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by tlikonen 3287 days ago
With files SHA512SUMS and SHA512SUMS.sign in the current directory the verifying can be as simple as

    gpg --auto-key-retrieve SHA512SUMS.sign
The key is retrieved from user's default keyring or keyservers. The usual keyserver pool (pool.sks-keyservers.net) has the Debian CD signing key. How we can trust that the key is the right one is another matter. It is signed by many Debian developers.
1 comments

Right, if you're already in the WOT then there are better ways, but then you're probably familiar enough with GPG that you don't need any help. :-)

Most distributions have signed checksum files, but also post those checksums in a HTTPS location. I, and I suspect most people, just check against that and call it good. AFAIK Debian don't have that, and between using GPG or thinking "F* it, I'll take my chances", I suspect many would choose the latter. I was trying to give people who's security conscious but not paranoid^W^Wlazy an option.