Outlook 2000 in a Nutshell

Chapter 15. Security and Encryption

Over one hundred million messages are sent across the world’s networks every single day. People use email for all the same purposes for which they use paper-based mail or the telephone—to send a greeting, ask a question, set up a meeting, or inform others of a new product. The majority of these exchanges are routine, and while they are important to the individuals who send and receive them, most are not critical.

Some of this information is critical however—very critical. With the explosive growth of the Internet, businesses have embraced email as a routine form of correspondence. It’s fast, and it’s almost free. In today’s world of fast-paced developments and decisions, to a business fast and free are both Good Things. As a result, it is not uncommon to find business contracts, proposals, and financial information all being exchanged via email. What a lot of people do not understand is that email is transferred around the Internet in the form of clear text SMTP messages.

Since 1997 Outlook has supported the end-to-end encryption of messages using S/MIME (Secure Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions). When was the last time you exchanged encrypted email with someone? It’s ironic, but the same people who fret about using a credit card online, think nothing of sending reams of confidential information, wrapped in the guise of an email, over the Internet.

If all this technology is available, why don’t more people use it? For a variety of reasons:

• Many ...