End-to-end encryption protects your messages from unauthorized access by ensuring that only the sender and recipient can read them. This is important for privacy.
The application supports two end-to-end encryption methods:
–OpenPGP: an affordable and flexible standard.
–S/MIME: uses certificates obtained from trusted certificate authorities (CAs).
Before setting up encryption, you need to connect and configure your account, and you will need:
–for OpenPGP: private and public keys (you can create them in the app).
–For S/MIME: a certificate obtained from a trusted certificate authority.
Configuring OpenPGP keys
For encryption and signing according to OpenPGP standard you need to create a pair of keys: public and private. The created keys are stored in the OpenPGP bundle. The private key is stored locally, the public key can be distributed.
The private key is used for signing and decryption, while the public key is used for encrypting messages by senders. After generation, the application will prompt you to save a backup copy of the private key — be sure to do this, for example, save it on an external storage medium, to restore access if you lose the key.
To create or import an OpenPGP key:
1.Open the end-to-end encryption settings by following the steps:
a.From the ☰ MyOffice Mail menu, select Account Settings. The Account Settings tab opens.
b.In the left pane, select End-To-End Encryption. The encryption settings open.
c.In the OpenPGP area, click Add Key. The Create a new OpenPGP Key window opens.
2.If you want to create a new personal key, follow the steps:
a.Select the Create a new OpenPGP key option.
b.Define the key expiration time (recommended indefinitely, but you can customize the time period to 1-2 years, for example).
c.Select the key type (RSA is recommended) and key size (4096 bits is recommended).
3.If you need to import your existing personal key, follow the steps:
a.Select the Import an existing OpenPGP Key option.
b.Select the key file on your device.
4.Confirm the creation or import of the key.
It may take up to a few minutes to generate the key. The app will bind it to your account. This is the key part of encryption — it determines who can send you an encrypted email and how.
Setting up S/MIME
For S/MIME encryption and signing, you need to import the appropriate certificates.
Contact a certificate authority (CA) to obtain a personal certificate.
To import and enable an S/MIME certificate:
1.Open the end-to-end encryption settings by following the steps:
a.From the ☰ MyOffice Mail menu, select Account Settings. The Account Settings tab opens.
b.In the left pane, select End-To-End Encryption. The encryption settings open.
c.In the S/MIME area, click Manage S/MIME certificates. The Certificate Manager window opens.
2.Import your certificate by following the steps:
a.Select the Your Certificates tab.
b.Click the Import button. A window opens to select a file.
c.Select the certificate file on your device and click Open.
3.Import a trusted certificate in the same way on the Authorities tab.
4.In the End-To-End Encryption section in the S/MIME area, select your Personal certificate for digital signing and Personal certificate for encryption with the Select buttons.
You will be able to sign and encrypt emails through S/MIME.
Verify that encryption works
Before using encryption, you need to make sure that emails are encrypted and signed correctly.
To test the automatic encryption of your messages:
1.Make sure that the Enable encryption for new messages option is selected under End-To-End Encryption section in the Default settings for sending messages area.
2.Open the Message Composition Window.
3.Verify that the address in the From field matches the account you configured.
4.Enter your email address in the To field.
5.Enter the text of the message.
6.If the Encrypt button is not clicked, click it.
7.Send the email by clicking Send.
Upon receipt, check that the encryption tag is displayed in the header and that the content is decrypted correctly.