We’re all living in an increasingly digital age, but we wake up to the same piece of technology every morning: The email inbox.

It’s an interesting paradox. Sensitive information is being exchanged online in increasing volumes every day, and hackers are getting more clever at finding it. But most people use email that is only superficially encrypted, and thus much more susceptible to a breach.

It’s time to get the word out about encrypted email. This article offers everything you need to know to get started: what encrypted email is, how encrypted email works, why encrypted email is important, who should use encrypted email, how many of your emails you should encrypt, why encryption should go beyond email, and much more. And here’s the kicker: you don’t have to be super tech-savvy to keep up.

We’ll also explain how to find the right encryption email service for you. Thankfully, encrypting your email couldn’t be easier (or more free). Thanks to services like Skiff, you can protect yourself and your inbox without any configuration needed.

You don’t have to be a coder to understand what encrypted email is, or how it functions. Basically, encrypted email is email that has been converted from plain text (the words you receive or write) to an unreadable, undecipherable format. But don’t worry — you’ll still be able to read your emails fine, from urgent work messages, to your tax preparer’s updates, to your recent lab report, to your aunt’s holiday photos (fifteen blurry photos of Niagara Falls, huh?). You’re the only person for whom your inbox is not encrypted, meaning you’re the only one who can read your emails.

That’s right: without encrypted email, you’re not guaranteed to be the only one clicking through your inbox. With encrypted email, your inbox is truly your own, but it’s also a matter of safety and privacy — and you don’t have to be a member of the CIA to benefit from its protections.

Interested in the nuts and bolts? Well, if you use an email service that supports encryption like Skiff, you don’t have to worry too much about the details. That’s why expert engineers exist, after all. But here’s a description of the process that users who don’t think in binary code can understand.

Email encryption works through cryptography, which is a method of protecting information and communications through the use of codes, similar to how cryptocurrency services protect the Bitcoin in your digital wallet. Usually, email encryption uses “public key” cryptography, which includes two keys of code for each user: one public key, and one private key. While the public key can safely be widely distributed, the private key is known only by the user. That way, the user is the only one who has direct access to their inbox, all while the public key seamlessly allows communication to other parties.

For example, when you receive an email through a provider of end-to-end encryption like Skiff, the email is encrypted using your public key. Then, the email is decrypted using your private key. These two keys work in tandem to encrypt and decrypt your communications without a hitch, so that you aren’t actually interacting with code — you’re simply enjoying the benefits of ultra-secure email.

Interacting with this technology couldn’t be easier, but that’s because it’s the newest, more innovative and intuitive evolution of software programs of the past, such as Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) and Secure Multi-purpose Internet Mail Extension (S/MIME). Released in 1991, PGP encrypts and decrypts email messages using public key cryptography, including techniques still widely used today, such as digital signatures and data compression. S/MIME is built into most encrypted email software services and allows yet another layer of security to a model similar to PGP by requiring users to obtain keys directly from a specific Certificate Authority, a digital entity that acts as a verification tool.

Since email was invented, developers have worked on software to encrypt it. After all, using encryption for sensitive material goes all the way back to the Roman Empire, when King Caesar sent encrypted documents to his troops in battle! In our modern world, we are constantly dealing with sensitive information in the digital world, from financial information like bank accounts and credit card numbers, to personal information such as medical records and government-issued identifications, to business-sensitive documents and Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDA). As our lives move more and more online, it makes sense that now, more than ever, there’s a massive need for encrypted email. It’s just the best way to keep your identity, assets, and business dealings safe.

Encrypted email isn’t primarily designed to keep your nosy friend out of your inbox. It’s actually made to keep your information safe from strangers, specifically hackers who have made malicious careers from stealing information from unprotected inboxes and using it for identity theft and worse. Here are the most common types of email attacks:

Phishing attacks are both successful and take minimal effort on the attacker’s part. Phishing can range from pharming, which involves a hacker sending a user to a malicious website that appears legitimate, to deceptive phishing, which involves threatening on that same kind of site. But the most common phishing tactic associated with malicious emails is spear phishing, which tricks users into revealing personal information, such as their log-in.

Viruses involve more planning on the attacker’s part. While email isn’t usually the direct target of a virus, it’s often what lets a virus get in and infiltrate a larger system, such as your computer or a company network, through a malicious email with viruses in its attachments. If you open and download the attachment, the virus is released and begins to steal, exfiltrate, or corrupt (such as ransomware) your information.

Identity theft is the worst of the bunch. You know how your email often automatically logs you into a wide range of other accounts at work and at home? Because email services often come in package deals with other programs, hackers who compromise your email can sift through all the personal and work files that are connected. From there, they can infiltrate the accounts of your coworkers and friends and even pretend to be you in deceptive communications. And if they come across sensitive identifying information, they can pretend to be you on an even larger scale.

