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Securing your Email – Assigning and Using a Digital Certificate for Secure Email in Thunderbird

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Thunderbird Secure EmailIn order to use a Digital Certificate for Secure Email, you need to install the Certificate in to Thunderbird.  Installing the Certificate is straightforward.  Unfortunately, to use PGP – Public Key and Private Key Encryption in Thunderbird takes a little bit of effort to setup and install.

The steps are clearly defined with Screen Shots at the Thunderbird Documentation Site:

https://support.mozillamessaging.com/en-US/kb/digitally-signing-and-encrypting-messages

In short, Thunderbird uses the PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) Protocol to Encrypt and Digitally Sign email messages implemented through Open Source software.  The two required components are GnuPG: (GNU Privacy Guard): a free software implementation of the commercial version of PGP and the free Enigmail Thunderbird add-on.  (An add-on is small helper application software program that “adds-on” specific functionality.)
To learn more about Public Key and Private Key encryption read my article, “Securing your Email – Understanding Public Key and Private Key Encryption.”

In the documentation referenced above, you download the appropriate version of GnuPG for Windows, Mac, or Linux, the follow the instructions for installing the Enigmail Add-on.

Next, you create your Public Key and Private Key using a Key Generation Wizard.  Then you have the option of setting your configuration to sign all of your outgoing Email with your Digital Signature or on a per message basis.  This operates pretty much the same way in every Email client regardless of vendor.

Digitally signing a messages is as easy as selecting, “Sign Message” from the NEW OpenPGP tab on your Thunderbird Menu Bar.  Same holds true for “Encrypting” a message.

As with all Public Key and Private Key encryption, when you Digitally Sign an email, you must make sure to attach your Public Key with your message. This allows the Recipient to save your Public Key so that they can encrypt an email message to you.  It also allows them to Authenticate an email Digitally Signed by you.

When you receive an email encrypted with your Public Key, you will use your Private Key Passphrase to decrypt the message and read it.  Once both you and your Recipient have each other’s Public Key’s you can start to send and receive Encrypted and Digitally Signed email at will.

The Thunderbird OpenPGP add-on makes Digitally Signing, sending and receiving Encypted Email a breeze.

GnuPG Project Information
http://www.gnupg.org/

Enigmail Information
http://www.enigmail.net

 

Securing your Email – Assigning and Using a Digital Certificate for Secure Email in Outlook

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Digital SignatureIn order to use a Digital Certificate for Secure Email, you need to install the Certificate in to your specific version of Outlook and assign it to the correct profile.  This is usually the default profile if you are the only one that uses your copy of Microsoft Outlook.

In most cases, when you retrieve the Digital Certificate for Secure Email, the Internet Explorer Web Browser will automatically store it in the Windows Digital Certificate Store for you.  Most editions of Microsoft Outlook can automatically access the Microsoft Windows Digital Certificate Store.  If for some reason the Digital Certificate for Secure Email does not properly appear visible in a version of Outlook, use the tutorials below to verify the settings.

If you used FireFox to request and retrieve your Digital Certificate for Secure Email, you may need to Export/Backup then Import/Restore the Digital Certificate for Secure Email in to Internet Explorer so that it is visible to Microsoft Windows Digital Certificate Store.

Please visit the following links for excellent tutorials on the process.

Outlook 2003
https://www.globalsign.com/support/personal-certificate/per_outlook03.html

Outlook 2007
https://www.globalsign.com/support/personal-certificate/per_outlook07.html

Outlook 2010
https://support.comodo.com/index.php?_m=knowledgebase&_a=viewarticle&kbarticleid=1348

Outlook Express – Versions 5 and 6
http://www.comodo.com/support/products/email_certs/oe_5_6.php

Microsoft Outlook 98 – 2000
https://www.globalsign.com/support/personal-certificate/per_outlook9800.php

Windows Mobile PDA
https://www.globalsign.com/support/personal-certificate/per_wm_pda.php

In general, to Digitally Sign or Encrypt an email message, when composing the message look under the OPTIONS tab,  – More Options, Security Settings, or Permissions – depending on your version of Outlook. There you will be presented with the option to Digitally Sign and/or Encrypt your message.

REMEMBER:  Before you can encrypt a message to a Recipient, you must have that Recipients PUBLIC key.  To exchange your key with a potential recipient, send him or her any email message that is Digitally Signed.  This message will include your PUBLIC key and for future Authentication, allow the Recipient to store your key in his or her contact list. Then, the Recipient should reply back to you with his or her Public key.  Once you have your intended Recipients Public Key, you can encrypt your email communications on a selective basis and vice-versa.
To learn more about Public Key and Private Key encryption read my article, “Securing your Email – Understanding Public Key and Private Key Encryption.”