Lightweight Encryption for Email

Email encryption techniques have been available for more than a decade, yet none has been widely deployed. The problems of key generation, certification, and distribution have not been pragmatically addressed. We recently proposed a method for implementing a Lightweight Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) for email authentication using recent developments in identitybased cryptography and today’s existing Internet infrastructure. While this solution works well for email authentication, email encryption exhibits a different threat model that requires special treatment. In this work, we discuss how to achieve email encryption and present a realistic deployment and adoption process, while respecting the current functionality and expectations of email.