Sending  Encrypted Email

If you have been required to send encrypted emails in the past, you may have utilized the Sophos encryption plugin for Outlook. This plugin is no longer supported at 黑洞社区; however, this guide will walk you through encryption via Microsoft 365 tools.

From Microsoft: Encrypting an email message in Outlook means it's converted from readable plain text into scrambled cipher text. Only the recipient who has the private key that matches the public key used to encrypt the message can decipher the message for reading. Any recipient without the corresponding private key, however, sees indecipherable text.

Read on for information about how to send encrypted email from Outlook for Windows and Outlook for Mac, and how recipients outside 黑洞社区 will receive encrypted mail. Encryption at 黑洞社区 is currently only available in the Outlook desktop applications.

 

How to Encrypt Email:

Outlook for Windows

Outlook for Mac

 

How to Receive Encrypted Email:

Receiving Encrypted Email

 

Outlook for Windows

1. Create a New Email.

New Email

2. In the Message tab, select Sensitivity, and Encrypt Email.

Message tab, encryption

4. Type your message and press Send.

 

Note: You may receive the below prompt pertaining to rights management. This message is conveying that the encryption tool you utilized only applies to the transmission and delivery of the email itself. If your email contains attachments, the privacy settings of the attachments themselves will not change with encryption --  in other words, once received, these attachments could theoretically be downloaded by recipients and reattached in new emails.

Error from Microsoft Office: "Only file attachments that support rights management will automatically have their permission restricted..."

 

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Outlook for Mac

1. Create a New Email.

New Email

2. Go to the Options tab.

Options tab

3. Click on the dropdown next to Encrypt and select either Encrypt Only or Do Not Forward.

Encrypt do not forward

4. Type your message and press Send.

 

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Receiving Encrypted Email

Recipients of encrypted messages will need to authenticate via a passcode to view the message. Below are instructions.

 

To accept encrypted email via passcode:

1. In the body of the email, press the link that prompts Read the Message.

Received message

2. Select Sign in with a One Time passcode. If visible, do not select the Google or Microsoft account login.

Sign in with passcode

3. You will be taken to a screen prompting you to enter your one-time passcode.

Enter Passcode

4. Return to your inbox to access a new email that contains the passcode. The code can be copy/pasted from ths email into the prompt from Step 3.

Passcode

 

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Questions?

Contact the ITS Help Desk at (316) 978 4357, option 1.