E-mail Encryption
E-mail Encryption
KNOW MORE ABOUT E-mail Encryption
What is E-mail Encryption
E-mail encryption technology is used to protect e-mail messages from unauthorized access. E-mail encryption can be deployed using e-mail encryption software, secure e-mail servers or secure webmail centers.
E-mail messages will be transformed using an algorithm, resulting in a text unreadable to anyone except those possessing special knowledge, usually referred as a key.
Information Security and integrity are becoming more important as we use e-mail for personal communication and business.
Encryption is critical for intellectual property protection and privacy regulatory compliance. From the regulatory compliance point of view, encrypting of sensitive information is mandatory.
Many modern solutions now use policy based encryption, which means that, user independent, the messages can be encrypted based on policies. This assures a level of confidentiality for sensitive information even if the sensitive content is sent unintentionally out of the organization.
For any sizeable organization e-mail is probably the top, mission critical application used by the company. An e-mail carries sensitive data for organization and e-mail encryption should be a strategic concern for every organization.
Losing any kind of confidential information, for example credit card numbers, personal identification number, medical record, intellectual property and so on, affects market position and credibility among customers and business partners.
Current protocols governing e-mail dictate that all messages transmitted over the internet be sent in plain ASCII text characters. The problem caused by this requirement is that anyone with the right tools can read a message sent by anyone else. The tools, such as TCP or packet sniffers, can be freely downloaded from the internet. The tools not only allow hackers to read anyone’s email, but also allow them to intercept and alter the messages before they are delivered to the recipient.
Organizations will have a better protection and will be compliant with standard regulation, both industry and internal standards because the confidential information will not be accessible to any kind of attack. Even if the communication is intercepted, the data are secured through encryption.
E-mail is exposed at various points along its transmission, via backups, by IT staff members, or during firewall inspection. The challenge is to protect the integrity of the text, as well as the attachments.