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  4. How can I implement my e-mail certificate (S/MIME) in Outlook 2003 and sign/encrypt my e-mails?
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How can I implement my e-mail certificate (S/MIME) in Outlook 2003 and sign/encrypt my e-mails?


For the implementation, please ensure that you have the certificate in PKCS12 format (.pfx). If you need to convert the certificate, you can use our certificate converter for this. You can find further helpful information on converting your certificate in our FAQ article "How can I create a PFX file?".

How to import your certificate into Outlook 2003

1

Open your Outlook and select Tools > Options. Now go to the tab Security and click on Import/Export.


2

In the following window you have the possibility to import the certificate from the previously saved certificate file into Outlook. To do so, select the path where you saved the file and enter the password you have set. Enter a name for the Digital ID and confirm the entry with OK.


3

Specify the security level that should be used to save your PrivateKey and click OK.


4

Congratulations! The certificate was successfully imported into Outlook 2003.


Signing and encryption of messages

  • Signing an email ensures that the recipient knows that the email came from you and informs them that it was not modified during transmission.
  • Encrypting an email ensures that only the recipient can read the content and attachments of the email.


To encrypt e-mails, you must first have the recipient's e-mail certificate in your certificate store. To obtain the recipient's certificate, first ask the recipient to send you a signed e-mail. When you receive the signed e-mail, his certificate is automatically imported into your certificate store and you can then send an encrypted e-mail to that person.

Assigning your certificate

1

Open your Outlook and select Tools > Options. Now go to the tab Security and click on Import/Export.


2

In the following dialog box, you can select certificates for encrypting and signing e-mails. Enter the certificate's path that you have purchased from us and click on OK.


If you are unsure which certificate to select, you can mark the certificate and click View certificate to view the certificate details.



3

Click on OK to return to the settings.


Signing and encryption of certain messages

1

To encrypt/sign a specific e-mail before sending, first open a new message and write down your text so far.

2

Before sending, click on Options... in the toolbar and select Sign and/or Encrypt to activate the signing and/or encryption of the message.


3

As soon as you click on Send, Outlook will convert the message according to your specifications and send it to the recipient.


Default signing and/or encryption of all messages

1

Open your Outlook and select Tools > Options. Now go to the tab Security.

2
  • To encrypt each message by default, select the Encrypt content and attach outgoing messages option.
  • To sign each message by default, select the Append digital signature to outgoing messages option.
  • If you only want to use one of the two options, you can leave the respective checkbox empty. You can set this as you wish.


To confirm the authenticity of a message, it is sufficient to sign the message. Encryption is only required if you want to transmit data confidentially, for example.


3

Click on OK to apply the settings.

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