Is my email encrypted when it is sent?
Sending my email
mailbox informs you about possible transport encryption before you send a message. After entering a recipient address, simple icons indicate the supported transport encryption of the receiving mail provider. This way, you gain more security and transparency for your private communication.
mailbox classifies the recipient’s email providers into four levels:
| Level | Description | Symbol |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Highest SSL/TLS security standard, additionally protected with DANE and DNSSEC. | Two green checkmarks |
| 2 | Normal SSL/TLS encryption is supported. | One green checkmark |
| 3 | No communication has yet taken place with the target system. | Grey warning triangle |
| 4 | The target system does not support any transport encryption. | Red prohibition sign |
Secure transport encryption worldwide
When sending emails between different providers, the connection between the mail servers involved is usually encrypted using TLS. This means that malicious third parties, acting as “man-in-the-middle” attackers, can manipulate the SMTP connection setup whilst an email is being sent, thereby forcing an unencrypted transmission.
mailbox provides additional protection for email transmission by taking into account the security level of the communication partners. If a destination server – with which an encrypted connection was previously possible – suddenly no longer offers a secure transmission, the sending of emails is automatically halted to protect your emails. Our administrators then investigate the matter to lift the security block if necessary.
In this way, mailbox helps to ensure that emails are transmitted securely between the mail servers involved – even when communicating with providers outside Germany. This protection is not limited to a fixed group of participating providers, but can, in principle, apply to all mail servers with which a suitably encrypted connection could previously be established.
