How To Encrypt iCloud Mail in Minutes | SecureMyEmail™

Apple's iCloud service has an estimated 850 million users. Although iCloud does offer an impressive array of encryption and privacy capabilities, iCloud Mail still lacks proper encryption, much less end-to-end encryption. But, fear not. We will show you how to encrypt your iCloud email so you can be assured that you have the very best privacy and security available for your email. And, it only takes a few minutes! 

Why do I need to encrypt my iCloud email?

Unfortunately, just for basic privacy and security. Email was designed without any real consideration for those things. Up until quite recently, it was often compared to the security of sending a postcard. 

Considering how much we all rely on email for critical personal and business communications, to say nothing of all the attached documents and files, it's ludicrous how vulnerable email is. Especially when you consider how many years of data some of us are storing in our email.

It has improved somewhat, but email still has nowhere near the security and privacy of other modern messaging applications. The problem there is, despite what some say, email isn't going anywhere. 

The simple solution is to encrypt it and problem solved.

Is encrypting iCloud email easy?

SecureMyEmail makes it easy. But, honestly, it took a lot of time to get it there. :)

After all, if the saintly Apple corporation, that does seem quite dedicated to user privacy and security, doesn't offer it, you know we worked hard on it.

What does iCloud encrypt?

A lot, actually. Basically, there are two levels of iCloud encryption offered - Standard data protection and Advanced Data Protection for iCloud.

Apple's standard data protection offers end-to-end encryption (meaning, even Apple should not be able to access) for the following:

• Passwords and Keychain
• Health data
• Home data
• Messages in iCloud (only when iCloud backup is disabled)
• Payment information
• Apple Card transactions
• Maps
• QuickType Keyboard learned vocabulary
• Safari
• Screen Time
• Siri information (excluding Siri Shortcuts)
• WiFi passwords
• W1 and H1 Bluetooth keys
• Memoji

If you activate Advanced Data Protection, the following will also be protected with end-to-end encryption:

• iCloud Backup (including device and Messages backup)
• iCloud Drive
• Photos
• Notes
• Reminders
• Safari Bookmarks
• Siri Shortcuts
• Voice Memos
• Wallet passes
• Freeform

But, iCloud email is strangely missing from that list. Obviously Apple thinks end-to-end encryption (E2EE) is a good idea, so why don't they apply it to iCloud email?

What is end-to-end encryption for email?

It is the highest standard of email encryption. End-to-end encrypted (E2EE) email essentially means that the email and attachments are encrypted on your device before they are sent and can only be decrypted on your recipient's device(s). The emails are also "encrypted at rest" so the email and contents are never accessible by other parties, including your email provider.  

Is iCloud email encrypted at all?

Yes and no. Not as well as you want it to be, though.🙂 

Apple, like many providers, uses a protocol called TLS (Transport Layer Security) to encrypt emails in transit.

Unfortunately, TLS is really nothing special despite many providers trying to sell it as "real" email encryption. It's really just an evolution of email protocols in general. Most email providers, including SecureMyEmail, use TLS as standard operating procedure.

TLS has issues and shouldn't be relied upon as actual email encryption, especially to meet legal standards such as HIPAA, the GDPR, etc.

• TLS encryption only encrypts the network path and not the email or contents themselves.
• TLS does not provide any protection for the email or contents once the email arrives or is stored "at rest" on the mail server.
• The sending and receiving email providers retain access to your email.
• If Apple, and the recipient's provider, may still have access, if a data breach, or just a hacking of an individual account occurs, your email, and the attachments, are exposed.
• Worst of all, TLS cannot even be guaranteed to work as both the sender's and recipient's email servers must support TLS, and be correctly configured, which many are not.

Apple did recently announce that they now encrypt emails at rest on their servers, although they still retain access unless you upgrade to their Advanced Data Protection. If you do that, they will encrypt emails stored on iCloud so only you have access.

That is way better than most other email providers, but they try to call that end-to-end encryption, but it's only end-to-end to your own stored emails. It is NOT end-to-end encrypted when you send or receive email so it's a bit misleading.

Therefore, Apple does not offer true end-to-end encryption of iCloud Mail. Which is what you really want.

So, why does Apple not offer end-to-end encryption for iCloud email?

iCloud Mail does not use end-to-end encryption because of the need to interoperate with the global email system. All native Apple email clients support optional S/MIME for message encryption.

Ok. We're not going to officially say that Apple is gaslighting here. People say that too much nowadays anyway. But, SecureMyEmail can end-to-end encrypt iCloud email and we "interoperate" just fine with the "global email system."

