What Is It?
Encryption
is used to code an email during transmission so that it cannot be read
or tampered with during transmission. Recipients of an encrypted email
can verify the identity of the sender and know that the information
contained in the message has not been intercepted or changed. Because
the recipient can verify the identity of the sender, encryption also
provides authentication. A digital signature is legally binding and
cannot be repudiated or forged.
The sender and recipient use a key pair: a private key and a public
key. The public key encrypts the message and the recipient
uses the matching private key and password to decrypt it. Email encryption
is used today for both business and personal reasons. The Internet is
a public network and when you send information such as bank account
data, passwords, social security numbers, or any kind of private data
without encryption, you cannot guarantee that it will remain private.
How VeriSign Can Help
VeriSign is the leading secure
sockets layer (SSL)
Certificate Authority enabling secure e-commerce
and confidential communications for Web sites, intranets, and extranets.
Our Digital IDs provide an electronic means of verifying your identity,
a security measure increasingly used in email communications and Web-based
applications.
Related Products and Services
Product |
Description |
|
Installed in your Web browser or email
software, a Digital ID digitally signs and encrypts emails and attachments..
|
|
Installed in your AOL Instant Messenger
software, a Digital ID digitally signs and encrypts your AOL IMs. |
|
Allows authors to create AdobeŽ Portable
Document Format (PDF) files that automatically certify to the recipient
that the author's identity has been verified by a trusted organization,
and that the document has not been altered in any way. |
|
Enterprise Digital ID for Microsoft Exchange
and Lotus Domino/Notes installations to encrypt and digitally sign enterprise
email and instant messages. |
Worldwide Sites
