How to Encrypt Email

Introduction

Encrypt email is the procedure of hiding the information of your emails to safeguard them from being read by unknown persons.

Password credentials, account numbers and personal photos are most important information so if you send email these are vulnerable. When encrypting emails, it’s vital to encrypt all of them, not just the ones with important information. If you do only some mails encrypted, and could make your inbox even less secure.

So you need to start encrypting your email? But, it is not the most convenient process for setting up email encryption yourself.

What is Encryption Email

Basically what is email? It is information stored on a computer that is exchanged between two users over telecommunications. More plainly, e–mail is a message that may contain text, files, images, or other attachments sent through a network to a specified individual or group of individuals.

How to encrypt email? means that, is encryption of email messages to protect the content from being read by entities other than the planned recipients. Email encryption may also include authentication. Email is prone to the disclosure of information. Most emails are currently transmitted in the clear form.

How works Encryption

Encryption uses an algorithm to scramble, or encrypt, data and then uses a key for the receiving party to unscramble, or decrypt, the information. The message contained in an encrypted message is referred to as plaintext. In its encrypted, unreadable form it is referred to as ciphertext.

Encryption methodology is using the key-structure concept for encryption email. The public key infrastructure (PKI) is used to encrypt and decrypt emails. Each individual is assigned a public and private key in the form of digital code.

In the below two keys are important for encrypt email

1-Public key – Encrypt

2- Private key – Decrypt

Encryption is nothing, is no more than scrambling up the subject of a message so that only those with a key can decrypt it Computers make the scrambling far more difficult and terrible for a human to crack by hand. When you encrypt an email, its subjects are scrambled, and only the receiver has the key to unscramble it.

The public key is kept on a key server along with the individual’s name and email address, and can be accessed by anybody. The public key is used to encrypt the mails and the private key is used to decrypt emails. Private keys are stored in that individual’s computer or another safe places but only that individual’s has access to it and it can also be used to digitally “sign” a message so the recipient knows it came from you

Why Email Encryption Essential

Email encryption is essential because it protects your email from a data violation. if you had encrypt email it gives protection from hacker or unknown persons and they can’t do anything like read mail or edit mail.

Since 2013, over 14 billion data records have been lost or stolen and the average cost of a data violation in 2018 is $3.96 million. Email encryption is a defensive measure you can take to rid being part of these statistics.

Types of Email Encryption

There are two important protocol for email encryption.

1. S/MIME (Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions)
2. PGP/MIME (Security with Pretty Good Privacy)

Working Methodology of S/MIME

It is built into most OSX and iOS devices and trusts on a centralized authority to pick the encryption algorithm and used most often because it is built into huge web-based email companies such as Apple and Outlook.

Working Methodology of PGP/MIME

It is trusts on a decentralized trust model and was established to address security issues facing plain text messages and also have there is extra flexibility and control over how well you need your emails to be encrypted, but it needs a third-party encryption application.Do you want to know more about PGP/MIME?

Key Aspets of S/MIME and PGP/MIME

S/MIME	PGP/MIME
Centralized Authority	Dentralized Authority
Key Code mode for you	Have more flexibility to create your own key code
Built into web based email firm like as Gmail, Outlook	Need a third-party encryption application to implement
Gmail, Outlook an iOS devices are comes under this Catagory	Yahoo,AOL and Android devices are comes under this Category.

How to Encrypt Email in Gmail

S/MIMI is the one of built-in app for Gmail application, but it only works if both the sender and receiver have it allowed and it is a web-based email client application.

How to Enable Hosted S/MIME

Step 1:  Compose your message as usual

Step 2: Click on the lock icon to the right of the recipient.

Step 3: Click on “view details” to change the S/MIME settings or level of encryption.

Step 4: When altering the encryption levels note these color codes:

• Green — Information is protected by S/MIME encryption and can only be decrypted with a private key.
• Gray — The email is protected with TLS (Transport Layer Security). This only works if both the sender and recipient have TLS capabilities.
• Red — The email has no encryption security.

How to Encrypt Email in Outlook

How to encrypt email in outlook? Keep in mind before sending secret messages from outlook, need some important aspects. First is that you must have a digital certificate.

If you have already digital certificate that is good, otherwise you can create the certificate in following method.

