S/MIME-protected messages
S/MIME-protected message basics
About signing and encrypting messages
You can digitally sign or encrypt messages to add another level of security to email messages and PIN messages that you send from your
BlackBerry® device. Digital signatures are designed to help recipients verify the authenticity and integrity of messages that you send. When
you digitally sign a message using your private key, recipients use your public key to verify that the message is from you and that the message
has not been changed.
Encryption is designed to keep messages confidential. When you encrypt a message, your device uses the recipient’s public key to encrypt the
message. Recipients use their private key to decrypt the message.
To send an encrypted PIN message, you must have a PIN and an email address for the contact in your contact list. Your device uses the email
address in your contact list to locate a PGP® key or certificate for the contact.
Sign or encrypt a message
You can sign or encrypt email messages and PIN messages.
1.
When composing a message, change the
Encoding
field.
2. If necessary, change the
Classification
field.
Encrypt a message with a pass phrase
Your BlackBerry® device can encrypt email messages and PIN messages using a pass phrase shared between the sender and recipient.
1.
In an unsent message, set the
Encoding
field to
Encrypt
or
Sign and Encrypt
.
2. Press the
Menu
key.
3. Click
Options
.
4. Set the
Use Password-Based Encryption
field to
Yes
.
5. In the
Allowed Content Ciphers
section, select the check box beside one or more allowed content ciphers.
6. If you are signing the message, in the
Signing Options
section, select a certificate.
7. Press the
Menu
key.
8. Click
Save
.
9. Type your message.
10. Press the
Menu
key.
11. Click
Send
.
12. Type a pass phrase to encrypt the message.
13. Confirm the pass phrase.
14. Click
OK
.
Using a secure method, let the recipient know what the pass phrase is.
User Guide
Messages
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