Encrypting and digitally signing email messages

You can set HCL Notes® to digitally sign and encrypt email messages you send to other Notes® users or to users over the Internet.

About this task

Digital signatures are the computerized equivalent of a handwritten signature, but they are much harder to forge. In Notes®, your digital signature is created with your private key and then verified with your public key.

When you send an email message, the recipient's status bar element indicates if the document has been signed, encrypted, or both, as follows:

  • When you send a message with a digital signature attached, the recipient's status bar indicator displays an icon of a document with a pen. Your hierarchical name also shows up in the status bar, identifying that the email was sent with your User ID.
  • When you send a message that has been encrypted, the recipient's status bar indicator displays an icon of a document with a padlock.
  • When you send a message that has been encrypted and has a digital signature attached, the recipient's status bar indicator displays an icon of a document with a pen and a padlock. Your hierarchical name also shows up in the status bar.
  • When you send a message that is neither encrypted nor signed, the status bar indicator icon is grayed out.

If you want to encrypt or sign mail that is being sent over the Internet, you must have an Internet certificate.

If you're working offline with an outgoing mailbox, you can encrypt the mail you send if your organization provides a mobile directory catalog.

Note: A signature can be your name with a graphic or your department information appearing in the body of an email message. This type of signature is different than a digital signature. For more information on signatures, see Adding signatures to mail.

To sign outgoing email messages

Procedure

  1. Click Delivery Options above the message.
  2. Select Sign.
  3. Optional: To sign all messages you send, select Save these security options as the default.
  4. Click OK.

To encrypt outgoing email messages

Procedure

  1. Click File > Security > User Security (Macintosh OS X users: Notes > Security > User Security).
  2. Click Mail.
  3. Select "Encrypt mail that you send" under "Security options that apply to all Notes® mail."

To encrypt saved email messages

Procedure

  1. CFile > Security > User Security (Macintosh OS X users: Notes > Security > User Security).
  2. Click Mail.
  3. Select "Encrypt saved copy of mail that you send" under "Security options that apply to all Notes® mail."

To encrypt incoming mail that is unencrypted

Procedure

  1. Click File > Security > User Security (Macintosh OS X users: Notes > Security > User Security).
  2. Click Mail.
  3. Select "When receiving unencrypted mail, encrypt before storing in your mail file" under "Security options that apply to all Notes® mail."
    Note: If you do not have Author access to your person record in the Domino® Directory, this option is grayed out. You must contact your administrator to change this value for you.