What is email encryption? Why is it necessary?

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What is STARTTLS? A simple explanation of how encryption works and how to set it up and check it
2017-07-20(Updated: 2024-12-24 )
Security measures

Are you familiar with the email encryption method "STARTTLS"? In this article, we will introduce how "STARTTLS" works, its advantages and disadvantages, and how it differs from medical mail list SMTPS.



Table of Contents [Hide]

2. What is SSL/TLS?
3. How to encrypt with SSL/TLS
4. What is STARTTLS?
5. STARTTLS mechanism and encryption flow
5.1. Example of how to set up STARTTLS (sending email)
6. Difference between STARTTLS and SMTPS
7. Three advantages of STARTTLS
7.1. Strengthening security through data encryption
7.2. No need for a dedicated port number
7.3. You can send messages even if the recipient does not support encryption.
8. Two Disadvantages of STARTTLS
8.1. Both sender and receiver must support STARTTLS
8.2. I can't tell if it's encrypted
9. Which mail servers support "STARTTLS"?
10. How can I use "STARTTLS" for my company's email delivery?
10.1. Domain Countermeasures
11. Email delivery service "Arara Message" also supports STARTTLS!
12. Summary


What is email encryption and why is it necessary?
First of all, why is email encryption necessary? Without encryption, emails are sent in plain text, which means they can be intercepted or tampered with along the communication path. In particular, if emails containing important or personal information are intercepted or tampered with, various risks arise. For example, if a company's confidential information or personal information is intercepted, it can cause significant damage by leaking the information to a third party.

In addition, if important transaction information is leaked, the company's credibility may be lost. If the contents of the email are tampered with, such as fake invoices or unauthorized links, the recipient may become a victim of fraud. By encrypting email, the contents of the communication are protected and it becomes difficult for third parties to eavesdrop or tamper with them, making it possible to avoid these risks.

Email encryption has now become one of the most important security measures for businesses and individuals.







What is SSL/TLS?
Before explaining STARTTLS, we will explain "SSL/TLS", which should be remembered together with STARTTLS.

SSL/TLS is a protocol (mechanism) that encrypts and transmits data over the Internet. To go into more detail, SSL (Secure Socket Layer) and TLS (Transport Layer Security) are different, and while both are protocols that encrypt and transmit data over the Internet, TLS is an evolved version of SSL that was created to solve the vulnerabilities of SSL.

Currently, TLS is the mainstream and SSL is not generally used, but because the name SSL is so widespread, the terms "SSL" and "SSL/TLS" are still used to refer to both.