With the Mailock Outlook add-in installed your ribbon layout will look a little different; you will have a new ‘Compose New Secure Email’ button and a ‘Mailock’ Tab.
Sending a secure mail
If you click on ‘New Secure Email’, or ‘New Email’ you will have the same pop out window. The only difference is the Mailock logo in the top left:
If the Mailock logo has the green tick, the email IS secure.
If the Mailock logo is showing a red warning, the email IS NOT secure.
By clicking on the Mailock logo at any time before sending your email, you can easily switch your message between secure and unsecure modes.
If you attempt to send an email in unsecure mode, the add-in will automatically scan the content for specific trigger words that indicate the email should be sent securely. Should any of these trigger words be detected, the following notification will appear to alert you.
This highlights the trigger words it found and gives you the option to send the message securely.
Authentication Challenge
When you select to send your message, using Mailock, to a new recipient, the following screen pops up:
A key step in securing your message is adding a challenge. As above, this can be either adding a question and answer or, if you have a Pro licence, adding their mobile phone number, which sends them an authentication code. This step verifies the recipient’s identity and if choosing the challenge question and answer method it should be something known to just you and your recipient. For tips on what to set for a challenge click here
Once a registered recipient has successfully answered the challenge question they are added to your trusted community of verified recipients. For more information about the trusted community and it's benefits, click here
To see what the recipient sees when you send a message, click here.
Tip: If you use the reading pane in Outlook, which shows a preview of your emails, and you receive a secure message don’t click on the ‘Read my message’ link you’ll see in the preview window. Instead, double click on the message to open it and Mailock will automatically decrypt it for you.
Message tracking
You can also track the message you’ve sent using Mailock. Go to your Sent Items in Outlook and open the message. The Mailock button either displays in green if the message was sent securely or red if not. If it was, clicking the button gives you further options:
Choosing ‘Show access details’ displays tracking details such as if/when the email was opened and if any attachments have been opened:
If the ‘Revoked’ box is checked, the recipient will be unable to access the message. This revocation occurs automatically if they fail to answer the security challenge correctly after five attempts, or you can manually revoke access by checking the box (for instance, if you accidentally sent the message). Conversely, if the box is unchecked, the recipient can read the message without any issues. You have the flexibility to revoke or restore access to a message at any time, even after it has been opened.
You will also receive a notification email when your recipient opens your email, as illustrated in the example below. If a message is revoked because the recipient failed the security challenge, you will receive a separate notification email regarding this action.
If you’d like to automatically move these to a folder other than your Inbox, we have a suggestion here.