Securing Email Communication: A Reflection on PGP, S/MIME, and Hands-On Challenges

 PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) and S/MIME (Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) are encryption protocols used to secure email communication. Both use public-key cryptography to ensure confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity. PGP relies on a decentralized web of trust, where users exchange and verify each other’s public keys. In contrast, S/MIME uses a centralized certificate authority to issue and validate digital certificates.

A key takeaway is that email, by default, is not private, and using encryption is crucial to protect sensitive data from unauthorized access. Digital signatures also play a vital role in verifying the sender’s identity and ensuring that the message has not been tampered with.

During the hands-on simulation, one major challenge was managing keys and certificates—especially understanding the trust model and correctly importing/exporting them. Configuring email clients to support encryption was also tricky at first, but it helped solidify the learning through practical experience.

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