As long as you trust your web browser and you don’t allow your password (or session) to be stored for a long time, it is not likely that your emails will be around if a hacker comes looking.Īn email client is a program – such as Outlook, Apple Mail, or Thunderbird where the email files are downloaded from the server and stored on your computer. When it comes to security, the good thing about webmail is that the data is stored (somewhat) temporarily. Gmail and most email services have a robust webmail interface. Webmail allows you to use a browser to read your email. When you read your email on a home computer or your mobile phone, this is typically done in two ways: There is always another human with access to your data.Įmail servers – and the fact that someone else has access to your data – is the first reason you might want to encrypt your emails. Yes, it is likely that most reputable companies do encrypt your emails while they are on the server, but someone somewhere has the keys to read that data.Īll computers – including servers – have a human administrator. This means that a person that neither sent the email nor received the email can potentially read the email. There is a human that does have access to the data on your email servers. Hopefully you trust the company that provides you email – and hopefully they keep those computers secure from hackers and secure from any random person gaining physical access.īut all email servers – like all computers – have some kind of administrator. Gmail, Hotmail, Apple, and your work email all use email servers.Įmail servers are nothing more than a computer connected to the Internet. About Email ServersĪn email server is the computer that stores your email and sends it to you when your phone or home computer asks for it. You can skip to the middle section to see clear step-by-step instructions for setting up encrypted email. The first part of this article explains the fundamental concepts in email encryption. To ensure a hacker can’t intercept your email, change the contents of the email, and pretend to be you.To ensure a family member or friend using the same computer can’t accidentally read your emails if your permission settings are misconfigured.To ensure that if someone gains possession of your computer – either through theft or because you forgot to wipe your hard drive when you sold it – that they cannot read your emails.To ensure that a hacker can’t hack into your email server (such as Gmail or your homebrew email server) and read your emails stored on that server.To ensure that a hacker can’t read your email while it is being transmitted or received.But here are some reasons you may want to keep your emails private: It is much more convenient to NOT encrypt your email (see the section near the end of this article). You gain security, but it will cost you some convenience. Learn the fundamentals of how email encryption and email signing works – and keep hackers from impersonating you.Įncrypting your email is a trade between security and convenience.
#Encryptme and hotmail how to
Learn how to keep your emails private and your friends safe by encrypting your emails on your home computer or phone.
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