What is Encryptomatic OpenPGP for Outlook?

It's an easier to install and use OpenPGP compliant email encryption add-in for Microsoft Office Outlook.

Encryptomatic OpenPGP integrates tightly with the Microsoft Outlook menu system to deliver the benefits of OpenPGP e-mail encryption to even non-technical users.

Why Did We Build It?

If you have been struggling to get OpenPGP email encryption implemented in Outlook, we built this add-in for you. We also wanted to use OpenPGP with Outlook in our business, but we found that the available software tools were either too expensive, too difficult to deploy, or too unstable to use reliably. Being software developers, and finding that OpenPGP is a well known open standard, we built one ourselves! The effort turned out to be harder than we imagined, but we persevered. The result is a highly stable, easy to implement Outlook add-in with a Wizard to get new users up and quickly using OpenPGP. Encryptomatic OpenPGP has now been installed on tens of thousands of computers around the world.

End-to-end e-mail encryption is a crucial tool for protecting your business communications and personal privacy. Journalists use OpenPGP to communicate with sources. Businesses are required by law in the U.S. to encrypt certain types of information before sending by e-mail. Lawyers, bankers, and accountants use e-mail encryption to protect their clients.

'Quick Start' to Using Encryptomatic OpenPGP for Outlook

After downloading and installing the Encryptomatic OpenPGP add-in, open a new e-mail window in Outlook and locate these buttons in the Outlook tool bar.

Select the "Encrypt" button, compose your message and "Send" your Outlook e-mail Your message will be encrypted then sent to the recipient. Messages can also be signed by selecting the "Sign" button.

When the email message is encrypted, it will be obscured while it is in transit. It will appear to snoops as the message below.

Remember that the recipient will need OpenPGP software to decrypt the message. If you need an e-mail encryption solution that does not require software on the recipient's device, try our Lockbin.com service, which allows retrieval of the encrypted message online. Lockbin also has a convenient add-in for Microsoft Outlook that can be installed in Outlook along with Encryptomatic OpenPGP.

Is Encryptomatic OpenPGP Open Source?

Encryptomatic OpenPGP uses a highly regarded open source cryptolibrary. We are active contributors to the project, both financially and by offering code improvements. While the crypto library is open source, our signed installer package and our Outlook integration code is presently closed source, but may be opened later when this project is substantially complete.

What is OpenPGP?

OpenPGP is an encryption protocol specified in RFC-4880. It is compatible with Symantec's PGP (Pretty Good Privacy), and is also implemented in GPG. OpenPGP is a widely used protocol that changed the world when it was introduced in 1991 by Phil Zimmermann, a person who paid a high personal price to share it with the world. How OpenPGP came to be is a fascinating story.

OpenPGP uses a public key for encrypting a message, and a private key to decrypt. Before sending an encrypted message, you will first need to obtain the recipient's public key. Typical ways of sharing public keys is to just send it to someone in an e-mail, or upload it to a public key server where Encryptomatic OpenPGP can find it automatically. Some enthusiasts even get together to sign public keys in a web of trust.

Encryptomatic OpenPGP for Outlook is hghly compatible with other implementations of OpenPGP including PGP, GPG, and Enigmail.

Does Encryptomatic OpenPGP Support Key Servers?

Yes, it supports sharing, key discovery and revoking keys on popular PGP key servers, such as MIT.EDU. You can add a URL for any other key servers you wish to use. Public keys may also be shared manually.

What other Options Do I Have?

There are numerous settings in Encryptomatic OpenPGP for Outlook that you may configure, including:

Passphrase unlock time

Checking for updates

Key server refresh

Add favorite key servers

Configure rules around encrypting based on domains

Always encrypt or always sign every email

Configure email validation warnings

Add or remove email addresses for a key

Change passphrase

Revoke keys

Import public keys from file, clipboard or key server

Import other private keys

How can I share my Public Key?

To share your public key by e-mail with someone else, select Encryptomatic OpenPGP's "Key Management" button. Next click on the e-mail address whose public key you want to share. Finally, go to "Key Share" and choose one of the options, such as uploading to a key server, copying to your clip board, saving as a file or sending it in an e-mail