How to encrypt emails in Outlook?

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If you want to send confidential emails and are afraid that the email content may be tampered with during transmission, then you should learn how to encrypt emails in Outlook.

The global email encryption market is expected to be worth $6.2 billion by 2023, which is a significant figure. Due to the adoption and expansion of the work-from-home trend after COVID-19, as well as the rise of BEC fraud and phishing scams, businesses are obliged to learn how to encrypt emails on Outlook and other platforms. In addition, there have been regulatory advances; many governments and regulators have established email security rules, and email encryption is naturally a key factor.

Since the rules can't be changed, and we can't expect cybercriminals to become saints, we'd better start measuring our email security measures. So let's start by learning how to encrypt emails in Outlook.

What is Email Encryption in Outlook
Email encryption in Outlook converts messages from readable plain text to albania phone number data a decrypted format that hackers and other unauthorized persons cannot understand.

But how can the recipient decode and read it?

To make this work, the intended recipient receives a public key attached to an email. The recipient's server matches the public key with the private key; when they match, the message is decrypted. However, recipients without the corresponding private key see only indecipherable text.

How to encrypt Outlook emails?
Outlook uses two methods for encryption: S/MIME encryption and Microsoft 365 Message Encryption.

S/MIME encryption
Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions or S/MIME is an encryption protocol that protects your emails from common cyber attacks like phishing, email spoofing, etc. It uses digital signatures and public key cryptography to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity of emails.

Microsoft 365 information encryption
This method is only available to users with Office 365 email accounts, regardless of their email service provider, and can send encrypted emails to the desired recipients.

Encrypt email messages in Outlook using S/MIME encryption
To start using S/MIME-based email encryption, users must ensure that senders and recipients are using the same mail application and have a valid S/MIME certificate installed in Outlook. A digital certificate consists of a public and private key pair.

After installing the digital certificate, follow these steps to configure it in Outlook:

Navigate to the File menu and go to Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings.
Then, move your cursor to the left pane, select "Email Security", and select "Settings" under the "Encrypted Email" option.
Under Certificates and Algorithms, click Select and choose the S/MIME certificate.
Click OK
For Office Insiders with an enabled Microsoft 365 subscription -

Select Options > Encryption > Use S/MIME encryption.
Note that the "Use S/MIME encryption" option will only appear if an S/MIME certificate is installed on the device.

Users using Outlook 2019 and Outlook 2016 must select Options > Permissions.

That's it, now you can send encrypted emails using the S/MIME method in Outlook. Once S/MIME is configured, you can compose a new message, select the "Encrypt" option on the email toolbar, and then select "Send." When the recipient receives the email, Outlook will seamlessly decrypt the message using their private key without any additional steps.

How do I encrypt my Office 365 Outlook emails?
Since the first method requires installing and configuring a certificate, it is recommended that you learn how to encrypt messages in Outlook using the Office 365 Message Encryption method.

So if you send important confidential attachments, remember that this method will encrypt them as well. Doesn’t that sound like a pure win-win situation?

To get started, just make sure you upgrade your Office 365 subscription plan to one that offers OME. Once you've done that, follow the simple steps.

For Microsoft 365 users:
Select Options.
Select "Encryption".
Select the desired encryption method and restrictions (such as encrypt only or do not forward).
For Outlook 2019 and 2016:
Select Options.
Select "Permissions".
Select an encryption option with the desired restrictions (e.g., Do Not Forward)
Learn to encrypt a single message
Click "File" and go to "Properties".
Click Security Settings > Encrypt message content and attachments.
Draft your message as usual and send it.
Learn to encrypt all sent messages
Go to the "File" tab, select "Options" > "Trust Center Settings".
Navigate to the “Email Security” tab and select the “Encrypt contents and attachments of outgoing messages” checkbox, which you can find under “Encrypt email.”
You can also go to "Settings" to make other changes according to your preferences.
Why Encrypt Email?
It’s hard enough to draft an email, prepare the attachments, and remember to attach them before you hit send, so why add another headache? And, is it worth it?

So, the answer to your question is "yes". You have to consider the following two main reasons

1. Privacy
CEOs and employees (we can also call them representatives) of companies exchange many emails every day. Depending on the nature and size of the business, the number can reach hundreds or thousands per day. These emails often contain confidential information of the company, including customer databases. So, do you think you can afford to have these details attacked and exploited?

In fact, GDPR, the sweeping data privacy regulation being drafted by the European Union, also strongly recommends encrypting emails.

The U.S. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires the use of email encryption to transmit electronic protected health information (ePHI) to ensure patient privacy and data security.