Both are based on a pair of private and public key.

The difference is, that with S/MIME the public key will be transformed by an certification agency (CA) to a certificate. This certificate (and not the public key) is, what you publish with your mails (i.e. in your mails signatures) and that someone, who wants to send a encrypted mail to you, uses to encrypt that mail. So you need a CA to get that certificate.

bye    Olaf

Hi, does anyone know of an email encryption process where the sender can encrypt and send an email where the user only needs to enter a password to read the message? Looking for something where I might have the software installed on my machine but the recipient only enters a password to view the message.  TIA

The most basic would be to prepare your message separately and then use a compression progam (like winzip, 7-zip, rar etc.) to store it with encryption.  Then just email that file as a message attachment.  Windows can read zip files without extra software.

If what Paul posted is not what you are looking for ... the usual way is to use encryption in mail is PGP or S/MIME using certificates and public keys. For both there are plugins for Pegasus.

bye   Olaf

If the recipient is using Pegasus Mail you may employ the built-in encryptor.

See Pegasus Mail Help and/or the Pegasus Mail Manual for details.

When we talk about encryption, the first approach that typically comes to mind is password or phrase encryption.

[quote user="crishjohanna"]When we talk about encryption, the first approach that typically comes to mind is password or phrase encryption.[/quote]

yes, and...  I'm not sure how your reply helps the OP.

This week I was made aware of a product called PrivateCrypt, made by a company owned by Sophos.

I've barely researched it but I understand that it essentially creates a secured (AES) ZIP file which auto-decrypts and unpacks when the recipient enters a password.

Pretty sure Winzip offers the same these days, too.

By the way (and off-topic), what encryption algorithm does the built-in Pegasus method use? Is it out of date in the sense that it can be easily be 'cracked'?

[quote user="Sharkfin"] what encryption algorithm does the built-in Pegasus method use? Is it out of date in the sense that it can be easily be 'cracked'?[/quote]

Pmail documentation contains the following info:

"Pegasus Mail incorporates an encryptor which is adequate for day to day use (it is a variant of the old unix "crypt" program using DES to "seed" the encryption key). It also permits third-party developers to add their own encryption technology into the program in a seamless manner. Because of this, the specifics of the encryption options available to you may vary from system to system."

[quote user="Sharkfin"]This week I was made aware of a product called PrivateCrypt, made by a company owned by Sophos. I've barely researched it but I understand that it essentially creates a secured (AES) ZIP file which auto-decrypts and unpacks when the recipient enters a password. Pretty sure Winzip offers the same these days, too.[/quote]

What advantage does this Sophos product have over others that do the same, some Open Source, like RAR, 7-zip etc.

[quote user="PaulW"]What advantage does this Sophos product have over others that do the same, some Open Source, like RAR, 7-zip etc.[/quote]

Very probably none at all! As I said, I haven't researched it much yet.

I was previously unaware that zip programs now offered the ability to properly encrypt rather than merely password a file. Like many other paid-for products, there will almost certainly be free alternatives with the same features and as long as they are from known, trusted players in the market, I'd recommend those every time.

In what way(s) does Mercury mail differ from any other famous e-mail system such as gmail and yahoomail when it comes to e-mail encryption? 

[quote user="thomasallen"]In what way(s) does Mercury mail differ from any other famous e-mail system such as gmail and yahoomail when it comes to e-mail encryption? [/quote]

That probably should be a separate thread, but Mercury itself differs in that it is a back-end server for mail delivery, whereas the services you mention are web front-end mail clients. Pegasus Mail is Mercury's companion client software for mail creation and manipulation.

I barely use Gmail but I don't remember seeing any options for encrypting the mail you send using it, and I suspect that most webmail services are the same. Somewhere there will be a service that supports encryption but someone else will have to name it. Otherwise you need to set up a client program on your system with the required settings and/or plug-ins.

What is the difference of PGP or S/MIME?