online
  • Practical Cryptography by Ferguson & Schneier
  • Serious Cryptography by Jean-Philippe Aumasson
  • Real-World Cryptography by David Wong
  • Cryptography Engineering by Ferguson, Schneier, Kohno

Learn With Others

Forums & Learning

News & Blogs

Cypherpunk School Community

Join the conversation. Ask questions. Share what you learn.

  • Email: feedback email coming soon
  • GitHub: repository link coming soon
  • Matrix Chat: coming soon

Secure Your Physical Layer

// Hardware Key

YubiKey

Multi-protocol hardware security key. Supports FIDO2, U2F, OTP, PIV, and OpenPGP. Works with GPG, SSH, and age-plugin-yubikey.

// Hardware Key · Open Source

Nitrokey

Open source hardware security key with full GPG support. Auditable firmware, no proprietary lock-in. Made in Germany.

// Hardware Key · Open Source FIDO2

SoloKeys

Open source FIDO2 security keys. Fully auditable firmware and hardware design. Strong option for those who want to verify everything.

// General Recommendations

Hardware Recommendations

Physical security decisions that protect your cryptographic operations.

  • Secure USB drives — IronKey, Apricorn Aegis
  • Encrypted external drives — Self-encrypting drives (SEDs)
  • Dedicated offline machines — For key generation and signing

Go Deeper

// Bonus Module

Post-Quantum Cryptography

Classical public-key cryptography (RSA, ECC) is vulnerable to quantum computers. Learn the lattice-based algorithms being standardized by NIST.

// Bonus Module

Zero-Knowledge Proofs

Prove you know something without revealing it. zkSNARKs enable private smart contracts, anonymous credentials, and verifiable computation.

// Bonus Module

Self-Sovereign Identity

Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) and Verifiable Credentials let you prove facts about yourself without relying on a central authority.

// Bonus Module

Metadata-Resistant Messaging

End-to-end encryption protects content but not metadata. Mixnets like Nym hide who is talking to whom, when, and how often.

Go Beyond the Terminal

// Media

Cypherpunk Movies & Books

Essential films and books on surveillance, privacy, freedom, and resistance. Culture shapes how we think — these shaped the cypherpunk movement.

Browse the list →
// Identity & Verification

Decentralized Identity (DID)

Verify our cryptographic identity. We practice what we teach — our public keys are signed and verifiable without trusting any central authority.

Verify our identity →

Where to Start

// Weeks 1–3

Foundations Track

  • Start with Essential Tool Installation (GPG, age)
  • Read The Cypherpunk Manifesto
  • Use Quick Reference Cards for command lookups
  • Join Cypherpunk Communities for questions
// Weeks 4–8

Intermediate Track

  • Install Networking & Anonymity tools (Tor, SSH, WireGuard)
  • Read Recommended Books (beginner section)
  • Practice with CryptoHack challenges
  • Explore Hardware Security options
// Week 9+

Advanced Track

  • Dive into Advanced Topics based on interest
  • Contribute to Cypherpunk Communities
  • Experiment with advanced tools
  • Consider hardware keys for production use
“We must defend our own privacy if we expect to have any.”
— Eric Hughes, A Cypherpunk’s Manifesto (1993)
Start the Course →