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enigmail

Really secure your Gmail

If you use Gmail, but worry about your privacy--especially in the wake of Google's attack by sophisticated hackers--CNET reporter Stephen Shankland shows you how to have your cake and eat it, too.

What are the secret ingredients to a secure Gmail? A triumvirate of freeware comprised of Gnu Privacy Guard encryption, Mozilla's Thunderbird e-mail application (Windows|Mac), and an e-mail encryption plug-in called Enigmail (Windows and Mac).

Switching from open to encrypted e-mail isn't a light undertaking, and as Stephen points out, there are plenty of drawbacks and trade-offs when you swap ease-of-use for near-total privacy. Still, … Read more

Encrypt your e-mail with Enigmail

An extension for Thunderbird and SeaMonkey, Enigmail is a must-use for anybody who's concerned about sending e-mail that can be read by anybody, including your Internet Service Provider. It's not intended to encrypt all of your mail, although you can certainly do that. Rather, it's best used for ensuring that even remotely sensitive e-mails don't get read by the wrong person.

It uses the OpenPGP standard to digitally sign your e-mail, and can be configured to accommodate multiple e-mail accounts. One hang up is that it's impossible with the current version to permanently decrypt e-mails, … Read more

Extend the wings of Mozilla Thunderbird

Mozilla Thunderbird is chock full of potential. Though it's as extensible as Mozilla's more famous browser, Firefox, Thunderbird lacks the same fanatical user support. A year from now, Thunderbird could be the emerging standard for e-mail software or just another fringe e-mail client.

Part of Thunderbird's eventual success will depend on the quality of third-party add-ons that enhance features and allow users more functionality and customization options. Though there's not nearly as many add-ons for Thunderbird as there are for Firefox, here's a quick guide to seven of my favorites so far.

Lightning--Thunderbird without … Read more