Email Encryption: What It Is & How It Works

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When you send an email, you probably don’t think twice about the privacy and security of its contents. More than likely, you assume the platform handles all of that for you. However, over 75% of targeted cyberattacks start with an email. 

Email encryption is an essential tool that protects the confidentiality of your emails and prevents them from being intercepted or read by unauthorized individuals.

In today’s article, we’ll dive into the world of email encryption; what it is, how it works, and how you can use email encryption software to keep your emails safe from prying eyes.

What Is Email Encryption?

Email encryption is a security measure that scrambles the contents of an email to make it unreadable to anyone who doesn’t have the correct decryption key. This ensures that even if your email is intercepted by a hacker or unauthorized individual, they won’t be able to read its contents.

Broadly speaking, there are two types of email encryption:

• Symmetric encryption uses a single key to both encrypt and decrypt the email. This means the sender and recipient must have the same key to read the message.

• Asymmetric encryption, also known as public-key cryptography, uses a pair of keys; a public and private one. The public key is used to encrypt the email, while the private key decrypts it. This allows for secure communication between the two parties without having to share a secret key.

How Does Email Encryption Work?

When you send an encrypted message, your email client or service provider will use either symmetric or asymmetric encryption to scramble the contents of your email before sending it. The recipient’s email client or service will use the corresponding decryption key to unscramble and read the message.

If you’re using asymmetric encryption, you can share your public key with others so that they can encrypt emails to you. You must keep your private key safe and secure, as anyone who has access to it can read your emails.

Use Cases For Email Encryption

Encryption keeps you safe from email threats like hacking, fraud, data breaches, and identity theft. Emails frequently contain sensitive information like personal data, financial details, and confidential business dealings. Without encryption, hackers could potentially intercept these messages and use them against you. This makes them useful for: 

• Healthcare providers that have to comply with HIPAA to protect patient data.

• Companies that want to guard communication between employees, clients, and partners.

• Individuals who frequently send sensitive information like health records, banking details, and legal documents.

• Journalists communicating with sources and whistleblowers.

• Governments and military organizations sending and discussing classified information

Implementing Email Encryption Software

Many email clients and services offer built-in encryption features like PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) and S/MIME (Secure Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions). These tools use asymmetric encryption to secure your emails.
You can also use third-party software, which offers end-to-end encryption. This means that only the sender and recipient have access to the decryption keys.

The best encryption strategy is to use a combination of symmetric and asymmetric encryption methods. 

Endnote

With so many cybersecurity threats, taking every step possible to secure your privacy and sensitive information is an absolute must. By using email encryption software, you can ensure your emails are safe from prying eyes the next time you hit “Send.”

Image: Brett Jordan

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