5 Steps to Send An Encrypted Email in Gmail

These days, we use Gmail for everything from customer service to telehealth. Customers and employees send drivers licenses and passport information to validate their identity or complete HR onboarding tasks. Over time, your Gmail account can become a treasure trove of sensitive PII, PCI, PHI, and passwords that can fall into the wrong hands. In fact, as of this year, just under half of all data breaches involve email. And according to a recent study, 80% of companies admitted to experiencing an email breach in the last year–including everything from successful phishing attacks, to email login credential compromises, data leaks, ransomware, and more. 

So, what can you do to protect your inbox? One thing is for sure, it's time to go beyond strong passwords or password managers designed to keep accounts in Gmail confidential. You need a way to keep sensitive data out of email, altogether.

Enter: email encryption.

What is an email encryption solution, and why do you need one?

As part of a strong DLP strategy, you not only need to prevent unauthorized sharing of sensitive corporate assets, but you need to enable secure, authorized ways to share sensitive data needed in daily business workflows. 

Whether you’re sharing intellectual property with your boss, need to deliver an active API key to an outside collaborator, or you're sending electronic health records to a patient, you don’t want anyone but your intended recipient looking at your emails. In fact, unsecured email content is one great way it falls into the hands of unauthorized users. Not only can someone compromise an individual account and find sensitive data in sent folders using quick, educated content searches of unencrypted emails, but your recipients can fall prey to attacks or phishing scams, too, exposing your data. 

Encryption usually does the trick by converting your email into a code that only the intended recipient can decipher. This protects your data during transmission so that any personal, financial, or medical details stay hidden from prying eyes. What's more, your solution should give you the option to set an expiration date as an additional layer of security to protect it from unauthorized access in the future.

Luckily, it’s easy to encrypt your emails in Gmail using a third-party tool like Nightfall AI.

How to send an encrypted email in Gmail

1. Install Nightfall’s browser plugin

To get started with encrypted email in Gmail, install Nightfall’s lightweight browser plugin. This plugin integrates seamlessly with Gmail, providing an intuitive interface for managing encryption settings and detecting sensitive data.

• Sign up for Nightfall, and install the Nightfall console.
• Install Nightfall for Gmail.
• Follow the on-screen instructions to configure the plugin with your Gmail account.

2. Configure encryption settings

Once the plugin is installed, you can set up automatic or manual email encryption. Nightfall’s AI-powered encryption engine also allows you to define policies based on data types, such as PII, PCI, PHI, secrets, and IP, to ensure that your sensitive data is protected according to your business needs.

• Visit Nightfall’s detector glossary to browse Nightfall’s 70+ detectors.
• Navigate to the Nightfall console to configure your desired policies.
• Specify whether you’d like to set up manual or automatic email encryption.
• Specify if you’d like to scan or exclude specific users, user groups, domains, detection rules, and more.
• Set expiration dates for emails for additional protection.

3. Send an encrypted email

Once you’ve configured your policies and detectors, kick back and let Nightfall get to work.The plugin will automatically scan outgoing emails for sensitive data and apply encryption as per your configured settings.

• Compose your email in Gmail as usual.
• If you’ve opted for manual encryption, then simply toggle the “Encrypt with Nightfall” button in your email draft before sending.
• If you’ve opted for automated encryption, the plugin will scan all outgoing emails for sensitive data, and will encrypt emails containing sensitive data without any manual input.

4. Open your secure reader

Recipients of encrypted emails will experience a streamlined, secure reading process. Nightfall’s Secure Reader allows them to authenticate via a one-time passcode (OTP) and access the email without needing additional software.

• Upon receiving an encrypted email, the recipient will receive a link to the Secure Reader.
• They will enter an OTP sent to their email to view the content of the encrypted email.
• Attachments will remain encrypted even if downloaded to ensure continuous protection.

5. Manage and monitor encryption

Configure real-time alerts to Slack, Jira, email, or webhooks. Alternatively, visit the Nightfall console for detailed analytics and insights about your organization’s email security, including top policy violations and more.

• Log into the Nightfall console to view your dashboard.
• Review real-time policy violations and analytics related to encrypted emails.
• Adjust policies or take action based on the insights provided.

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But that's not all you can do to protect your emails in Gmail. Read on for some additional security measures that you can implement.

How to send a password protected email in Gmail

Email providers typically offer their own security options, and it's never a bad idea to use them on top of what you're already doing. However, it should be noted that these are not a solid standalone strategy for protecting email accounts or individual emails. First of all, you're relying on users to know which emails should be sent as confidential messages, and which are okay to send as a regular email. Second, you're assuming they will remember to follow policy. Without continuous monitoring of email accounts in a way that scans and classifies the contents of outgoing emails, there is no way to ensure this happens consistently. So, in-app email security is best used in addition to–not instead of–a broader cloud workspace DLP strategy and controls.

For enhanced security, consider using password protection alongside encryption in Gmail. With Gmail’s "Confidential Mode," you can require recipients to enter a passcode that they'll receive via SMS. This means only your intended recipient can open your message, even if someone else gains access to their inbox.

What secure sharing tools can you use to encrypt your email in Gmail?

While Gmail offers some native security features, it could be worth looking into an email DLP tool. By definition, email services are not designed to contextualize risky sharing and security posture in your email with your overall data security posture and strategy. Email DLP tools offer the following advantages:

• Automated email protection solutions: Automatically encrypt or quarantine, block emails that contain sensitive data, so nothing slips through the cracks.

• Advanced threat detection solutions: Identify accidental data exposure before it compromises your inbox.

• Continuous compliance solutions: Ensure that your emails meet industry regulations in order to protect your business from fines.

