then you are at serious risk of fraud and identity theft if you do not have Smart Card Secure Email.

Don’t underestimate your risk

Email is one of the most effective communication tools that we have but also the most vulnerable to attack. Unsecured email messages are rather like sending an invoice written in pencil - they can easily be intercepted, read or edited by anyone.

On average an email is relayed between 10 internet servers on route to its intended recipient, each of which is unsecured and open to attack. Furthermore, given it can take several hours for an email to be delivered successfully it gives an attacker plenty of time to compromise your email either by exploiting poor security on one of the internet servers or by brute force email password hacking. Once an attacker has breached your email account they can either simply read your email and attachments, or change details of the email before it reaches the recipient.

These are not idle threats. The risk is real and costly. Just look at the following list:

“You’ve got mail: Emails bring down politician”. ComputerWorld 27 November, 2006

“Email tampering--this time, the good guys won” AllBusiness 22 January 2002

“Details Emerge In Palin E-Mail Breach” CBS News 19 September 2008

Most internet users are aware that they shouldn’t provide credit card or bank account details on an unsecured website (i.e. without the padlock) and they should have up to date internet security software installed (such as Norton Internet Security or McAfee). However, most users are unaware that they are actually at highest risk of fraud and identity theft through sending unsecured emails, and internet security products provide virtually no protection against this.

If you do not have a padlock or signing stamp on your email, then neither the email nor any attachment is secure.

	The padlock indicates an email is encrypted which means only the intended recipient can read the email and attachments.
	The signing stamp indicates an email is digitally protected. It shows the email has not been changed on route to you and also verifies that the sender of the email is who they say they are, therefore preventing scam or spoof emails (emails that appear to be from a legitimate source but which have actually been generated fraudulently).

Furthermore, if you do have a padlock or signing stamp but they are not generated using smart card technology (rather they are hard drive based) then you are still at risk if your computer is stolen, has a computer virus or if a malicious user accesses your email directly at your computer (e.g. a disgruntled co-worker).

The only way to have fully protected email is to have Smart Card Secure Email.

If the sender and recipient both have Smart Card Secure Email this allows both parties to Sign as well as Encrypt their emails. This provides optimum protection because in addition to ensuring that the content has not been changed and is from the correct sender the email and attachments is encrypted so no one other than the intended recipient can view the email.

However, if just one party uses Smart Card Secure Email there are still significant security advantages in Signing emails. It prevents the emails (and attachments) from being changed on route and also gives the recipient assurance that the email is from the correct person.

Consider what it would cost you or your business if:

• Someone read the content of your email or attachment that wasn’t supposed to (e.g. a sensitive legal contract or a policy document)
• You were the victim of espionage through either a competitor or activist modifying key details in an email (e.g. quoted price, timeframe, delivery details, impact assessments etc.)
• You suffered financial loss from someone illicitly changing the bank account details in an email you have sent
• Private communications or photos were made available publicly or to an inappropriate party.

How Smart Card Secure Email works

Smart Card Secure Email is comprised of three components to ensure you have the highest level of email security:

The Smart Card reader is connected to your computer by USB. To send a secure email just insert your card into the reader, select ‘Sign’ or ‘Encrypt’, enter your PIN number and Send. Emails that you receive with a signing stamp verify that the email has not been altered on route. If an email arrives in your Inbox with a padlock it has been encrypted. Insert your Smart Card and enter your PIN to access it.

Why use Smart Card Technology?

Simply put, you don’t have full protection without it. While Secure Email Certificates can be stored directly on your computers hard drive providing some degree of protection, this does not give you full protection particularly if someone or some agent (computer virus) gains access to your computer.

Smart Cards are specifically designed to store Certificates securely outside of your computer so when you remove your Smart Card from the reader you are taking the Secure Email Certificate with you. This means that even if your computer is compromised in your absence your email is still secure. Having the Secure Email Certificate on your Smart Card also gives you portability so that your Certificate is available on all computers that you use – simply insert your Smart Card in a reader for secure access.

For even greater protection each Smart Card is protected with a 4-8 digit PIN which you, the owner updates directly on your own computer. The PIN protection includes a ‘3 attempts’ mechanism which effectively blocks the card from brute force attempts to use it illicitly. The PIN protection mechanism gives you assurance that only you will be able to use your Smart Card.

The Smart Card supplied with the Secure Email Kit has the added benefit of supporting a wide range of other smart card applications such as:

• Windows Login (Smart Card plus PIN as a secure alternative to username/password)
• File Encryption (using the Smart Card to encrypt and protect sensitive files)
• Single Sign-On (a Smart Card can be used to automatically log onto to multiple applications)
• Physical access through electronic doors
• Cashless payment (as an alternative to Cash or EFTPOS)
• Print and copy control
• Public transport ticketing
• Event ticketing

Open the door to a wide range of highly secure Smart Card applications.

Contact us to find out more about Smart Card Secure Email