An encrypted email is a password-protected email that can only be accessed using a specific password or key.
A common example of such an email is a personalized banking message that requires a set of letters and numbers to access and read. E.g., the first four letters of your name followed by the first two digits of your birthdate.
Well, the point is, the point of encrypting an email is nothing but ensuring extra security and protection of sensitive data to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands.
Due to the added security, email encryption has become an essential aspect of cybersecurity for businesses in today’s digital landscape.
Before we delve deeper into why your business needs it in the first place, let’s quickly understand the practice of encrypting emails.
What is an encrypted email?
Encrypted email is a security measure that senders can take when sending or forwarding an email to further recipients.
There are many types of encryptions that you can use to protect your email from unauthorized access, with the most common being end-to-end encryption.
Regardless of the methodology, though, the end goal of encrypting an email is to turn it into an unreadable format which can only be deciphered using the correct password or key.
Here’s how it works:
Step 1:The sender encrypts the message using an algorithmic code and a key.
Step 2: The recipient decrypts and accesses the message using the corresponding key.
Needless to say, without the right key, the recipient will not be able to view/read the email, and it shall only appear as something scrambled.
Types of encrypted emails
While serving the same purpose, there are many types of email encryptions that you can use to protect your sensitive/crucial data.
- Transport Layer Security (TLS)
Used by tech giants such as Google, TLS is an advanced encryption service that encrypts emails while they are in transit between servers.
Although it does ensure an email secure server, TLS does not encrypt the email content per se.
- End-to-End Encryption (E2EE)
As you must have seen in WhatsApp, end-to-end encryption makes it impossible for anyone to read the messages other than the sender and the recipient.
It uses asymmetric encryption for authorization, and digital certificates for encryption and authentication, as is the case with S/MIME encryption.
- Gateway Encryption
Gateway encryption encrypts the mail well before it leaves the network. As such, recipients can only open it with the right credentials or key.
- End-to-Gateway Encryption
This encryption technique encrypts the email at the sender’s end and decrypts it in a secure gateway before reaching the end user. Unlike others, it does not require recipients to have any decryption key.
- Password-based Encryption
As the name suggests, password-enabled encryption means securing your email with a key or a password that you can share with the recipients.
- Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (S/MIME)
S/MIME is used for digitally signing and encrypting the emails.
- Microsoft 365 Purview Message Encryption
Similarly, this Microsoft 365 feature lets you encrypt your email messages well before hitting send.
With growing cyberattacks and data frauds, it is in your best interest to have some sort of encryption when exchanging crucial or sensitive emails with your business partners, employees, and customers.
Importance of encrypting emails for businesses
Email encryption has become a crucial step in ensuring proper cybersecurity and data protection.
While it does play a useful role for consumers, businesses can certainly make the most of it for several reasons.
- Email encryption protects sensitive data and content.
By encrypting your email communications, you can concretely safeguard your emails and any sensitive data or content within.
These include but are not limited to financial information, personal details, intellectual properties, and business secrets.
- Encrypted emails prevent unauthorized access.
With a specific key or password, encrypted emails become almost impossible to decrypt or decipher, i.e. unless the recipient has the right corresponding key.
As such, hackers or cybercriminals will not be able to intercept or read the message and misuse the information to their benefit.
- Ensures confidentiality and privacy.
Since they can only be read by intended parties, encrypted emails also ensure high confidentiality and privacy on any given day.
- Prevents identity theft and phishing attacks.
Perhaps, one of the greatest advantages of email encryption is the prevention of data thefts and cyberattacks that have taken the digital world by storm.
To give you a quick perspective, about 91% of all cyberattacks are perpetrated using a phishing email.
So, to avoid falling victim to such phishing attacks, it is better to consider email encryption, especially if you are running an online business.
- Helps with cybersecurity regulatory compliance.
Legal and regulatory compliance, as far as cybersecurity is concerned, is yet another major benefit of email encryption for modern-day businesses.
Some of the common data protection policies that it helps you adhere to include HIPAA for healthcare, GDPR for the European Union, SOX for financial information, and PCI-DSS for credit card banking.
- Protects against email tampering and forgery.
Email encryption, such as S/MIME and end-to-end encryption, uses digital signatures and certificates for encryption and authentication.
As a result, they help prevent unauthorized access and any alterations or tampering with the emails.
- Builds trust and authority in the market.
Last but not least, companies who pay attention to their cybersecurity measures and use email encryption for the same tend to have better relationships and trust with their clients.
By adopting such cybersecurity measures, even if it means investing a little, businesses can build a loyal customer base and become a figure of authority in today’s competitive market.
The Final Words
Cyber threats are increasing with each passing day. With this, encrypted emails are no longer an option but a necessity for businesses. By implementing encrypted emails, companies can protect sensitive business information, prevent unauthorized success, and ensure compliance with data protection regulations. From protecting financial details to maintaining client trust, encryption strengthens overall cybersecurity. It reduces the risk of phishing attacks, email tampering, and identity theft.
So, don’t wait for a security breach – take proactive steps and invest in email encryption to protect your business!