Everyone is at risk for phishing, viruses, and most importantly, identity theft. For these reasons, all individuals should use encrypted email. But email encryption solutions like Skiff are also a must for people who have confidential business dealings, such as those who work with clients or have international operations, as well as organizations that host their own email services. Any enterprise that transmits sensitive information without encrypted email is at high risk for an extreme cyberattack or data breach. From a business standpoint, repairing the legal and financial damage of a breach can be a huge expense as far as cost and time. And that’s not even including the reputational damage, the reversal of which not always money can always buy.

It might be tempting to only encrypt emails that contain sensitive information, such as client information if you operate in a business, or identifying information like your social security number if you’re using email personally. But, if you only encrypt a single email message and an attacker intercepts your email traffic, they will see that most of your email communications are unencrypted. A hacker may take that as an open invitation to easily hack the rest of your inbox.

If you encrypt all your emails, even the most determined hacker will see that after decrypting many messages that contain no sensitive information, your account is not worth their time, and move on.

Imagine that you encrypt your entire email inbox. Great job! But if you just encrypt your email, any document that you store online, or confidential notes, could be breached, and the repercussions could be just as worse as if you left your email unprotected.

Today many of the programs we use for working, collaborating, and organizing our personal data are only superficially protected from hacking. Thankfully, end-to-end encryption, or what is commonly called E2EE, is gaining in popularity. Services like Skiff offer end-to-end encrypted software for collaborative notes and even documents hosted online, all in a super convenient package with encryption email services. It’s comprehensive protection, made easy.

There are a number of encrypted email services on the market today, including Skiff, ProtonMail, Tutanota, and Hushmail. Here are the features to look out for when evaluating the right encrypted email service for you:

Many encrypted email services come with a cost. Skiff has and will always be free to use.

If an encrypted email service doesn’t feature end-to-end encryption, it’s just not as safe. This is a foundational requirement for any service you choose.

The right encrypted email service will include encryption for all sensitive documents you keep online, such as the notes you keep, the documents you store, and your online collaboration with others.

It’s no use encrypting all your documents and then running out of space the next week. When choosing the right encrypted email service for you, it’s best to aim for about 10 GB of storage.

Other services might have some of the characteristics listed above, but Skiff has them all, and is the only end-to-end encrypted provider that can be configured to integrate with decentralized storage. This is yet another level of data ownership, and leaves your files even more protected.

While other encrypted email providers only allow paid users to search their email inbox, Skiff offers this feature for free. And that’s just the beginning. With Skiff you can log in with MetaMask, easily and seamlessly sync across all devices, create your own custom domain, and easily migrate from your old unencrypted inbox.

Ready to make the leap? All you have to do is sign up. From there, it’s easy and fast to integrate your old, unencrypted email account. And the best part? Your new level of digital safety is totally free.

We’re all living in an increasingly digital age, but we wake up to the same piece of technology every morning: The email inbox.

It’s an interesting paradox. Sensitive information is being exchanged online in increasing volumes every day, and hackers are getting more clever at finding it. But most people use email that is only superficially encrypted, and thus much more susceptible to a breach.

It’s time to get the word out about encrypted email. This article offers everything you need to know to get started: what encrypted email is, how encrypted email works, why encrypted email is important, who should use encrypted email, how many of your emails you should encrypt, why encryption should go beyond email, and much more. And here’s the kicker: you don’t have to be super tech-savvy to keep up.

We’ll also explain how to find the right encryption email service for you. Thankfully, encrypting your email couldn’t be easier (or more free). Thanks to services like Skiff, you can protect yourself and your inbox without any configuration needed.

You don’t have to be a coder to understand what encrypted email is, or how it functions. Basically, encrypted email is email that has been converted from plain text (the words you receive or write) to an unreadable, undecipherable format. But don’t worry — you’ll still be able to read your emails fine, from urgent work messages, to your tax preparer’s updates, to your recent lab report, to your aunt’s holiday photos (fifteen blurry photos of Niagara Falls, huh?). You’re the only person for whom your inbox is not encrypted, meaning you’re the only one who can read your emails.

That’s right: without encrypted email, you’re not guaranteed to be the only one clicking through your inbox. With encrypted email, your inbox is truly your own, but it’s also a matter of safety and privacy — and you don’t have to be a member of the CIA to benefit from its protections.

Interested in the nuts and bolts? Well, if you use an email service that supports encryption like Skiff, you don’t have to worry too much about the details. That’s why expert engineers exist, after all. But here’s a description of the process that users who don’t think in binary code can understand.

Email encryption works through cryptography, which is a method of protecting information and communications through the use of codes, similar to how cryptocurrency services protect the Bitcoin in your digital wallet. Usually, email encryption uses “public key” cryptography, which includes two keys of code for each user: one public key, and one private key. While the public key can safely be widely distributed, the private key is known only by the user. That way, the user is the only one who has direct access to their inbox, all while the public key seamlessly allows communication to other parties.

For example, when you receive an email through a provider of end-to-end encryption like Skiff, the email is encrypted using your public key. Then, the email is decrypted using your private key. These two keys work in tandem to encrypt and decrypt your communications without a hitch, so that you aren’t actually interacting with code — you’re simply enjoying the benefits of ultra-secure email.

