What is SMIME Certificate?
SMIME stands for Secure Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions. It provides an extra layer of security for emails sent to and from your Exchange ActiveSync (EAS) account.
It allows the user to encrypt outgoing messages and attachments so that only the intended recipient, with a digital ID or certificate, can read them.
Users can digitally sign messages, allowing recipients to verify the sender's identity and verify that the message has not been changed.
What is Message Encryption?
Users can send encrypted messages to people inside or outside of their organization if they have an encryption certificate. However, users using the Windows Mail app can read encrypted messages only if they receive the message in their Exchange account and have the proper decryption key.
Recipients can only read encrypted messages with certificates. Therefore, if you try to send an encrypted message to recipients who cannot use an encryption certificate, the app will prompt you to remove those recipients before sending the email.
What is a Digital Signature?
A digitally signed message assures the recipient that the message has not been altered and verifies the identity of the sender. Recipients can only verify the digital signature if they use an email client that supports S/MIME.
How does SMIME Certificate work?
SMIME certificates use asymmetric encryption. The image below explains how asymmetric encryption works for encrypting and decrypting plaintext information.
Let's understand how asymmetric encryption works with an example.
Suppose Nick wants to send an email to his friend Austin but does not want anyone else on the network to read or change it. So Nick encrypts the message using Austin's public key. Anyone can access this public key. So, Nick or anyone else can encrypt any message they want to send to Austin. However, a raider on the network cannot understand this message without the corresponding private key. Only Austin can access the private key, so only Austin can decrypt and read the message.
You can obtain an email signing certificate from a trusted certificate authority (CA) and use it to digitally sign your messages before sending them (the certificate is automatically attached to emails).
It works like this:
- A digital signature is associated with two keys, a private key and a public key.
- Authentication is done using the public key, and the private key is used to generate the signature itself.
- To verify the identity of the sender, a public key is sent with each protected email.
- On the other hand, a private key generates a unique digital signature and applies it to each email. A signature confirms that the message has not been changed and tampered with by an unauthorized third party.
Does Accuwebhosting offer it?
No. Accuwebhosting does not offer SMIME Certificates.
