{"id":2657,"date":"2021-11-09T08:44:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-09T08:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sectigostore.com\/blog\/?p=2657"},"modified":"2022-08-25T16:29:07","modified_gmt":"2022-08-25T16:29:07","slug":"how-to-send-documents-securely-via-email","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sectigostore.com\/blog\/how-to-send-documents-securely-via-email\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Send Documents Securely via Email"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Data from Radicati<\/a> shows that business and consumer emails are expected to surpass 347 billion by EOY 2023. With this massive attack surface in mind, let\u2019s explore how you can send documents securely via email<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Every time we have to send a document containing personal information, pictures, or our bank account number and details to someone, we usually do it via email without a second thought. It\u2019s easy: we write the message, attach the file, and send it \u2014 all just in a few clicks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What if you send the email to the wrong email address by mistake, though? Verizon\u2019s 2021 DBIR report<\/a> shows that misdelivery (i.e., sending emails to the wrong recipients) is the second leading error issue in public administration-related data breaches. Or, even worse, what if a hacker intercepts the email during the transmission and the sensitive information in the attached document is stolen? We\u2019ll answer the burning question we know you\u2019re wanting an answer to: \u201chow can I send documents securely via email?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, we\u2019ll answer all these questions and explore different methods relating to how to send documents securely via email. Before we start, though, let\u2019s have a look to the risks of sending sensible information without protecting it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using Strong Passwords and Following Basic Security Protection Rules Are Not Enough<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Billions of emails are being sent every day, but not every email sent is safe or secure. Many people think that email is secured simply because it is password protected or because they are using two-factor authentication (2FA) or TLS<\/a> (Transport Layer Security). However, these are not enough on their own. Once the email has left your inbox, you basically have lost any control of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All emails are sent via the simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP<\/a>), which doesn\u2019t use any authentication at the transport level and is inherently insecure, according to the IETF\u2019s RFC 5321<\/a>. The email is sent in clear text while it is being transmitted. This means that without adequate protection, sending an email is like sending a postcard: anyone can read it at any time! This means that while a message is sitting on your recipient\u2019s server, it could be vulnerable to attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What can you do then? Here are four methods for how to send documents securely via email:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4 Methods: How to Send Documents Securely via Email<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are many different methods to send your email and personal information securely via email. We will have a look to the most important ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Protect Your Documents and Files Using a Strong Password<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The first option is to protect the document you want to send with a password before you attach it to your email. To do this in Microsoft Office, follow these steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n