How to Encrypt and Digitally Sign a Thunderbird email

Thunderbird is a pop free e-mail client that comes amongst groovy feature. It is used past times many people as well as has numerous add-ons which tin live used to extend its functionality as well as appearance. Generally, the emails are sent over the untrusted network which is vulnerable to safety threats. In gild to protect your information beingness exposed to unintended intruders, y'all require to seat inwards an encryption machinery to Thunderbird.

Emails inwards Thunderbird are sent without encryption as well as are vulnerable to eavesdropping from the cyberspace hackers as well as intruders. Thunderbird doesn’t convey a built-in capability to secure the email, however, they tin live encrypted amongst the help of PGP, GPG suite as well as a Thunderbird extension called Enigmail. Enigmail connects to the GPG tool inwards gild to implement the encryption.

In this article, nosotros guide y'all on how to encrypt as well as digitally sign emails on Thunderbird using a pop world primal encryption protocol called Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) customer as well as a GPG tool that is based on PGP client. While the extension camouflages the sensitive information y'all transportation on an untrusted network, Earth primal encryption cannot encrypt the transparent information similar e-mail discipline line, From as well as To addresses equally these require to live clear inwards gild to straight the information to the terminate user.

Encrypt Thunderbird Email

Download as well as Install the GPG Suite

GPG Suite is a bundle used to encrypt as well as decrypt the e-mail messages. The GPG tool is based on PGP customer as well as it is available for free. This is an opened upwardly beginning projection which tin live installed amongst only a few clicks. Following steps volition explicate how to install the GPG suite.

• Download the GPG suite file here.
• To mountain the image, Double click on the downloaded file as well as click on the Install push to install the GPG Suite.

Download as well as Install Enigmail inwards Thunderbird

• Launch Thunderbird as well as navigate to Tools.
• Click Add-ons as well as search for extension Enigmail.
• Hit the Add to Thunderbird push as well as i time the installation is consummate a novel pick called OpenPGP volition live added to the menu.

Creating PGP keys

Follow the below steps to exercise your world as well as someone keys.

• Navigate to OpenPGP as well as click Setup Wizard.
• Choose the pick Yes, I would similar the magician to teach me started as well as click the Next button.
• In the novel windows that pops up, Select the appropriate pick if y'all desire to sign all your outgoing e-mail past times default as well as click the Next button.
• In the novel window that pops up, Select the appropriate pick if y'all desire to encrypt all the outgoing e-mail past times default as well as click the Next button.

Now the Wizard volition display e-mail settings which y'all tin modify to brand certain at that spot are no problems amongst signing as well as encrypting e-mail on your machine. You tin direct the pick No if y'all convey already made a modify to few default settings inwards gild to brand OpenPGP piece of occupation improve on your auto else y'all tin select Yes to allow the Wizard configure your e-mail settings to brand OpenPGP piece of occupation to a greater extent than reliably.

• Next, exercise a novel primal distich to Sign as well as encrypt email. Here y'all tin either usage i of your existing keys to sign, encrypt as well as decrypt emails; or y'all tin direct to exercise a novel primal distich for signing as well as encrypting email.
• If y'all desire to exercise a novel primal distich for signing as well as encrypting email, click the Next button.

In uncomplicated words, creating a primal distich is goose egg but a generating world primal as well as someone key. In cryptography, Earth primal is shared amongst people who desire to transportation y'all an email. The world primal of a recipient is used for e-mail encryption. The someone key, on the other hand, is associated amongst Earth primal as well as is used for decrypting the encrypted e-mail message.

• Enter the passphrase as well as click Next. This passphrase is essential to protect the someone key.

In the Summary page, click the Next push to exercise a novel 2048-bit OpenPGP key.

At last, y'all volition live prompted to generate a revocation certificate. You tin either direct to Skip or Generate a Certificate which tin live used to invalidate your primal inwards illustration your undercover primal gets lost or compromised.

Verify the Setup

Follow the below steps to depository fiscal establishment fit if everything is ready correctly

• Navigate to Tools
• Select  Account Settings from the menu
• Select the draw of piece of occupation organisation human relationship for which y'all generated primal pair.
• Select OpenPGP Security from the menu.
• Make certain the pick Enable OpenPGP back upwardly (Enigmail) for this identity is checked.

Also, the pick Use specific OpenPGP key should live selected

Digitally Sign & Encrypt Thunderbird email

Once the Enigmail is setup the side past times side footstep is to encrypt as well as decrypt the email. Follow the below steps to Sign-in as well as encrypt the Thunderbird email.

Launch Thunderbird as well as compose a novel email.

Navigate OpenPGP. Select the option Sign Message and Encrypt Message from the drop-down menu.

Click on the pick Attach My Public Key to add together a world primal to the email. Enigmail gives an pick to attach Earth primal on the e-mail compose window or lets y'all upload Earth primal to world keyserver that tin live accessed past times anyone.

Give the recipients world primal to encrypt email.

Once done your message volition live encrypted as well as sent.

To decrypt the encrypted message, y'all require to give the passphrase inwards gild to display the message equally whatever other email.

That’s all.

Source: https://www.thewindowsclub.com/