Email encryption is an important step that singles can use to be more secure online.
Cybersecurity is a field that has become more and more necessary in recent years. Hackers have become even more creative in getting your data through the Internet. The average cost of a data breach in 2018 was $3.86 million and the mean time to identify one was 197 days. This can be detrimental to a company and if you are a driven single who is career oriented, you could easily become a target.
One way to protect yourself in the workplace as well as in your personal life from hackers is by encrypting your emails. Email encryption disguises your messages so that sensitive data such as banking information or passwords can’t be read by those who you don’t want to see.
Although some email providers offer the option to encrypt email, others require a third-party tool or app. To give you an understanding of how encryption works and what tools will be best for you, Panda Security has an infographic that breaks down the fundamentals of email encryption.
Email Encryption And Why Singles Need To Use It
Three Types Of Email Encryption
What is email encryption and why should you care?
Email encryption is an “encryption and authentication mechanism of an email message to prevent the contents from being read by an unauthorized recipient.” Email encryption largely relies on public key cryptography while sending a private key to a user to decrypt an email. Email encryption adds an additional layer of security and makes it more difficult for hackers to access your personal data. There are different types of encryption. Email users should care about email encryption because it is a way to increase the privacy and security of email accounts and messages that are sent to friends or used for work.
Three Email Encryption Types
There are three main email encryption types that you should be aware of when you are looking into email encryptions services. These three types of email encryption are PGP, S/MIME, and Identity Based Encryption (IBE). It is important for singles to utilize email encryption to increase their privacy and security online.
PGP
PGP is short for Pretty Good Privacy. This is the weakest of the email encryption options. A major security flaw was found that has led to security and privacy advocates to say that PGP is dead. This is the standard security option that email providers use for encryption. The most popular option is usually not the most secure options as is demonstrated by major email providers using PGP for email encryption.
S/MIME
S/MIME is the next type of email encryption. S/MIME requires that both the email sender and email recipient both have S/MIME certificates to send and receive S/MIME emails to users. S/MIME is an “internet standard (RFC 5751) for securely sending and receiving email” which ensures confidentiality, integrity, and authentication between the sender and the receiver. S/MIME is supported by most email service providers. S/MIME is automatic compared to options, such as PGP, which are more manual which makes S/MIME easier for users to implement to secure their emails.
IBE
Another option for users to encrypt their emails is Identify Based Encryption (IBE). Identity-Based Encryption uses a cryptosystem public key which recognizes a public key string to validate the encryption between the sender and receiver. There are a few benefits to the Identity-Based Encryption (IDE) model. IDE allows users to an encrypted to anyone even if that user does not have a public key setup. IDE does not require a sender and user to have the other user’s encryption certificate. IDE automatically refreshes users’ private key over a period of time so that it remains up to date and secure. Finally, IDE lets senders send emails and to designate a length of time that the email recipient can view the email. For email users who are more concerned about online privacy and security, the Identity Based Encryption (IDE) is a great choice.
Summary
There are many different types of email encryption that singles can use. Email security can be further increased by using network encryption practices. Singles can further their online privacy by implementing these beginner and intermediate privacy steps and increase online security with these best cybersecurity practices. Singles can decide which of these email encryption options best meets their needs as they work to improve their online privacy and security.’
