Which protocol stands for Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions and is used to send digitally signed and encrypted messages?

Which protocol stands for Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions and is used to send digitally signed and encrypted messages?

• A. PGP
• B. S/MIME
• C. SSL
• D. HTTPS

Answer: (B)

S/MIME is all about securing email content by signing and encrypting messages. It uses X.509 certificates within a public-key infrastructure to provide authentication, integrity, and confidentiality. When you send a message, you can attach a digital signature created with your private key, which recipients can verify with your public certificate to confirm who sent it and that the message hasn’t been tampered with. The message body can also be encrypted with the recipient’s public key, so only the intended recipient with the matching private key can read it. S/MIME builds on MIME and uses a cryptographic framework (Cryptographic Message Syntax) to encapsulate the signed and encrypted data, making it widely supported by major email clients and easy to deploy in organizations with certificate management. While another approach like PGP exists for email security, and SSL/TLS/HTTPS protect web traffic rather than email content, S/MIME specifically targets secure email messaging as described.

S/MIME is all about securing email content by signing and encrypting messages. It uses X.509 certificates within a public-key infrastructure to provide authentication, integrity, and confidentiality. When you send a message, you can attach a digital signature created with your private key, which recipients can verify with your public certificate to confirm who sent it and that the message hasn’t been tampered with. The message body can also be encrypted with the recipient’s public key, so only the intended recipient with the matching private key can read it. S/MIME builds on MIME and uses a cryptographic framework (Cryptographic Message Syntax) to encapsulate the signed and encrypted data, making it widely supported by major email clients and easy to deploy in organizations with certificate management. While another approach like PGP exists for email security, and SSL/TLS/HTTPS protect web traffic rather than email content, S/MIME specifically targets secure email messaging as described.