Sending or receiving confidential and sensitive data can pose a significant risk to your privacy and security. Email communications are susceptible to interception and hacking, making it crucial to take steps to protect your information. Outlook is one of the most popular email clients in use today and offers various security measures to help safeguard your data. In this blog post, we will discuss how to send secure email in Outlook.
How to Send Secure Email in Outlook?
1. Encrypt Your Emails
Outlook has a built-in encryption feature that enables you to send encrypted emails. When you encrypt an email, the message is scrambled, which makes it unreadable to anyone who does not have the decryption key. To encrypt an email in Outlook, click the Options tab when composing an email and select the Encrypt button. You can also set encryption as the default option, which ensures that every email you send is encrypted automatically.
2. Use Digital Signatures
A digital signature adds an additional layer of security to your emails, which informs the recipient that the email is legitimately from you. A digital signature is a unique identifier that is attached to your emails, and it verifies your identity. To use a digital signature in Outlook, click the File tab, select Options, then Trust Center and click Trust Center Settings. Select Email Security, choose Add Digital Signature to Outgoing Messages, and click OK.
3. Password Protect Attachments
Attachments can contain confidential information, making it necessary to add an extra layer of security. Password-protecting your attachments ensures that only those with the password can access them. To password protect an attachment, right-click on the file and select Properties. Next, click the Advanced button and select Encrypt contents to secure data. Finally, set a password and click OK.
4. Avoid Sending Sensitive Information
It is best to avoid sending sensitive information via email. Use secure file-sharing tools such as Dropbox, OneDrive, or SharePoint to share confidential data. If you must send sensitive information, encrypt your email and use digital signatures.
5. Secure Your Account
Your Outlook account may be at risk if you have a weak password or if you share your credentials. Prevent unauthorized access to your account by creating a strong password, enabling two-factor authentication, and being cautious when logging onto your account from a public computer.
Conclusion
Email is an invaluable tool for communication, but it comes with significant security risks. Sending sensitive information via email is risky and can lead to severe privacy breaches. Luckily, Outlook offers various security measures to help protect your data. By following the guidelines discussed in this post, you can send secure email from your Outlook account, ensuring that your information stays private and secure.