GFI launches revolutionary PGP encryption feature for Exchange

London, UK, 9th September 1999 - GFI today launched a revolutionary e-mail encryption feature for Mail essentials for Exchange/SMTP, its leading e-mail security and management gateway that installs on existing mail servers. This new addition, which prevents e-mail interception, tampering and fraud, makes Mail essentials one of the first products to offer a server-based encryption/decryption solution that does not require any user intervention.

The e-mail encryption feature, which uses the popular PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) format, encrypts/decrypts messages centrally and allows users to send and receive secure e-mail without having to install any client security software. As it requires no user intervention, companies can be sure that confidential messages are always safe from prying eyes. Moreover, the recipients of the secure mail do not require Mail essentials and can use any freeware PGP client to decrypt the message.

“So far, there has been a general resistance towards encryption because users tended to find client-based e-mail security systems cumbersome to use and apply. Implementing the software at client level involves a lot of additional administration and requires end-user training. It is also costly because encryption software is needed on each machine. Besides, existing packages also require the other companies to have the same software installed,” Nick Galea, president of GFI, explains.

“Mail essentials puts an end to all this because it is non-proprietary and encrypts and decrypts all e-mail at server level, making it transparent to users.”

Storing public keys
The system works by centrally encoding messages to specified domains. Because Mail essentials can store the public keys of companies and individuals that communicate with the user, each message can be automatically encrypted. This means that companies can easily implement completely secure communications without the need for complex and expensive VPN (virtual private network) software. With Mail essentials, all e-mail messages reaching the corporate server are automatically decrypted, so that each user receives a legible text message right away. This way, end-users do not need to have or learn how to use encryption software.

In addition to being able to encrypt and decrypt e-mail messages automatically, Mail essentials also adds an easy way to publicize a company’s public PGP key using the disclaimer/footer text feature. Mail essentials can append the public PGP key to each outgoing message, offering the recipient an easy way to answer the e-mail by using the secure key.

Secure communication with web sites
In addition, companies can now easily set up secure e-mail links from their web site. Using Mail essentials and a PGP form-mailer (available free from GFI), companies can also securely send the output of web forms (including order forms) by e-mail. This feature helps combat credit card fraud and allows companies to use e-mail to transmit confidential documentation, such as sensitive records, contracts, classified figures and the like.

The PGP module is available in Mail essentials 2.0. Mail essentials adds crucial e-mail security features to a company’s mail server including content checking and quarantining of certain in- and outbound mails or attachments, advanced anti-spam and anti-virus measures, auto-replies, auto-compression and archiving, as well as adding company-wide disclaimers to outgoing mail.

An evaluation version can be downloaded from http://www.gfi.com/.

Pricing of Mail essentials starts at $250 for a 10-user version.