e-mail encryption
E-mail encryption refers to encryption, and often authentication, of e-mail messages. E-mail encryption usually relies on public-key cryptography.
E-mail encryption protocols
Popular protocols for e-mail encryption include:
STARTTLS
The STARTTLS SMTP extension is a TLS (SSL) layer on top of the SMTP connection. While it protects traffic from being snooped between two e-mail servers, it is technically not encryption of e-mails because the content of messages is revealed to, and can be tampered with by involved e-mail relays. In other words, the encryption takes place between individual SMTP relays, not between the sender and the recipient. When both relays support STARTTLS, it is used regardless of whether the e-mail contents is encrypted using another protocol.
Encrypted e-mail services
Some web-based email (webmail) services provide e-mail encryption as a feature.
See also
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