File Security - Monday, July 28, 2008 12:50 - 1 Comment

Email encryption

Industry Standard Encryptions For Email

Being able to send and receive email in a safe, untampered environment is crucial to successful online business practices.  This is handled in a number of ways, from the personal level all the way up to and including the servers which transport mail.  There are standards for encryption that provide security without compromising efficiency, and we’ll briefly talk about those here.

At the user level, one of the most common encryption methods is the use of PGP, or Pretty Good protection.  This uses a dual-key scenario, where one key is held by the sender, and a public key is distributed with messages.  Originally, PGP was released based on a 64-bit encryption method, but has since evolved, first created and now using 128-bit data encryption.  Anyone interested in learning detail about email encryption should also look closely at PGP, it has long been the standard contact-to-contact encryption used.  Most other enryption methods used also incorporate 128-bit encryption, and it is regarded as being safe against all normal attacks.

At the ISP, or Internet gateway, level another layer of protection is available by encrypting communications between individual servers.  This is stabdard is called TLS, or Transport Security Layer.  It provides data integrity between two data servers, making interception useless under most circumstances.

A third level standard of protection, though not often used for email, is the SSL, or Secure Sockets Layer.  This level of security is considered the most accepted for business and online credit transactions.  Most online checkouts are performed using SSL, whether it is with your local bank, or at an online shop that doesn’t have a physical address at all.

For email protection, many email servers provide encryption and many other email services, including scanning for virus infected files, and banning known spam originators.  This method is most often installed by the IT staff, and operates invisibly to all nodes on the network.  For commercial settings, this standard encryption technique minimizes employee time wasted on spam or other undesired email while delivering mail efficiently throughout the LAN, WLAN, WAN, or Internet.

Article written by MyComputerAid.com