Safeguarding Correspondence in the Age of Espionage

 

12 Best Encrypted Email Services to Use in 2023-2024

By Alexander Antipov 

securitylab.ru

11 min

View Original

Author: Vladimir Bezmaly, Edvard Norton.

**I. Introduction: Safeguarding Correspondence in the Age of Espionage**

*Captivating Headline: "Open Letter to Spies: How Encryption Technologies Safeguard Your Communication"*

*Hashtags: #EmailSecurity #DigitalPrivacy #EncryptionMatters #CyberSafety #TechPrivacy #SpyProofEmail #SecureCommunications #DigitalGuardians #PrivacyTech #EmailProtection #InnovationInSecurity #CyberGuardianship #PrivateEmails #SecureTech #TechTrends2024*

As a tech blogger delves into the realm of electronic correspondence, discussing the relevance of confidentiality amidst modern challenges. From a technological innovation perspective, the blogger underscores how encryption technologies have become an integral part of ensuring security in the digital world.

If you're concerned that everything you do online is being watched by the government, powerful corporations, or malicious hackers, you have the option to protect yourself from unwanted eyes with encryption.

We can all agree that most of our internet activity revolves around email.

So in this article we will look at some alternatives to popular email services such as Gmail or Yahoo, which can also be secure to a certain extent, but at the same time the main providers are notorious mistreating your usersorscanning mailboxesfor keywords to display personalized advertising.

I'm sure you want everything you share via email to remain private and accessible only to the people you choose, and the best way to do this is to useencrypted emails letters.

While there are several ways to protect your email using encryption software, they are often difficult to implement for unskilled users. Let's look at some encrypted email service options that are easy to use.

So below I have compiled a list of user friendly web services

You will notice that (almost) all options come from European countries. HereGDPR imposes strict rules regarding data privacy and, among many other rules, makes privacy a legal requirement.

1. ProtonMail

ProtonMail is an encrypted email service based in Switzerland, created by scientists, engineers and developers at CERN to improve your security and privacy online. They are proud of their data centers, “located 1,000 meters below the surface of granite rock in a heavily guarded bunker capable of withstanding a nuclear attack.”

ProtonMail

Functions:

• Free option with 500 MB storage and 150 emails per day
• Paid options from $4.00 per month for personal use.
• Business plans for $6.25 per month per user
• Two-step verification
• Use your own domain
• Mobile apps available (iOS and Android)
• Report phishing
• Self-Destructing Messages – You can set an expiration time for your emails so that they are automatically deleted from the recipient's inbox after a certain amount of time.
• Based on open source code
• They use AES, RSA and OpenPGP encryption.

2. Tutanota

Tutanota is an encrypted email provider based in Germany. They position themselves as a secure alternative to Gmail. According to their website, they also plan to include a calendar, notes, and cloud storage in their offering - and of course, all of these features will be encrypted as well.

Tutanota

Functions:

• Free for 1 user with 1 GB storage
• Other paid options from 12 euros for personal use
• Business plans available
• Free for non-profit organizations
• Use your own domain
• Two-factor authentication
• Based on open source code
• Their data centers are powered by 100% renewable energy.

Additional details:

If you want to send an email to someone who uses a different email service (such as Gmail), you will be prompted for a password, which you will need to provide to the recipient.

Tutanota

The recipient, in turn, will need to use this password to unlock your message and be able to read it by clicking on the link. The URL will remain active until you send them another confidential email.

This is what an email looks like sent from a Tutanota account to someone using a different email service:

Tutanota

3. Hushmail

Hushmail is a secure email service based in Canada that encrypts your email. Simplicity is at the core of their business to better understand potential threats and ensure the safety of their customers. Hushmail uses the name "passphrase" for the login field that is commonly called "password", thereby encouraging people to use more complex passwords - phrases rather than words.

Hushmail

Functions:

• 14-day free trial (no credit card required), then $49.98 per year with 10GB of email storage
• Business plans available
• iOS app
• Two-factor authentication
• Use your own domain
• An account will be locked if too many attempts are made to access it.
• Ability to configure Hushmail in an email program (Mac Mail, Microsoft Outlook, Android phone, Thunderbird)
• Incoming antivirus and spam filtering
• TLS/SSL, OpenPGP encryption

Additional details:

As with Tutanota, if the recipient does not use Hushmail, you must check the Encrypted box and the email will be read on a secure web page.

