Question

What is S/MIME?

Answer in details.

Answer 1

Answer:

S/MIME (Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions), is a universal web standard defined by the IETF. S/MIME is employed to encrypt MIME data—emails in simple terms.

It is based on Public Key Infrastructure or Asymmetric Encryption, facilitates email security by virtue of encryption, authentication, and integrity. In other words, it allows you to digitally sign your emails so that only the intended recipient can see the message and he/she also gets to know that the email really came from you.

While the email is on its way, the encryption takes care of its integrity as it doesn’t allow an unauthorized third party to intercept and tamper with the data.

Advantages:

• Protection from in-transit email corruption: No cybercriminal can insert any sort of malicious software such as viruses, spyware, trojan horses, computer worms, rootkit, etc. while the email is in transit.  
• Protection from email spoofing: Digital signature protects the email recipients from email spoofing. No one can impersonate the digital signature of the company’s official staff members. So, no one can trick the recipients by sending spoofed emails impersonating the business’s authentic emails.
• No repudiation: The sender cannot deny having sent the email and its contents. A digital signature is proof that the email has come from the signer’s email client.
• Warns recipients: If someone has tampered with the email or digital signature, it immediately alerts the recipients about the risk.

Different types of S/MIME Certificates

• CPAC Enterprise
• CPAC Pro
• CPAC Basic