Encrypting Email with KMail, Mozilla Thunderbird, and Evolution
LOCK AND KEY
The leading email applications include new features for helping users secure and authenticate their mail messages, but each tool has a different approach to handling tasks such as signing and encryption. This article describes how to add encryption and digital signatures to the Thunderbird, Kmail, and Evolution mail clients.
Spoofers have an easier time on the Internet than anywhere else. There’s no need to forge a signature to dispatch mail under someone else’s name; all you need is a spoofed entry in the From header. The mail protocol does not provide any kind of protection against this kind of manipulation. If you want the people you write to to be able to rely on the authenticity of your messages, you should get into the habit of signing your email messages. The same thing applies to encryption: or would you really want a curious mail server admin reading your letters? Anyone with access to one of the computers that relays mail between your outbox and the destination could theoretically read your messages. GNU Privacy Guard (GnuPG) [1] is a program that protects your messages against monitoring and manipulation. GnuPG is a cryptographic system that uses asymmetric keys. For the user, this means having two keys, a private key and a public key, which are generated as a key pair. The passwordprotected private key is kept secret.
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
![Learn More](https://www.linux-magazine.com/var/linux_magazin/storage/images/media/linux-magazine-eng-us/images/misc/learn-more/834592-1-eng-US/Learn-More_medium.png)
News
-
Linux Market Share Hits New High
For the first time, the Linux market share has reached a new high for desktops, and the trend looks like it will continue.
-
LibreOffice 24.8 Delivers New Features
LibreOffice is often considered the de facto standard office suite for the Linux operating system.
-
Deepin 23 Offers Wayland Support and New AI Tool
Deepin has been considered one of the most beautiful desktop operating systems for a long time and the arrival of version 23 has bolstered that reputation.
-
CachyOS Adds Support for System76's COSMIC Desktop
The August 2024 release of CachyOS includes support for the COSMIC desktop as well as some important bits for video.
-
Linux Foundation Adopts OMI to Foster Ethical LLMs
The Open Model Initiative hopes to create community LLMs that rival proprietary models but avoid restrictive licensing that limits usage.
-
Ubuntu 24.10 to Include the Latest Linux Kernel
Ubuntu users have grown accustomed to their favorite distribution shipping with a kernel that's not quite as up-to-date as other distros but that changes with 24.10.
-
Plasma Desktop 6.1.4 Release Includes Improvements and Bug Fixes
The latest release from the KDE team improves the KWin window and composite managers and plenty of fixes.
-
Manjaro Team Tests Immutable Version of its Arch-Based Distribution
If you're a fan of immutable operating systems, you'll be thrilled to know that the Manjaro team is working on an immutable spin that is now available for testing.
-
Nitrux 3.6.0 (“ie”) Available for Download and Install
The latest version of the systemd-free Linux distribution, Nitrux, has been released for general usage and includes the beta of the upcoming NVIDIA 560 graphics driver.
-
Vanilla OS 2 Orchid Available for Download
The latest iteration of Vanilla OS (Orchid) has been released and uses a hybrid Debian base.