Overview
Encryption ensures that protected or sensitive information is not intercepted during email transmission, thus protecting you and the university from potentially costly and reputation-damaging data breaches.
NOTE: One drawback of Microsoft's new encryption platform is that this functionality will not work for UT faculty, staff, and students who use UT's Gmail as their preferred mailbox.
Send an Encrypted Email
To send an encrypted message, use the word "encrypt" (without quotations) in the email's subject line and send the message as usual.
Recommend Types of Emails to Encrypt
Any university email that contains the following protected or sensitive information must be encrypted:
- Bank Routing Numbers
- Credit card or other financial information
- Personally Identifiable Information (i.e. Social Security Numbers)
- Passwords
- Any information protected by governmental or institutional regulations
View an Encrypted Email
University of Tennessee Email Users
With the new encrypt experience, messages will display on the screen with a banner at the top indicating that they are encrypted. Replies to messages will also be encrypted.
External Email Users (Other schools, organizations, or personal email accounts)
External email users will continue to receive an email with a link to view the email.
- Click the button in the message that says, Read the Message.
- Click Sign in with a one-time passcode.
- Go back to your Inbox, open the new message with the subject "Your one-time passcode to view the message," then copy/paste the passcode into your previously opened browser tab and click Continue.
- Once you pass authentication, the message will display in the browser.
NOTE: For the recipient to reply securely to the message, the recipient must reply from the message on the web. Replying from the original message will send an unencrypted reply.
June 1, 2022 Updates to Encrypt
On June 1, 2022, Microsoft changed the functionality when you use encrypt in the subject of your emails to secure your messages sent from Microsoft 365.
Some of the benefits of the new functionality include:
- Incorporating a native inline experience for Microsoft 365 recipients
- Seeing the banner at the top of all secure messages indicates that it is encrypted.
- Sending automated messages securely from systems and applications, such as Argos and Banner
- Access for external recipients through Microsoft's portal; no download or app is required.
One drawback of Microsoft's new encryption platform is that this functionality will not work for UT faculty, staff, and students who use UT's Gmail as their preferred mailbox. We recommend using Vault when sending secure messages to those users.