It’s no secret that email is one of the most common ways to transmit sensitive information. However, many people don’t know how to send a secure email in Outlook.
In this quick tutorial, we’ll briefly cover what can happen if your email isn’t secure. Then we’ll show you how to use certificates to encrypt an email in Outlook using S/Mime, Office 365 Message Encryption (OME), and PGP Outlook Encryption Add-Ins. We’ll also cover other ways you can send safe emails to keep your data protected.
What Happens If I Don’t Send A Secure Email?
If you’re not encrypting your emails, they’re sitting in your outbox, vulnerable to anyone who might be able to access them.
This could be a hacker who’s broken into your email account or even someone with physical access to your computer or device. With email, it’s relatively easy for someone to snoop on your conversations or access attachments without your knowledge.
In some cases, simply opening an email could infect your computer with malware that can give a hacker full access to all of your files and data. So it’s important to understand how to send a secure email in Outlook to protect yourself and your information.
How To Send A Secure Email In Outlook
There are a few different ways to encrypt an email in Outlook, each with its own set of benefits.
S/Mime
S/Mime is a standard for public key encryption that’s built into Outlook. It doesn’t require any add-ins or plugins and is compatible with most email providers.
To use S/Mime, both the sender and the recipient need to have a digital ID or certificate. These can be obtained from a number of Certificate Authorities (CAs) like Symantec, GlobalSign, and Comodo.
Once you have your certificate, open Outlook and click File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings. Select Email Security from the left-hand menu and click the Settings button under Encrypted email.
From here, you can enable S/Mime encryption and specify when you want Outlook to encrypt outgoing messages. You can also choose to add a digital signature to all of your emails.
If you’re sending an encrypted email to someone who doesn’t have a digital ID, you’ll need to get their public key first. You can do this by sending them an email and asking them to send you their certificate.
Once you have their public key, you can add it to your contact list in Outlook. To do this, open the contact’s information page and click the General tab. Select their certificate from the drop-down menu next to Certificate and click OK.
Now when you send them an email, it will be automatically encrypted with their public key.
If you want to encrypt an email that you’ve already sent, open the message and click the Encrypt button on the ribbon.
S/Mime is a great option for encrypting individual emails, but it doesn’t work with mass emailing. If you need to send secure emails to a large number of people, you’ll need to use another method.
Office 365 Message Encryption (OME)
OME is a cloud-based encryption service from Microsoft that works with Office 365. It uses Azure Information Protection to encrypt emails and attachments automatically.
To use OME, you first need to enable it for your Office 365 account. You can do this by signing in to the Office 365 admin center and going to Service Settings > Messaging.
Scroll down to Office 365 Message Encryption and click the edit button. Select the Turn On radio button and click Save.
When you create a new message in Outlook, you’ll see an Encrypt button on the ribbon. Click this button to encrypt the message and any attachments.
Recipients will get an email with a link to the encrypted message. They’ll need to sign in with a Microsoft account or their work or school account to read it.
OME is a good option for encrypting messages to large groups of people, but it doesn’t work with third-party email providers like Gmail.
PGP Encryption
PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) is a well-known standard for email encryption that uses public key cryptography. It’s not built into Outlook, but there are a number of third-party plugins that add PGP support.
One of the most popular PGP plugins is Gpg4win, which works with a number of email clients including Outlook. It’s available for free from the Gpg4win website.
Once you’ve installed the plugin, open Outlook and click the File tab. Select Options from the list on the left-hand side and click the Trust Center tab.
Click the button labeled Trust Center Settings at the bottom of the window. Select the Plug-Ins tab and make sure that the Gpg4win plugin is checked.
Now you’ll be able to encrypt outgoing messages with PGP. To do this, create a new message and click the Encrypt button on the ribbon.
You can also add digital signatures to your messages by clicking the Sign button.
If you’re sending an encrypted message to someone who doesn’t have PGP, you’ll need to get their public key first. You can do this by sending them an email and asking them to send you their key.
Once you have their public key, you can add it to your contact list in Outlook. To do this, open the contact’s information page and click the General tab. Select their key from the drop-down menu next to PGP Key and click OK.
Now when you send them an email, it will be automatically encrypted with their public key.
PGP is a good option for encrypting messages to individuals, but it’s not well-suited for mass emailing.
Other Options: Secure Email Services
If you need to send secure emails on a regular basis, you may want to consider using a dedicated secure email service. These services use a variety of methods to keep your messages safe, including end-to-end encryption and zero-access architectures.
Some of the most popular secure email providers include Proton, Tutanota, and StartMail. These services all offer free plans with limited features, so you can try them out before you commit to a paid subscription.
When you’re sending a secure email, it’s important to make sure that the recipient is using a compatible service. Otherwise, they won’t be able to read your message.
For example, Proton can only send encrypted messages to other ProtonMail users. If you try to send an encrypted message to someone with a Gmail account, they’ll get a notification that the message can’t be delivered.
Takeaway
There are a number of different ways to send secure emails in Outlook. The best option for you will depend on your needs and the people you’re communicating with.
If you need to send encrypted messages to large groups of people, Office 365 Message Encryption is a good option. If you’re sending messages to individuals, PGP encryption is a good choice.
And if you need to send secure emails on a regular basis, you may want to consider using a dedicated secure email service. Whichever option you choose, we can help keep you secure. Contact us today.