Steps for Create Digital Certificate

• In outlook, go to File –> Options –> Trust Center –> Trust Center Settings –> Email Security, Get a Digital ID.
• Select which Certification Authority you want to receive a digital ID from
• You will receive your Digital ID in an email.

Once got the Certificate (or) ID, then following the steps to get it into outlook.

• Tools –> Options and click the Security tab and Input a name of your choice into the Security Settings Name field
• Make sure S/MIME is particular on the Secure Message Format box and The Default Security Setting should be checked
• Under Certificates and Algorithms, go to the Signing Certificate section and click Choose
• In the Select Certificate box, choose your Secure Email Certificate if it hasn’t been selected by default
• Check “Send these Certificates with Signed Messages” and Click OK to save your settings and return to Outlook

So now you have got a digital signature to place on your emails, but they won not look by default. To attach your digital signature.

• Click New Message –>go to Tools > Customize and click the Commands tab –>In the Categories list, choose Standard –>In the Commands list, click Digitally Sign Message.
• You can tick and drag the listing onto your toolbar, so from now on just click that to add your digital signature.
• While we are at it, click and drag Encrypt Message Contents and Attachments onto the toolbar as well.

Encryption Methodology

If you want to send any person an encrypted message on Outlook, that person needs to have sent you at least an email with their digital signature attached. This is how Outlook knows it can trust the sender.

Rather, if you want to receive an encrypted email from anyone else, you will necessity to send them a unencrypted email first with your digital signature on it. Click the new sign in button before you can digitally sign your email.

Now you have each other’s digital signatures and certificates saved into your respective key chains then you can begin exchanging encrypted emails.

How to Encrypt Emails on iOS

iOS devices also have S/MIME support built in as a default.

In iOS, you will maybe notice a red lock icon next to some recipients’ email addresses, means they are either not in your exchange environment or you have not mounted that person’s certificate, and you cannot send them encrypted messages.

The choice to attach signatures to your emails by default is found in the same advanced settings menu as the encryption choices. So once received that type of mails, you will follow the below steps.

1. Click the sender’s address and a red question mark icon will seem indicating the signature is untrusted. Tap to “View Certificate”
2. Tap to “install”. When done, the install button will change colors to red and say “Remove.” Click Done on the top right corner.
3. Now when you create a message to that person, the lock icon will be blue. Tap it to close the lock and encrypt your message.

How to Encrypt Email on OSX

If you want to send an encrypted emails from Mac OSX, it’s also same process like as iOS & Outlook. Your requirement first has the recipient’s digital signature stored on your device. When you create a message and type in the recipient’s email, a checkmark icon will seem to show the message will be signed.

Then, next to the signature icon, a lock icon also seems. The email can not be encrypted even you don’t have the certificate for all the recipients.

Keep in mind for one important point in encrypt email is “to sign the emails only after completed write them” if you have been modified anything,” the certificate will show up as untrusted.”

Email Providers That Need Third-Party Encryption Tools

Email providers and policies that do not have S/MIME compatibility default, will need a third-party tool that permits them to use S/MIME or PGP/MIME protocol.

How to Encrypt Email on Android

Android emails can be encrypted through S/MIME and PGP/MIME, but both require extra setup and a third-party app. The CipherMail app permits you to send and receive S/MIME encrypted mail using the default Gmail app and some 3rd-party apps like K-9.

The PGP/MIME also use for send and receive the encrypt email in android, it is needs both an email app and a keychain to store certificates. PGP requires a bit more setup, but you don’t need to receive anyone’s digital signature in advance to send them encrypted email.

How to Encrypt Email on Yahoo

It uses SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) as a layer of security to protect the account but needs third-party services to encrypt with S/MIME or PGP/MIME.

How to Encrypt Email on AOL

Encrypt email in AOL can be done manually, but requires a third-party tool to implement the PGP/MIME criteria. You first must download the PGP implementation and then get a program that permits you to use PGP encryption with your webmail provider.

Email Encryption Services

If you need email encryption, it can be done manually or by a secure email service and email service apps each have unique offerings such as encrypting emails, attachments and contact lists. They do this in the background so you don’t have to worry about doing it manually.

Some important encryption Service providers

How to encrypt email, the encryption email providing more secure for both send and receive the emails but people are not using frequently because all the data is not sensitive or important data. Who ever to handle with more sensitive data like as Scientist, Defense officers, Govt Officer and Journalist are best for use encrypt email.