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Can Email be secure?

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Seecke

IS-IT--Management
Aug 23, 2003
68
US
I have a form that collects information from the user and when the submit button is pressed, that information gets emailed to our office which processes that information. I need to be able to have rather sensative information from the form sent in the email as well. (i.e. SSN, misc account information, etc.) What is the BEST way to send the email,so that if intercepted, it is unreadable by the theif yet when it arrives at the proper destination, it is readable?

Any and all Ideas are greatly appreciated!

Thanks
SEECKE
 
You need encryption. There are various solutions available, depending on the email clients you are using. Is this internal, or via the Internet? Email encryption usually depends on s/w being loaded on each end, you might have an issue with that. Without encryption, you should treeat email like a postcard - everyone can read it in transit. If you wouldn't write it on the back of a postard, don't email it (unencrypted) via the Internet.

Can you not use a webpage to collect the info?
 
SEnding by email wheter encrypted or not is highly not recomended. Work with a database and secured server to collect information. And have an email be sent to you saying new informaiton has been added to the db that you need to look over.

EMAIL will never be secure; its the nature of the system.
 
Thats what I thought. Thanks for the input.

L8R
 
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