Philip Houska In recent weeks, cyber security has been discussed more than ever. Of course it contributes to that case between the US government and Apple, who argue about how users' privacy should be protected. The current passionate debate is certainly at least partially pleasing to Swiss and American developers who are working on a maximally secure e-mail client. ProtonMail is an application that is encrypted from A to Z.
At first glance, ProtonMail may look like just another mail client of the dozen, but the opposite is true. ProtonMail is the result of the precise and persistent work of scientists from the American MIT and the Swiss CERN, who for a long time tried to come up with something that will define Internet security - full-fledged end-to-end encryption of sent and received messages based on secure SSL communication. adding another layer of already high-quality protection to data.
Because of this, everyone gathered in Geneva, Switzerland, where very strict safety laws are set. For a long time only the web version of ProtonMail worked, but a few days ago the mobile application was finally released. The highly encrypted client can now be fully used on Mac and Windows as well as iOS and Android.
I myself came across ProtoMail for the first time, which follows a strict Swiss security policy within the DPA (Data Protection Act) and DPO (Data Protection Ordinance), already at the beginning of 2015. At that time, you were assigned a unique email address only with the direct approval of the developers or via invitation. With the arrival of the app on iOS and Android, registrations are already open and ProtonMail attracted me again.
You will feel the change compared to other e-mail services as soon as you start the application, when you are asked to enter your password. In ProtonMail, you don't need just one, you need two. The first serves to log in to the service as such, and the second subsequently decrypts the mailbox itself. The key is that the second unique password is not accessible to developers. As soon as you forget this password, you will no longer be able to access your mail. It is speculated that Apple could implement a similar security layer with its iCloud, where it still has access to your password.
However, ProtonMail is not only based on strict encryption, but also on simple operation and a user-friendly interface that corresponds with all established e-mail habits. There is also the popular swipe gesture for quick actions, etc.
To top it all off, ProtonMail offers several security features that you won't find anywhere else. The option to secure a specific message with a password is very interesting. You must then communicate this password to the other party in another way so that they can read the message. Automatic self-destruction of the e-mail after the selected time can often be useful (e.g. when sending sensitive data). Just set the timer and send.
If the e-mail is to be delivered to the mailbox of someone who does not use ProtonMail, then the message must be secured with a password, but when sending messages to users who use this Swiss alternative, a password is not necessary.
In a time of increasing spying and frequent hacker attacks, highly secure email can appeal to many users. There is currently no better choice than ProtonMail. Double password protection and other encryption technology ensure that no one should really be able to access your messages. This is also why ProtonMail can only be used in the relevant applications and its own web interface. You won't succeed in system Mail on Mac or iOS, but that's something to be reckoned with.
On the plus side, ProtonMail is offered for free, at least in its basic version. You have a free 500MB mailbox at your disposal, which can be used for an additional fee extend, and at the same time get other benefits. Paid plans can have up to 20GB of storage, 10 custom domains and also, for example, 50 additional addresses. Anyone who really cares about email encryption probably won't have a problem with possible payment.
Sign up for ProtonMail you can at ProtonMail.com.
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Thanks a lot for the article, I have been using ProtonMail for a very long time and can highly recommend it.
It would be worth explaining a little what the "second password" is for. id and password are used to log in to the service, but the second password is used to decrypt the mailbox itself.
ProtonMail was also under an interesting attack by hackers about a quarter of a year ago, the developers themselves identified it as orders from some of the governments. The service had big outages and eventually it resulted in a campaign where the users themselves contributed to a new more powerful and efficient solution that can better defend against organized DDOS attacks.
https://protonmail.com/blog/protonmail-ddos-attacks/