Check out the big brain on us, we guess. :)

So, what does Apple offer to encrypt iCloud emails I send and receive?

Well, other than TLS, which, like we said, is really nothing, they offer an "option" to use a protocol called S/MIME (Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions).

We had hoped Apple was kidding. S/MIME was developed in 1995 and it shows.

S/MIME is indeed a way to end-to-end encrypt email, but it has some SERIOUS limitations:

• Extremely difficult and tedious to set up. 
• Must obtain and import an S/MIME Certificate from a third party S/MIME Certificate Authority. 
• Must manually set up and perform a "certificate exchange" with every single person you wish to exchange encrypted email with. Per email address. ;-)
• Must be set up manually per device.
• S/MIME only works with S/MIME and is not compatible with PGP or other types of encryption.

If you don't believe us, here are some articles from Apple on how to set it up:

https://support.apple.com/guide/mail/use-personal-certificates-mlhlp1179/16.0/mac/14.0

https://support.apple.com/guide/mail/sign-or-encrypt-emails-mlhlp1180/mac

https://support.apple.com/en-us/102245

Suffice it to say if this is as easy as Apple, a company known for making computing simple, can explain it...you KNOW you don't want to use S/MIME.

Unless you enjoy things like building IKEA furniture with a hangover.

What is the best way to encrypt iCloud email?

SecureMyEmail. We spent a lot of time on it, and it's the way to go. We offer a 30-day free trial, with no payment information necessary, to put our money where our mouth is.

Why is SecureMyEmail the best way to encrypt my iCloud email?

• It's super EASY to set up. Five minutes.
• Supports "zero knowledge" end-to-end encryption.
• Works on Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad, and Android.
• Instantly send encrypted email to anyone on Earth.
• Recipients don't need to use SecureMyEmail, a portal, or do anything special.
• Recipients' replies are also encrypted.
• Encrypted email is stored safely and only you can access.
• Can encrypt iCloud Mail, as well as all your other personal and business email accounts.
• Apple cannot access or scan your email.
• Even if your email accounts are hacked, your encrypted emails will remain encrypted and safe because you, not anyone else, possess the means to decrypt them.

Does SecureMyEmail have a free trial?

As mentioned, yes. We offer a 30-Day Free Trial. NO credit card or payment info is necessary up front. If it's not for you, the trial will just expire and there will be no charge

How much does it cost if I decide to buy?

Our paid service is only $3.99/month or $2.49/month ($29.99/year) with an annual subscription. This is per user and includes use on all your devices.

Again, this also allows you to encrypt your other business and personal email accounts too...not just iCloud.

If you really want to go to town and try our amazing VPN service too, we have a SecureMyEmail+VPN bundled offer for only $59.88/year.

How do I set up SecureMyEmail to encrypt iCloud email

• First, set up an "app-specific" password with Apple. This is a password that you will use with SecureMyEmail instead of your Apple ID. This is an Apple thing, but not a bad idea. You can just name it "SecureMyEmail" or whatever you want.
• Go to our pricing page and decide if you want to purchase the bundle with VPN, or scroll down and just do the free trial of SecureMyEmail.
• When you download and set up our software, choose "Manual/Other" as your email provider when asked.

• Use the app-specific password you set up in #1 as your Email Account Password and you're done! Your iCloud email will download into your new SecureMyEmail INBOX.

• You can now download our apps on your other devices if you like and just sign into your SecureMyEmail account on them.

How do I send an encrypted iCloud email with SecureMyEmail?

1. In the SecureMyEmail software or app, click "Compose," enter your recipients, and write your email. If you have attachments, add them. Then, just click SEND.
2. If you're sending to another SecureMyEmail user, that's it.
3. If sending to a non-user, you pick which encryption method you want to use, set expiration date, and email will be encrypted and sent.

You're all set at this point but if you want to see this broken down to microscopic level, including what a recipient sees, you can check it out here.

I like my email setup. Do I need to switch to SecureMyEmail?

Nope.

SecureMyEmail apps are fully functional email software, you can use us for your iCloud, and other email accounts, if you like.

But, if you like your current set up (most people do), that's totally cool. 

Thanks to IMAP, everything will stay perfectly synced. If you send and receive encrypted email, you will see those emails in your iCloud, Outlook, Apple Mail, or wherever too. But, they will be encrypted.

You'll just need to use SecureMyEmail apps to read and send encrypted email because we have the magic the others lack.

But, we run in any browser and we have mobile apps too. So, even if you don't use us as your email client, it's very easy. If you send a LOT of encrypted email, just keep us running. If encrypting email is an occasional thing, then just fire us up when you need us or use our mobile apps.