Email Encryption FAQ

A Registered Envelope is a type of encrypted email message. To ensure privacy, you should never send sensitive information through standard email, where it is susceptible to unauthorized access. Registered Envelopes use encryption to protect sensitive email messages so that you can send and receive them safely across the Internet.

Cisco Registered Envelope Service delivers Registered Envelopes directly to the recipient’s email inbox in any standard email system. Then, the recipient can use a web browser to open the envelope. No special software is required.

Registered Envelopes can include the following elements:

• Date and time stamp. Displays the date and time when the encrypted message was sent.
• Message security level. See What are message security levels?
• Help link. View information about opening Registered Envelopes.
• From field. Displays the email address of the sender.
• To field. View or select the email address of the recipient. If your address is not shown, click the “Select a different address” link.
• Password field. Enter your Cisco Registered Envelope Service password. Leave this field blank if you do not have an account.
• Forgot password? link. See What happens if I forget my password?
• Personal Security Phrase ( More Info ). See What is a Personal Security Phrase?
• “Remember me on this computer” check box. See What is the “Remember me on this computer” option?
• Open button. Open the Registered Envelope to view the encrypted message.
• Register button. Access the Cisco Registered Envelope Service website to create a user account.
• Submit button. Submit a change to the envelope — for example, after you select an address in the To field.
• Refresh button. Reload the envelope in the browser window.
• “Select a different address” link. Enable a drop-down menu in the To field to select a different address.
• “My address is not listed” link. View information about selecting your address in the To field.
• Open Online link. See Tips for Opening Envelopes .

Most Registered Envelopes are password-protected with the exception of low security envelopes, which are encrypted but do not require a password. When you register, you create the password that you use to open the Registered Envelopes that you receive.

Note — When you register, you create a user account for a single email address. If you have mutliple email addresses, you need to register each address separately.

The first time you receive a Registered Envelope, you are asked to register with Cisco Registered Envelope Service to create a free user account. Use the password that you create during registration to open all Registered Envelopes that you receive.

If you forget your password, click the Forgot password? link on a Registered Envelope to reset your password. Cisco Registered Envelope Service will send a New Password message to the email address associated with your account.

If you have specified security questions for your account, the New Password message contains a link to your security questions. Answer the questions to access the Create New Password page. Choose a new password, and use that password to log in to your account.

Note — If you fail to correctly answer the security questions on five consecutive attempts, you will be locked out of your account for one hour.

If you have not specified security questions for your account, the New Password message contains a link to the Create New Password page. Choose a new password, and use that password to log in to your account. When you log in, you will be prompted to specify security questions for your account (unless you have configured Cisco Registered Envelope Service to bypass security questions when resetting passwords in your user profile).

The attached file contains the encrypted message that you have received. It also includes the information necessary to decrypt the message after your password has been verified.

To read the encrypted message, complete the following steps:

1. Double-click the encrypted message file attachment to download the file to your computer.
2. Select whether to open the file or save it to your hard drive. Opening the file displays the attachment in a new browser window.
3. If the message is password-protected, enter your password to open it. If you need to create an account, follow the links on the envelope to do so.
4. When you are finished reading the attached file, close the browser window.

To protect your computer from viruses, it is recommended that you install an antivirus software program from a reputable company, and use the program to scan all email attachments. Download files only from known senders. If you have questions about the validity of the message, contact the sender before opening an attachment.

For example, what if the file contains unreadable text or HTML markup (such as <!-- or -->), or the Open button is missing from the envelope?

If you have a problem viewing the Registered Envelope, forward the message to mobile@res.cisco.com. Cisco Registered Envelope Service will send you a message with a link that you can click to view the encrypted message.

A Personal Security Phrase helps protects you from password phishing threats. When you register with Cisco Registered Envelope Service, you specify a short Personal Security Phrase that is known only to you and the service. The Personal Security Phrase appears on Registered Envelopes that you receive. The phrase appears when you click the password field. If you do not see your Personal Security Phrase, click the link for more information.

Note — If you have not selected “Remember me on this computer,” then the Personal Security Phrase will not be displayed.

If you have received a message unexpectedly and you think the message might be fraudulent, contact the sender before opening the attachment.

When you open a Registered Envelope using your password, your browser can store your login information. If you select the “Remember me on this computer” option, opening Registered Envelopes involves fewer steps.

Important — If you use a shared computer, do not select the “Remember me on this computer” check box.

When you select the “Remember me on this computer” option, the browser stores a persistent cookie that Cisco Registered Envelope Service uses to identify you when you open a Registered Envelope.

Note — If you want to open Registered Envelopes without entering your password each time, you must select this option, and the Registered Envelopes must have been sent with the medium security level. For more information, see “What are message security levels?”

When someone sends you an encrypted message, the sender assigns a security level to that message. Registered Envelopes with a high security level require more rigorous authentication.

For messages with low security, you do not need to enter a password. However, you will be unable to perform some of the functions you can with higher security messages (such as sending a securely forwarded message).

For messages with medium security, you do not need to enter your password each time you open a Registered Envelope if you have selected the “Remember me on this computer” option.

For messages with high security, you need to enter your password manually even if you have selected the “Remember me on this computer” option.

