The ways in which we communicate nowadays have been revolutionized by email. Gone are the days of snail mail, telegrams, or even faxes (remember them?).
Now we find ourselves in a world where email is the go-to form of communication in schools, businesses, and personal use.
As they say, with great power comes great responsibility. Every time you send an email, it doesn’t simply go from A to B; instead, it is routed through multiple mail and proxy servers that send and receive data, spam filters, and security measures before it reaches its final destination.
For this reason, it is vital to protect emails at every stage of their journey. This is where email encryption comes in.
Each stage of an email's journey is vulnerable to hackers attempting to access potentially sensitive content. It is therefore vital to incorporate email encryption into your cyber-hygiene practices to prevent the most common types of cyberattacks.
Popular cyberattacks include:
Phishing: A cyberattack that relies on impersonating a trusted entity, such as a bank, to steal the victim’s information via email.
Viruses: Malicious emails can come with viruses attached as a way to infiltrate the system and damage software or delete important files.
Spam: More annoying than malicious, spam can be filtered or sent to a temporary email to avoid clutter altogether.
Despite these potential vulnerabilities, there are methods to protect yourself from these threats. Throughout this article, we explain what email encryption is, why it's essential, and the benefits it can offer you or your business.
Email encryption transforms your email's contents from readable text (plain text) into unreadable text, known as ciphertext.
For example:
Plain text: Dear Mr. Smith
Ciphertext: xPV0uv1C1E%d
If your email is intercepted during its journey, a hacker would only see unreadable text and be unable to access your sensitive information. Once Mr. Smith receives the email, he will see it in plain text.
Email encryption drastically lowers the chances of hackers obtaining sensitive information. For both the sender and recipient, it safeguards the confidentiality and integrity of the information being sent.
You don’t need to be a hacker to encrypt and protect your emails. There are several email encryption providers available, but understanding how encryption works will help you appreciate its importance.
Transport Layer Security (TLS)
If your email provider is Google or Microsoft, TLS is the protocol they use. It ensures the privacy of an email’s contents but only during transit. However, the message is still vulnerable on the recipient's server since TLS is not end-to-end encryption.
End-to-End Encryption
This method uses asymmetric encryption, involving public and private keys. When you send an email, you encrypt the content using the recipient's public key, and it can only be decrypted by their private key.
As the email passes through multiple servers, the data remains encrypted, protected from hackers even if one of those servers is compromised.
The benefit is that as an email goes through different servers, the data will remain encrypted and protected from hackers, even if a server is compromised or intercepted.
Email encryption benefits everyone and should be implemented whenever possible, especially if multiple parties send sensitive information. Here are some ways where email encryption can benefit you or your business.
Protecting Confidential Information
Personal information is valuable to hackers for committing crimes such as fraud or identity theft. Encrypting this data ensures that sensitive information, files, and records stay secure.
Proper lifecycle management of your email security ensures that sensitive data remains protected against these threats.
Encrypting this data is vital to maintain the confidentiality of important files, records, or personal data and to keep you safe online.
Preventing Data Loss
Encrypted emails safeguard documents and data against theft or interception, ensuring that your information is transmitted safely.
Enhanced Security for Remote Workers
Remote workers, especially those using public Wi-Fi, are more vulnerable to hackers. Using encryption and VPNs strengthens protection by encrypting all internet traffic.
Not only this, people who work using public Wi-Fi are at even greater risk, as hackers can intercept and gain access to an encrypted email in the middle of its journey due to the lack of security in Public Wi-Fi spaces.
One way to enhance security while using public networks is by understanding the meaning of VPN and how it helps encrypt internet traffic, making it harder for hackers to intercept data.
Prevent Information From Falling Into the Wrong Hands
Email encryption verifies sender authenticity and protects against spoofing or phishing attacks. It also minimizes the risk of human error or data leaks.
Secure emails also help prevent human error and sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands and causing breaches in data or other impacts on security.
The Dangers of Neglecting Email Encryption
Without encryption, sensitive information is at risk of privacy breaches, data loss, or legal consequences.
Even login credentials or shared personal data can lead to social engineering attacks or blackmail. A single intercepted message can be a puzzle piece that enables a larger attack.
Having gained knowledge about the fundamentals and understood the importance of protecting your emails for a private and secure digital life, you may ask yourself, how do I set up email encryption?
Start by researching available encryption providers and selecting one that matches your personal or business needs.
Look for providers that prioritize security, compliance, and robust encryption methods. A popular choice is Pretty Good Privacy (PGP), which encrypts, decrypts, and authorizes messages.
You can also explore encryption plugins compatible with your email service. Ensure they are regularly updated to avoid vulnerabilities.
Education and awareness are key. By understanding encryption, you can take proactive steps and encourage others to protect their digital communication.
To maintain consistent protection:
Ensure your email provider connection is encrypted.
Encrypt the contents of every email.
Encrypt stored, cached, or archived messages.
Make encryption a daily habit. Encrypting all messages prevents hackers from identifying which ones contain valuable data. Consistent encryption builds stronger security overall.
In a world where email dominates communication, safeguarding your data is essential.
Email encryption is simple to implement yet provides powerful defense. By encrypting your emails, you make your sensitive information unreadable to outsiders, ensuring that your digital fortress remains secure.
