IM[NS]HO, S/MIME encryption using PKI is one of the biggest security farces ever. Even the use-case is often wrong. Somebody representing "e-Health" once described for a big audience how S/MIME encryption could be used to exchange private medical information between a doctor and a patient. But medical treatment is a collective effort and it would be pretty wrong if the doctor was the only party who knew what medication or HIV test results the patient got.
Regarding the guide, I believe that e-mail encryption would be fairly common if it had been (generally) based on using a shared secret, because passwords are easier to use than PKI (for encryption NB). That the secret actually is shared is a big advantage as well if you are involved in somewhat dubious activities like cheating on your spouse with a work-mate, trying to sell your company to a competitor, or if you are just an ordinary crook with a network :-) Anders ----- Original Message ----- From: "Paul Kinzelman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Newsgroups: mozilla.dev.tech.crypto To: <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, November 18, 2008 07:15 Subject: How-to guide for email encryption I created a file to help a newbie get email encryption going. It's what I wish I could have found when I was stumbling through the process myself, and with the help of an expert in this newsgroup (many thanks to you, you know who you are :-), I've created a document for others. Feel free to pass the link around and to comment and suggest enhancements. http://www.kinzelman.com/tech/encryption-for-idiots.html _______________________________________________ dev-tech-crypto mailing list [email protected] https://lists.mozilla.org/listinfo/dev-tech-crypto _______________________________________________ dev-tech-crypto mailing list [email protected] https://lists.mozilla.org/listinfo/dev-tech-crypto