Hushmail

4. Countermail

Countermail is a web-based encrypted email provider with data centers located in Sweden. Although their website looks quite outdated, their email security is capable of handling today's privacy threats.

Countermail

Functions:

• 7-day free trial. After the trial period, several plans are available starting at $4.83 per month with 4,000 MB storage. You also have the option to add additional storage for a fee.
• Compatible with Android phone
• Message Filter / Auto Reply
• Supports IMAP
• Diskless web servers – this means they have no hard drives and instead run from a CD to improve online privacy. Their web server does not log IP addresses.
• USB Key Option – This is used as a key file in combination with your password for increased security. It provides better protection againstkeyloggersand brute force attacks.
• OpenPGP data encryption, SSL-MITM protection

5. Runbox

Runbox is a company headquartered in Norway that provides secure email services worldwide, offering encrypted communications and strong authentication.

Runbox

Functions:

• Free 30-day trial
• Paid plans for personal use, from €14.95 per year, with 1 GB for email and 100 MB for files.
• Business plans from €69.95 per year, with 25 GB for email, 2 GB for files and 25 email domains.
• Accepted payment methods are: Credit/Debit Cards, Bitcoin, PayPal, Money Transfers, SWIFT/SEPA Payments and Cash.
• 60-day full money back guarantee
• Use your own domain
• Calendar
• Ad-free webmail, spam and virus filtering, email consolidation and filtering
• Access from any client via POP, IMAP, SMTP, etc.
• End-to-end encryption
• Their servers are powered by 100% renewable energy.

6. Kolab Now

Kolab Now offers email accounts for secure collaboration, with secure data stored in Switzerland. Like any other secure encrypted email service, they will never track your data, sell it to third parties, or display ads.

Kolab Now

Functions:

• 30-day free trial, prices start at $4.44 per month for an individual account.
• Group accounts (from 1 to 100 users) from $5.42 per month
• Calendar, address book, files and more
• Two-factor authentication (this will disable access to your account on any other channel such as ActiveSync, *DAV and IMAP)
• Mobile sync (enabled for mobile devices using ActiveSync)
• Automatic replies

7. Mailfence

Founded in Belgium, Mailfence operates on the principle that privacy is a right, not a property. They focus on transparency and maintain an updated transparency report, as well as keeping their code open to audit.

Mailfence

Functions:

• Free version for 1 group with 500 MB email, 500 MB documents, 1000 event calendars, email support
• Paid versions from 2.50 euros per month and 5 GB of email, 12 GB of documents, 10.000 event calendar, email and telephone support.
• Business plans available tailored to your company's needs
• POP, IMAP, SMTP, iOS, Android, Exchange
• Custom email domain
• Contacts, calendar, documents and groups
• Accepted payment methods: credit card, PayPal, Bitcoin, Litecoin.
• Two-factor authentication
• End-to-end encryption

8. Post

Posteo is an independent email service based in Germany focused on sustainability, security, privacy and usability. The service is completely ad-free and they protect the privacy of their users with an innovative encryption and security model.

Post

Functions:

• Price from €1 per month with 2GB storage – two nicknames included. The memory capacity can be increased to max. 20 GB, each additional GB costs 0.25 euros per month;
• Migration service available from other email accounts (including folder structure)
• Automatic replies
• Anonymous registration – you do not need to provide your name or address when registering.
• Anonymous payment – ​​they do not link payments to email accounts
• Calendar
• 100% open source
• Spam and virus filter
• Emails sent do not contain your IP address
• Free support
• Two-factor authentication
• Accepted payments: PayPal, bank transfer, credit card or cash.
• TLS encrypted access – TLS with PFS for IMAP, POP3, webmail, CardDAV and CalDAV)
• TLS encrypted transmission: Protects emails and metadata if the other mail server also supports them (TLS with PFS).
• TLS Sending Guarantee – protects you from sending emails to unsecured systems
• AES Encrypted Hard Drives
• 100% powered by renewable energy

9. StartMail

StartMail is based in the Netherlands and was created by the creators of StartPage, a private search engine. It is an excellent platform for secure communication and can be accessed through a webmail interface as well as through the IMAP protocol, making it compatible with existing email clients.