To disable the pop-up blocker in Internet Explorer:

1. Enter your password in the Registered Envelope, and click Open.
2. After decryption, the following pop-up blocker message appears in the browser: “Pop-up blocked. To see this pop-up or additional options, click here…”
3. Click the pop-up blocker message.
4. Click the option to temporarily allow pop-ups.
5. Re-enter your password in the envelope, and click Open.
6. A new browser window displays the content of the secure message.

To disable the pop-up blocker in Firefox:

1. Enter your password into the Registered Envelope, and click Open.
2. After decryption, the following pop-up blocker message appears in the browser: “Firefox prevented this site from opening a pop-up window. Click here for options…”
3. Click the pop-up blocker message.
4. Select the “Allow pop-ups for” option to allow pop-ups for the Secure Envelope.
5. Re-enter your password in the envelope, and click Open.

A new browser window displays the content of the secure message.

To use some features of Cisco Registered Envelope Service, including the Personal Security Phrase, you may need to enable cookies in your web browser.

To enable cookies in Internet Explorer:

1. On the menu bar, select Tools > Internet Options.
2. Click the Privacy tab. Verify that the privacy level is set to medium or lower. If the privacy level is set to custom, click the Default button and then set the privacy level to medium or lower.
3. Click OK, and refresh the page where the Registered Envelope is displayed.

To enable cookies in Firefox:

1. For Windows, on the menu bar, select Tools > Options. (For Macintosh, select Firefox > Preferences.)
2. Click the Privacy icon.
3. Select the check box labeled “Accept cookies from sites.”
4. Select the option to keep cookies until they expire.
5. Click OK, and refresh the page where the Registered Envelope is displayed.

To get the richest user experience, you may want to enable JavaScript in your web browser.

To enable JavaScript in Internet Explorer:

1. On the menu bar, select Tools > Internet Options.
2. Click the Security tab. Changing the security level to medium or lower enables JavaScript. To enable JavaScript without changing other security settings, click the Custom Level button. Under Scripting, select the Enable option for Active Scripting.
3. Click OK, and refresh the page where the Registered Envelope is displayed.

To enable JavaScript in Firefox:

1. For Windows, on the menu bar, select Tools > Options. (For Macintosh, select Firefox > Preferences.)
2. Click the Content icon.
3. Select the Enable JavaScript check box.
4. Click OK, and refresh the page where the Registered Envelope is displayed.

To open messages that have attachments, you may need to enable Java in your web browser.

To enable Java in Internet Explorer:

1. On the menu bar, select Tools > Internet Options.
2. Click the Security tab. Changing the security level to medium or lower enables Java. To enable Java without changing other security settings, click the Custom Level button. Under Scripting, select the Enable option for scripting of Java applets.
3. Click the Advanced tab, and search for the Java (Sun) section.
   • If the section called Java (Sun) exists, verify that the Use Java check box is selected.
   • If the section called Java (Sun) does not exist, download and install Sun Java on your computer. Then verify that the Use Java check box is selected in the Advanced options.
4. Click OK, and close all Internet Explorer windows.
5. Restart the web browser to implement your changes.

To enable Java in Firefox:

1. For Windows, on the menu bar, select Tools menu > Options. (For Macintosh, select Firefox > Preferences.)
2. Click the Content icon.
3. Select the Enable Java check box.
4. Click OK, and close all Firefox windows.
5. Restart the web browser to implement your changes.

Troubleshooting tip: Your activation message may have been sent to the spam folder. Configure your email program to treat the activation message as legitimate mail. To ensure future messages from this service are not accidentally filtered out of your email, please add “DoNotReply@res.cisco.com” to your Address Book or Safe Sender List.

Troubleshooting tip: Check your inbox for an activation email message. Note that the activation message may have been caught by a spam filter or sent to a junk email folder.

Troubleshooting tip: The password you entered does not match the password for your Cisco Registered Envelope Service account. Note that passwords are case-sensitive. Verify that you did not accidentally press the Caps Lock key before entering the password. If you forgot your password, click the Forgot password? link on the envelope.

If you cannot open an envelope because your name does not appear in the To field, see “ Opening Envelopes When You Are a BCC Recipient .”

If you encounter other issues when opening a medium or high security Registered Envelope (and the preceding error messages do not apply), complete the following troubleshooting steps:

1. Enter your password, and try using the Open Online feature.Instead of opening a Registered Envelope directly, you can use the Open Online feature. To open a Registered Envelope online, enter your password and click on the Open Online link in the lower right corner. When you use the Open Online feature, you send the message back to Cisco Registered Envelope Service for decryption rather than decrypting it locally. You may need to use the Open Online feature if browser settings or email system restrictions prevent you from opening a Registered Envelope. Opening an envelope online is slower than decrypting it locally.
2. Forward the message to mobile@res.cisco.com.Cisco Registered Envelope Service will send you a message with a link that you can click to open the envelope online.

If you are a BCC recipient of a Registered Envelope, your email address is not listed in the To field.

To open the envelope, complete the following steps:

1. Click the option labeled “Select a different address.”
2. In the drop-down list, select “Address not listed.”
3. Enter your address manually.

If you are not a registered user with Cisco Registered Envelope Service, you are redirected to a page where you can register with the service. For more information, see “Why do I have to register to open a Registered Envelope?”