Encrypting outgoing emails

[witch]

Our SENco has just been told that she needs to encrypt her outgoing emails. Incoming emails from the LA are encrypted with Cisco encryption (not on my network so I am not sure) but as far as I know there isn't anyway to encrypt outgoing stuff?

We use easymail and I am not aware of any method of encrypting.

Can anyone suggest what she should do? Are there any free solutions?

Has anyone got this Cisco and can show me how to encrypt?

Nobody at county seems to know the answer to any of my questions!

 

ta

[Arthur]

Outlook + S/MIME Certificate perhaps?

[bossman]

@witch:

 

Are these any good MSSB

 

The Best Free Ways to Send Encrypted Email and Secure Messages

[Boredguy]

I assume this is for the same school your migrating to Office 365?

 

Our Senco just uses a password protected zip file to send data back out our LA. A password was previously agreed and it seems to meet their requirements.

[FN-GM]

I assume this is for the same school your migrating to Office 365?

 

Our Senco just uses a password protected zip file to send data back out our LA. A password was previously agreed and it seems to meet their requirements.

 

You know thats pretty pointless? Password protected ZIP files are very easy to crack. You should use z-zip and use the encryption feature.

[Arthur]

You should use z-zip and use the encryption feature.

Do you mean 7-zip with AES-256 encryption?

 

http://snag.gy/pFQXQ.jpg

[edutech4schools]

If the la need you to do something as a requirement should they not be setting this up and paying for it. Our LA gives all the schools access to an email encrypting service as it is something they have asked for.

[Boredguy]

It is 7-Zip they are using... still technically a password protected one

[bossman]

Our County uses this for file transfers:

 

AnyComms

 

Very cool and can be used in conjunction with Sims

[FN-GM]

Do you mean 7-zip with AES-256 encryption?

 

http://snag.gy/pFQXQ.jpg

 

I did mean 7-zip. God knows who z-zip are!

[jmak]

In a previous job I used a commercial implementation of PGP for secure file transfer. There is a free one which gets reasonable ratings and also has an Outlook plugin:

 

Gpg4win - Secure email and file encryption with GnuPG for Windows

 

It's also an implementation of S/MIME which Arthur mentions above.

[ijk]

I would spend some time finding out whether your school can be provided with accounts within the system the LA is using. Without that I *think* you're stuffed. Email encryption with PGP requires both parties to have exchanged public keys (of a public/private key pair). In order to send an encrypted email to someone you need the PGP software to encrypt the email with the recipient's public key prior to sending. (They then use their private key to decrypt the email.) It is a requirement for everyone who wants to exchange encrypted email to have this set up. I'm sure you can see that that is unlikely to be the case. I think that is why most LAs have opted to use these sort of turnkey solutions, which I think, from limited encounters with them are sort of walled gardens that users log into and create/send/read 'emails' to each other, usually at a [email protected] level. Schools often being outside of that. That may not be the case in your LA and with the Cisco system you mention, but without more information it's difficult to tell.

 

So I think I'd spend some time trying to find which service you would need to buy into. If that fails spend some time finding out what alternative would be acceptable to the LA, e.g., and as mentioned in other posts, using encrypted archives. I think it will depend what information is being exchanged. Some data, e.g. Children in Need registers probably cannot exit the LA network in any form, so some caution understanding what data is being exchanged is prudent.

 

All the best,

Nic

[witch]

This is my other school and I think it is indeed the LA's problem as the SENco has a computer on their admin network, not mine. But I was asked so I am doing my best to look into it. The office staff receive encrypted stuff but dont encrypt in return

Thanks @bossman, MLNM

 

I dont think we can pay for anything. Maybe I'll get her to look at 7-zip

[bossman]

@witch:

 

MSSB ;D

 

All those links apart from the last one are free to use and would not take much time at all in setting up as in software having to be installed as they are all web based.

 

Simple to use for the end user and no having to send 2 e-mails one with the encrypted zip file attached and one with the password which slows the process down.

 

Your call MSSB just happy to be of service

[witch]

Thanks MLMN

TBH it is the admin network which isnt my responsibility anyway. I have thrown it back at the HT and he is going to ask county. Will tell him about the free solutions as well, thanks

[sukh]

Office 365 technology - Introducing Office 365 Message Encryption: Send encrypted emails to anyone!