StartMail

Functions:

• Free 7-day trial (no credit card required)
• Personal Accounts for $59.95 per year – 10 GB storage, 10 custom aliases, unlimited one-time aliases, IMAP support
• Business Accounts from $59.95 per mailbox per year - 10 GB storage, 10 GB storage, custom and one-time aliases, IMAP support
• Disposable email addresses – create temporary email addresses if you don't want to share your real ones
• IMAP/SMTP compatible
• It is based on a combination of open and closed source components.
• PGP encryption, security such as PFS (TLS 1.1 and 1.2), and highly secure storage

10. Mailbox

Mailbox is a reliable email service provider based in Germany that was founded with the goal of being an alternative to other webmail services that rely on their customers' data to generate advertising revenue. All accounts created include features other than an inbox, such as a cloud-based office suite for document editing, a calendar, etc.

Mailbox

Functions:

• Free 30-day trial, 10 emails per day, 100 MB email storage, 10 MB file storage, 1 email address alias
• Paid option for personal use from €1 per month, with 2GB email storage, 3 email aliases
• Enterprise email plan from €25 per month, with central management console, email and collaboration software, cloud storage, online word processing, etc.
• Calendar, Contacts, Task Scheduler
• Internet office
• Cloud storage
• Offline mode
• Advanced users are offered a dedicated Tor exit node with Hidden Onion Services available in their data center.
• Their servers are powered by 100% green energy

11. PreVeil

PreVeil is an encrypted email system based on MIT computer scientists' research in cybersecurity and applied cryptography. PreVeil adds an end-to-end encrypted inbox to Outlook, Gmail, and Apple Mail without changing your email address. Unlike regular email, these messages are protected from phishing, spoofing, passwords, server and administrator attacks.

PreVeil makes encryption easy to use and manage.

PreVeil

Functions:

• Free individual user account. Business plans start at $6 per user per month.
• Uses end-to-end encryption
• iOS and Android available
• Integrates with Outlook, Gmail and Apple mail
• Leave your email address
• A complete set of administrative tools for the enterprise

12. Zoho Mail

Zoho Mail is a service developed and based in India, with data centers located in the US, Europe, China and India. Their data centers have fault-tolerant servers in undisclosed locations with strict 24/7 surveillance and biometric sign-in. In addition to end-to-end encryption, Zoho Mail also keeps email encrypted during transmission.

Zoho Mail

Functions:

• Up to 5 custom domain mailboxes free (forever), with 5 GB storage per user
• Lifetime Free Plan for Personal Email Accounts
• Without advertising
• Business plans start at $1 per month.
• Premium plan with access to eDiscovery available for 15-day trial
• Two-factor authentication
• TLS and S/MIME encryption available
• DMARC, SPF and DKIM authentication for added security
• 44 languages ​​supported
• Offline and dark mode available
• No third party trackers

Additional details:

For organizational level communications, Zoho provides the employer with extensive administrative capabilities. Using this console, an administrator can configure spam filters, configure user-specific settings, and configure email policies such as domain restrictions, email restrictions, access, and account permissions based on each employee's requirements. This way, you have complete control over the operation of each of your mailboxes.

How can you further improve your security and privacy online?

I hope I helped you choose an encrypted email service alternative to the dangerous email provider you are currently using. However, it is clear that email anonymity does not mean online security.

While some of the email services listed above also include spam filtering, virus scanning, or phishing reporting options, attackers can always find ways to send you malware-infected links via email.

That's why you should also use a proactive threat prevention solution for your PC that will allow you to click on any link and be confident that your endpoint will not be affected by malware.

Source https://ekb-security.ru/column/12-luchshix-servisov-zashifrovannoj-elektronnoj-pochty-dlya-ispolzovaniya-v-2021-godu/? fbclid=IwAR3jhXYjaB6CqNnMTMLFN4siuYu1LLSjSUGcRAeVKsuW1q5T_tP_8oNcrA8