E-Mail Security: Who's Reading Your Mail?

Two e-mail encryption schemes, S/MIME (Secure Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension) and PGP (Pretty Good Privacy), have been available for years. Both systems can secure e-mail using unbreakable

encryption systems. But they can also be somewhat confusing and difficult to use for nontechnical people, and many people won't use an e-mail security product that requires any additional time and effort.

Over the past two years, a new type of secure e-mail service has emerged. Companies such as HushMail.com, ZixMail, and Ensuredmail have products that combine strong encryption with easy-to-use services, allowing anyone to send and receive secure e-mail. The encryption process is hidden from users, making the services look just like regular e-mail accounts.

Here's how it works: A user composes a secure e-mail just like any other message; however, the content is scrambled using strong encryption and transferred over the Internet via a secure connection (similar to the connection you use when visiting an e-commerce site). Different services use different methods to alert someone that a secure e-mail is waiting for them. If a message is sent from one ZixMail member to another, for example, the recipient must enter their password to decode the message. If the recipient is not a ZixMail member, they receive a notice via regular e-mail with a URL linking to the secure ZixMail site, where they can register and view their message. HushMail.com, on the other hand, requires both parties to be members to exchange fully encrypted e-mail.