Encrypted emails in Outlook Express

How to set up Outlook Express for receiving encrypted emails

Getting individual email certificate from an authority (skip this if you already have one)

You can obtain a certificate from several certificate authorities; some of them issue free certificates while others offer paid-for ones. We suggest you use Comodo Group to get a free certificate (valid for one year).

• Getting a certificate from Comodo authority:
  1. Open the link http://www.comodo.com/, then click "Email security certificate"; on a new window click "Get your free email cert now" (or you can just follow the link https://secure.comodo.com/products/frontpage?area=SecureEmailCertificate)
  2. Fill up the required fields, then click "Agree and continue"
  3. A little later you will receive an email from Comodo Group; click "Click & Install Comodo Email Certificate" in the body of the message - your email certificate will be installed on Outlook Express automatically.

• Getting a certificate from the Outlook Express
  1. Start Outlook Express
  2. Select "Tools" -- "Options" -- "Security"
  3. Click "Get Digital ID..." and follow the instructions.

Installing existing (previously obtained) email certificate on Outlook Express (Note: certificate obtained from Comodo Group as described above is installed automatically).

1. Start Outlook Express
2. Go under "Tools" -- "Options" -- "Security" and there click "Digital IDs..."
3. Click "Import" to start Certificate Import Wizard, then follow the instructions to specify an appropriate certificate file and settings. If you are not sure about the settings, defaults will do just fine.

Share a public part (key) of a certificate with senders

When you properly installed your individual email certificate on Outlook Express, you have to extract a public key from the certificate, save it in a special file and then deliver it to those senders who will send you encrypted emails.

1. Start Outlook Express
2. Go under "Tools" -- "Options" -- "Security"
3. Click "Digital IDs..."
4. On the "Personal" tab select your certificate (use "View" button, switch to "Details", then verify that "Subject" matches your email address), then click "Export" to start Certificate Export Wizard
5. Follow the instructions of the wizard
   • You can safely leave all default settings and just click "Next"
   • When specifying a file name to hold a public key of your certificate, call attention to it's name and location: it is the file you will use later to deliver to the senders.
6. Deliver a generated above file to the chosen senders.

After you delivered your public key to the senders, they must properly installed it on their email clients and use "Encrypt" option of the email software to encrypt messages before sending them to you.

How to set up Outlook Express for sending encrypted emails

Getting a public key of a recipient's certificate

• A recipient to whom you wish to send encrypted email messages must provide you with his or her public key.
• Normally, a public key is extracted from a certificate to a file with a .CER file type (extension) and then simply delivered to you in any way (sent with a message, posted on a web site from which it can be downloaded, or the like). Note: a public key is not a secret, therefore it can be passed using any insecure public channels.

Installing a recipient's public key on Outlook Express

1. Start Outlook Express.
2. Go to the "Contacts".
3. Right click on a recipient to whom you are going to send encrypted emails from the list, then click "Properties". If the recipient is not in the contacts, add him or her to the list.
4. Click on the "Certificates" tab.
5. Make sure that an appropriate email address of the recipient is set; it must be exactly the recipient's email address for which you have a public key.
6. Click "Import", specify a file with a public key which the recipient shared with you; typically, it is a file with a .CER file type (extension).
7. Click "OK"

Encrypting email messages

1. Compose a message as usual
2. Before sending the message, click "Encrypt" (if you don't see "Encrypt" button, you can use "Tools" -- "Encrypt" on a menu).
3. If you have done everything correctly, a blue lock appears on the right of the "To" field on the "Compose a message" window.
4. Click "Send"