Oct 30, 2022

Is Your Email Protected? Here’s Why You Should Consider Email Encryption

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Georgette Virgo | Oct 30, 2022 | 7 min read
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Email is one of the most essential tools for businesses. It allows companies to communicate with customers, clients, and employees quickly and easily. It is also a great way to keep track of important information and conversations.

 

Email is critical for dental practices. It is a way to communicate with patients, schedule appointments, and send reminders. It also allows dental practices to share important information with patients, such as appointment times and changes, dental hygiene tips, and new developments in dental care.

 

With these great benefits come great vulnerability. Email is one of the most commonly used means of communication but also one of the most vulnerable. Anyone with access to the network through which it is being sent can intercept and read it. Without the right protection and security, it can be used to phish personal information, gain access to sensitive data, and spread malware.

 

Email messages can be stored on servers that are not secure, meaning they can be accessed by anyone with the right skills and tools. This makes email a prime target for hackers and other malicious actors.

 

These situations can bring problems for businesses. It could ruin relationships, business transactions, and professionalism between clients and business partners.

 

5 Tips to protect against an email hack

There are a few things you can do to protect yourself from email vulnerabilities.

 

1. Be careful about the information you include in your emails. Double-check email subjects, email content, and attachments. Don’t send sensitive information unless you are absolutely sure it will be safe.

2. Always check the recipient and sender of email messages. Make sure it is the intended one, legit, and safe.

3. Keep an eye on your inbox for any unusual activity. If you see anything suspicious, report it to your provider immediately.

4. Maintain a regular IT check and inspection. Though this requires time and effort, regular IT checks can make sure all your systems are running smoothly, avoiding any future problems.

5. Lastly, use encryption whenever possible. Check on IT solutions providers on how encryption works. Encryption will make it much more difficult for anyone to read your messages.

 

What is data encryption?

In cryptography, encryption is the process of transforming readable data into an unreadable format. This is done in order to protect the information from being accessed by unauthorized individuals. It is a key part of data security and is used in a variety of applications, including email, file storage, and secure communications.

 

What is email encryption?

Email encryption is a process of transforming readable email messages into unreadable code that can only be deciphered by the intended recipient. This is accomplished using a key, which is a piece of information that controls the cryptographic process and allows decryption. It is typically used in conjunction with other security measures, such as authentication and digital signatures, in order to provide a complete security solution.

 

The main purpose of email encryption is to protect the content of email messages from being read by anyone other than the intended recipient. In addition to protecting the content of email messages, email encryption can also protect the sender and recipient of email messages from being identified by anyone other than the intended recipient.

 

3 types of email encryption

There are several types of email encryption, each with its own benefits and drawbacks. Below are some of the types you can best apply to your emails.

 

1. Pretty Good Privacy (PGP)

Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) is one of the most common email encryption as it is free and open source. It is a data encryption and decryption computer program that provides cryptographic privacy and authentication for data communication. It is often used for signing, encrypting, and decrypting texts, e-mails, files, directories, and whole disk partitions.

 

However, PGP can be difficult to set up and use, and it is not compatible with all email clients.

 

2. Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions or S/MIME

Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (S/MIME) is a standard for public key encryption and signing of email messages. It is specified by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and is based on the Cryptographic Message Syntax (CMS) standard. It is supported by a number of email clients, including Microsoft Outlook, Apple Mail, and Mozilla Thunderbird.

 

S/MIME uses public key cryptography to provide end-to-end message security. Message encryption ensures that only the intended recipient can read the message, while message signing allows the recipient to verify the authenticity of the message and the identity of the sender.

 

S/MIME messages are typically exchanged between email clients and servers using the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol. TLS provides an additional layer of security by encrypting email messages in transit.

 

While S/MIME is a powerful tool for protecting email messages, it is important to note that it does not protect against all threats. S/MIME does not protect against message replays attacks, where an attacker intercepts and records a message and then replays it at a later time. To protect against message replay attacks, it is recommended to use a message authentication code (MAC) in addition to S/MIME.

 

3. Web-based email services encryptions

There are a number of web-based email services that offer encryption in order to protect the privacy of their users’ communications. These services typically use some form of public-key cryptography, in which each user has a unique keypair that is used to encrypt and decrypt messages.

 

One of the most popular web-based email services that offer encryption is Hushmail. Hushmail uses a combination of public-key cryptography and symmetric-key cryptography to protect the privacy of its users’ communications. It also offers a number of other features designed to increase the security of its users’ communications, such as the ability to digitally sign messages and encrypt messages with a password.

 

Another popular web-based email service that offers encryption is Zoho Mail. Zoho Mail uses a similar encryption system to Hushmail, with the added security of two-factor authentication. It also offers a number of other security features, such as the ability to create disposable email addresses and encrypt messages with a password.

 

There are a number of other web-based email services that offer encryption, including Tutanota, StartMail, and ProtonMail. Each of these services uses a different encryption system, but all of them offer similar features and levels of security.

 

 

What needs to be encrypted?

There are a few things you should encrypt in your email.

 

  • The subject line – this will ensure that the contents of the email are not easily viewable by anyone who may intercept it.
  • The body of the email – this is where you will put any sensitive information that you do not want anyone else to see.
  • Any attachments – if you are sending any files that contain confidential information, make sure to encrypt them as well.
  • The sender and recipient information – this will help to keep the email private and prevent anyone from impersonating either party.

 

What are the benefits of email encryption?

  • Email encryption protects the sender, the content of email messages, and the recipient of the email from being read and identified by anyone other than the intended recipient. It maintains privacy and confidentiality between the company, its customers, and business partners.
  • Email encryption prevents email messages from being tampered with or intercepted during transit. This makes sure the right messages and intentions are delivered to avoid misunderstandings and conflicts between parties.
  • Email encryption helps to ensure the privacy of email messages by making them unreadable to anyone except the intended recipient. It adds an extra layer of security to your email account. Thus, it enables you to share sensitive information securely with others.
  • Email encryption can help to prevent identity theft and fraud by making it more difficult for criminals to access and use personal information contained in email messages.
  • Email encryption can help you protect your online reputation and safeguard your personal and professional relationships. It makes sure the right messages are delivered to the right recipients to get the business going while maintaining professionalism and confidentiality.

 

Zenith Dental IT Email Encryption

Zenith Dental IT understands the importance of email in day-to-day business transactions. With this, they host email encryption as part of the best solutions they offer to their customers.

 

As email encryption can be a little bit complicated, Zenith Dental IT can do the work for you. They can set up an integrating secure email getaway, and implement automated encryption for an extra layer of security.

 

Not just that, Zenith Dental IT also provides cloud backup and disaster recovery, antivirus services, and more. With its world-class IT support, an exceptional pool of talents, and unmatched customer service, you can make sure to get the best technical service support so your business runs smoothly and safely at all times.

 

Discover the best IT solutions for your dental practice. Get a quote from Zenith Dental IT today!

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