Introduction

Do not send sensitive information by unencrypted email! There is always a risk that others can obtain information sent by e-mail. Email messages are normally sent unencrypted and can be intercepted by malicious parties. There is also a risk that you accidentally send the email to a wrong recipient, or to more recipients than you intended.

There are methods to send encrypted emails. In the Staff Gateway, you can read about how to encrypt email - Outlook 2021 and 365.

For those who do not send sensitive information often, it may be easier to send the sensitive information in an encrypted attachment.

If you are in need of sending sensitive information often, or if it concerns large amounts of data, there are other solutions. Contact itsupport@uu.se to find out which options are best suited for your need.

An alternative to encrypted emails

The following instructions show how to encrypt an attachment with a program called 7-Zip, in a few steps. After encryption, you can send the attachment with a regular email.

- The instructions assume that you have 7-Zip * installed on your computer and that
you have stored the sensitive information in a format that can be handled by the
recipient, such as a Word document.

- 7-Zip is a free software program (i.e. open source) that can be downloaded from Software Center, which can be found in the Start menu below the window icon in your work computer obtained by the university. Use the search feature if you can not find 7-Zip in the list og programs i Software Center.

- If you are a MacOS user, a program called Keka is a good alternative to 7-Zip. Keka is a free software program and can be downloaded via Uppsala University's Self Service or on this page.

Encrypting a file with 7-Zip

Use the following steps to encrypt your document:

Open 7-Zip and find the document that you would like to encrypt.
Mark the document and click on Add.

In the new window that opens:

Fill in and repeat the password for encryption.
- Keep in mind that the password must be at least 15 characters long and contain a mixture of lowercase and uppercase letters, numbers and special characters.
- The encryption algorithm AES-256 must be used.
Click on OK. An encrypted file with the suffix .7z is now saved in the specified folder.

Sending the encrypted attachment

Send the encrypted file (with the suffix .7z) as an attachment in an email.
Instruct the recipient on how to decrypt the attachment.
Communicate the encryption password to the recipient via SMS or through phone call.
Sending a one-time password via SMS is considered a secure option.
Use a unique password for every attachment!

Decrypting the attachment

The recipient saves the received attachment in a desired folder on their computer.
The recipient downloads 7-Zip and uses it to decrypt and open the attachment.
Right clicking on the file will show the option to open the file.
The recipient will need to enter the password to open the file. After entering the relevant password, the file is opened in decrypted form.

Encrypting using Microsoft Word / Office 2016

It is also possible to use the built-in encryption functionality in Office 2016. Microsoft's own tutorial can be found online. The following applies even for this method:

The password must be communicated in a secure way with the recipient.
There must be a unique password for each attachment.

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