Special Edition Using® Microsoft® Office Outlook® 2003

Sending Secure Messages

Now that you know how to secure the individual items within Outlook and secure your computer, you can take security one step further by learning to send secure messages. Sending secure messages is a bit like requiring a driver's license when making a credit card purchase. A digital certificate guarantees that you are who you say you are—much like your driver's license assures a retail store that you're really the same person whose name is on the credit card.

A digital certificate is an electronic driver's license, in a way. Composed of a public and private key, a certificate can accomplish two things. First, it can assure the recipient of your email that it really did come from you. Second, it can guarantee that the email ...