Interacting with this technology couldn’t be easier, but that’s because it’s the newest, more innovative and intuitive evolution of software programs of the past, such as Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) and Secure Multi-purpose Internet Mail Extension (S/MIME). Released in 1991, PGP encrypts and decrypts email messages using public key cryptography, including techniques still widely used today, such as digital signatures and data compression. S/MIME is built into most encrypted email software services and allows yet another layer of security to a model similar to PGP by requiring users to obtain keys directly from a specific Certificate Authority, a digital entity that acts as a verification tool.

Since email was invented, developers have worked on software to encrypt it. After all, using encryption for sensitive material goes all the way back to the Roman Empire, when King Caesar sent encrypted documents to his troops in battle! In our modern world, we are constantly dealing with sensitive information in the digital world, from financial information like bank accounts and credit card numbers, to personal information such as medical records and government-issued identifications, to business-sensitive documents and Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDA). As our lives move more and more online, it makes sense that now, more than ever, there’s a massive need for encrypted email. It’s just the best way to keep your identity, assets, and business dealings safe.

Encrypted email isn’t primarily designed to keep your nosy friend out of your inbox. It’s actually made to keep your information safe from strangers, specifically hackers who have made malicious careers from stealing information from unprotected inboxes and using it for identity theft and worse. Here are the most common types of email attacks:

Phishing attacks are both successful and take minimal effort on the attacker’s part. Phishing can range from pharming, which involves a hacker sending a user to a malicious website that appears legitimate, to deceptive phishing, which involves threatening on that same kind of site. But the most common phishing tactic associated with malicious emails is spear phishing, which tricks users into revealing personal information, such as their log-in.

Viruses involve more planning on the attacker’s part. While email isn’t usually the direct target of a virus, it’s often what lets a virus get in and infiltrate a larger system, such as your computer or a company network, through a malicious email with viruses in its attachments. If you open and download the attachment, the virus is released and begins to steal, exfiltrate, or corrupt (such as ransomware) your information.

Identity theft is the worst of the bunch. You know how your email often automatically logs you into a wide range of other accounts at work and at home? Because email services often come in package deals with other programs, hackers who compromise your email can sift through all the personal and work files that are connected. From there, they can infiltrate the accounts of your coworkers and friends and even pretend to be you in deceptive communications. And if they come across sensitive identifying information, they can pretend to be you on an even larger scale.

Everyone is at risk for phishing, viruses, and most importantly, identity theft. For these reasons, all individuals should use encrypted email. But email encryption solutions like Skiff are also a must for people who have confidential business dealings, such as those who work with clients or have international operations, as well as organizations that host their own email services. Any enterprise that transmits sensitive information without encrypted email is at high risk for an extreme cyberattack or data breach. From a business standpoint, repairing the legal and financial damage of a breach can be a huge expense as far as cost and time. And that’s not even including the reputational damage, the reversal of which not always money can always buy.

It might be tempting to only encrypt emails that contain sensitive information, such as client information if you operate in a business, or identifying information like your social security number if you’re using email personally. But, if you only encrypt a single email message and an attacker intercepts your email traffic, they will see that most of your email communications are unencrypted. A hacker may take that as an open invitation to easily hack the rest of your inbox.

If you encrypt all your emails, even the most determined hacker will see that after decrypting many messages that contain no sensitive information, your account is not worth their time, and move on.

Imagine that you encrypt your entire email inbox. Great job! But if you just encrypt your email, any document that you store online, or confidential notes, could be breached, and the repercussions could be just as worse as if you left your email unprotected.

Today many of the programs we use for working, collaborating, and organizing our personal data are only superficially protected from hacking. Thankfully, end-to-end encryption, or what is commonly called E2EE, is gaining in popularity. Services like Skiff offer end-to-end encrypted software for collaborative notes and even documents hosted online, all in a super convenient package with encryption email services. It’s comprehensive protection, made easy.

There are a number of encrypted email services on the market today, including Skiff, ProtonMail, Tutanota, and Hushmail. Here are the features to look out for when evaluating the right encrypted email service for you:

Many encrypted email services come with a cost. Skiff has and will always be free to use.

If an encrypted email service doesn’t feature end-to-end encryption, it’s just not as safe. This is a foundational requirement for any service you choose.

The right encrypted email service will include encryption for all sensitive documents you keep online, such as the notes you keep, the documents you store, and your online collaboration with others.

It’s no use encrypting all your documents and then running out of space the next week. When choosing the right encrypted email service for you, it’s best to aim for about 10 GB of storage.

Other services might have some of the characteristics listed above, but Skiff has them all, and is the only end-to-end encrypted provider that can be configured to integrate with decentralized storage. This is yet another level of data ownership, and leaves your files even more protected.

While other encrypted email providers only allow paid users to search their email inbox, Skiff offers this feature for free. And that’s just the beginning. With Skiff you can log in with MetaMask, easily and seamlessly sync across all devices, create your own custom domain, and easily migrate from your old unencrypted inbox.

Ready to make the leap? All you have to do is sign up. From there, it’s easy and fast to integrate your old, unencrypted email account. And the best part? Your new level of digital safety is totally free.