cPanel Email Encryption Explained

cPanel supports email encryption. This is a security feature to protect your messages from reaching unwanted recipients. When a message is encrypted, the recipient needs the key to decrypt the message. Otherwise, the message will not be readable to the user. In this tutorial, we are going to see how to encrypt the messages with cPanel.

cPanel use GnuPG feature to create the keys to encrypt the messages.

GnuPG

The GnuPG key stands for GNU Privacy Guard. The GnuPG is an implementation of the OpenPGP standard as defined by RFC4880. The OpenPGP is also known as PGP. The GnuPG is used to encrypt data or communication and offers a key management system. The GnuPG also offers modules for all kinds of public key directories.

Working of GnuPG

As in other key based encryption techniques, there are two types of keys for GnuPG. They are a public key and private key. As the name indicates, the two keys work specifically in encrypting and decrypting the documents. When a user encrypts the documentation using GnuPG, the public key will be used for encryption. This encrypted document can be decrypted only with the private key. Only the authorized users who have the private key will be able to decrypt and access the documentation.

If “A” wants to send an encrypted message to “B”, the message will be encrypted by the public key of “B” so that the message can be decrypted with the private key held by “B”.

How to set up Email encryption using the Horde webmail client?

We are going to set up two email accounts and access it using webmail. Generating Keypairs to implement OpenPGP to encrypt the mail connection between two email accounts.

Prerequisite: 

Set up a domain in Cpanel. Update the proper MX records. Create two email accounts in cpanel and make sure it is working. Here I have created two email accounts:

1. [email protected] 
2. [email protected] 

Steps: 

1. Open the email account ([email protected]) using the Horde webmail client and Navigate to the PGP settings

Enable the PGP functionality to this email account

Create the PGP key pairs and copy the public key and save it on another location.

View and save the public key

Click “Enter passphrase” and upload it.

2. Do the same procedure for your other email account “ accounts@mailsent.xyz”. Create the Key pairs and take the public key available with you.

3. Exchange the public keys of both accounts. Import the public key of email1 to email 2 and import the public key of email 2 to email 1.

3. Then proceed with sending the mails with encryption.

Enter the passphrase of the admin email to send the email.

5. Decrypt and view the received email

Mail sent from admin email to accounts email. Now it asks passphrase to view the message on the account’s email end.

Note: Enter the Account’s email passphrase to open this email

Enter the passphrase

Summary:

We have created two email accounts. Generated key pairs for both accounts. Imported both the public keys on the alternative accounts. Sent the encrypted message and decrypted on another end.