Email Encryption Alternatives: Using the PDF format to send encrypted email messages and files

Today more than ever it is important to protect your sensitive email communications from eavesdroppers.  HIPAA regulations require that certain information be encrypted. Unfortunately, most people do not encrypt their emails because it has been very difficult for both the sender and the recipient.  Public and Private key systems, despite their many benefits, has been slow to be adopted by the masses due to implementation difficulties.

Today we will discuss an alternative to traditional Email Encryption.

PDF Postman is an add-in for Microsoft Outlook (2003/2007/2010/2013) that uses the PDF envelope to protect email messages and file attachments. It installs as a toolbar in the Outlook new email windows.  A button titled PDF Encrypt Email will allow you to encrypt an email message.


This approach makes sense for the recipient, since most devices have access to a free standards compliant PDF reader. Its a bonus that the recipient does not need to install any special software.
PDF Postman uses symmetric key encryption. That means that a password needs to be exchanged with the recipient. The same key is used to encrypt and decrypt the file.




The first time you send an encrypted message to someone, PDF Postman will ask you for the password. PDF Postman will store passwords for future use, so you will never have to enter it again.
PDF Postman will convert your formatted email message into the PDF image, and will use either 128 bit or 256-bit AES encryption.  When the recipient receives the PDF file attached to an email, she clicks on it to open it in her PDF viewer software.  The PDF viewer detects that the file is encrypted and prompts her for the password. If the password is correct, the PDF file contents are revealed.


How does PDF Postman handle file attachments?  They are embedded within the PDF file, and may be extracted later. For example, if you attach an excel spreadsheet to your email, PDF Postman embeds it within the PDF file, and it can be later extracted and edited in Microsoft Excel.
PDF Postman is developed by Encryptomatic LLC. A 15 day free trial of PDF Postman is available at http://www.encryptomatic.com/pdfpostman