Long story short, if you handle personal, financial, or health information at work, it may be worth looking into an email DLP solution for a little more peace of mind. Ideally, this is simply an expansion of your existing DLP provider's offering, so you don't have to use multiple point solutions. This helps you reduce vendor management burdens and portal overload, but also helps you strengthen a unified approach to cloud and SaaS DLP.

Why use Nightfall for email encryption?

Nightfall’s Data Encryption and Data Detection & Response tools offer fine-grained control over email security, including options to:

• Automatically encrypt emails without navigating out of the app.

• Intercept and block or quarantine emails that contain sensitive data in email body, subject or attachments text, and in unencrypted form.

• Scan email attachments to flag the presence of sensitive data.

• Remove email attachments when they are too sensitive for sharing, even if securely.

• Encrypt attachments to ensure they remain secured.

• Revoke email access for any user.

• Block email forwarding for sensitive emails.

• Keep confidential emails private.

Superior Encryption Capabilities

Go beyond standard encryption. To provide superior protection for your sensitive files, Nightfall AI uses military-grade level of encryption in our email security solution.

Here’s why Nightfall stands out:

• Full visibility and control: Nightfall’s centralized console allows security teams to monitor every encryption event. This feature keeps you informed about who sends and receives encrypted emails, who opens encrypted emails, downloads attachments. You can also revoke access to all or certain recipients on demand, change expiration dates or disable forwarding in addition to these controls available to senders.

• Easy deployment across teams: Nightfall’s Chrome plugin works with Mobile Device Management (MDM) or Google Workspace. This helps you to deploy Nightfall across your entire team in a matter or minutes.

• Custom policies: Security teams can create policies for both manual and automated email encryption to give their teams flexibility.

• AI-powered data protection: Nightfall’s generative AI (GenAI) platform scans emails in real-time. This capability allows you to encrypt emails based on sharing of specific data types, like PII, PCI, PHI, or credentials.

• Smooth user experience: Nightfall integrates seamlessly with Gmail so that you don't have to setup complex mail exchange (MX) records or disable native support features. Encryption options are embedded directly within the Gmail compose window making it very simple for end-users.

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What's the best way to send an encrypted Gmail email?

In a world where a single email could cause a breach, email encryption is a necessity for any business. Nightfall provides a simple, effective way to send encrypted emails in Gmail without any strain on your daily workflows.

Ready to start encrypting your emails? Contact Nightfall to learn more about our email encryption and DLP solutions.

Final thoughts: How to level up your Google Workspace DLP with Nightfall 

In addition to encrypting your emails, consider the added benefits of integrating Nightfall across your entire Google Workspace.

How does Nightfall protect your Google workspace? 

Nightfall's integrated DLP approach delivers comprehensive protection across your Google Workspace. 

In Gmail, Nightfall’s AI-powered detection engine scans emails in real time to identify and protect sensitive data via encryption, redaction, and other remediation options like blocking, quarantining, or removing attachments. 

In Google Drive, Nightfall provides visibility into data movement and file sharing activities. It monitors uploads, tracks permissions changes, and detects unauthorized downloads. These real-time insights and automated responses help manage insider risks and data exfiltration, all while enhancing your overall security posture.

In short, by combining seamless integration with AI-driven features, Nightfall ensures that your Google Workspace remains continuously secure and compliant.

Learn More About Nightfall AI

Nightfall AI provides next-gen DLP across your environment, with a special focus on your "hardest to reach" areas, namely your cloud-based SaaS applications and workspaces. Our philosophy is simple: create the most powerful AI detection engine on the market, and empower employees to be part of the solution.

See Nightfall in action by scheduling your own custom demo today.

FAQs

What is the best way to ensure compliance when sending encrypted emails?

Nightfall's AI-native email encryption solution supports compliance with standards like HIPAA, GDPR, and FERPA by automatically encrypting sensitive data such as PII, PCI, PHI, secrets, and IP before it’s sent. Be sure to regularly review and update your encryption policies to adapt to changing regulations and data protection requirements.

Why use Nightfall for email encryption?

Nightfall provides advanced, AI-driven encryption for Gmail that outperforms legacy DLP solutions, with detection that’s 2x more accurate than the competition. Nightfall’s precise, context-aware detection of sensitive data also ensures up to 4x fewer false positives. With Nightfall, you can easily manage and secure PII, PCI, and PHI, all while maintaining seamless email workflows and compliance with data protection standards.

How does Nightfall's encryption improve email security compared to traditional methods?

Nightfall's encryption improves email security by using AI-powered detection to accurately identify and encrypt sensitive data with 2x greater precision than traditional methods. Unlike outdated DLP solutions, Nightfall reduces false positives and automates the encryption process to minimize workflow interruptions and ensure a secure and compliant email experience for users.

Can Nightfall’s encryption handle data from cloud-based services?

Yes, Nightfall’s encryption solution is designed to integrate seamlessly with cloud-based services like Gmail. It provides robust protection for data in transit across various platforms, including email, SaaS applications, and custom apps.

What is the difference between PII vs. PCI?

PII (Personally Identifiable Information) includes data like social security numbers and addresses, while PCI (Payment Card Information) refers specifically to credit card details. Encrypting emails with Nightfall helps protect both types of sensitive information to maintain compliance with standards like SOC 2 and PCI-DSS. Understanding the distinction ensures that you apply the appropriate security measures to comply with data protection regulations.

What is the difference between PII vs. PHI?

PII (Personally Identifiable Information) refers to data that can identify an individual, such as social security numbers, credit card information, and addresses. PHI (Protected Health Information), a subset of PII, specifically relates to health data that includes details like medical records and health insurance information. While PII covers a broader range of personal information, PHI is exclusively used in healthcare contexts and is protected under regulations like HIPAA. Both types of data require strict protection, but PHI has additional safeguards due to its sensitive nature.

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