Standard for email encryption and digital signatures using certificates.
S/MIME (Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) is a standard for email encryption and digital signatures using PKI certificates. S/MIME enables end-to-end email encryption (only the intended recipient can decrypt) and digital signatures (proving sender identity and message integrity). S/MIME requires certificate deployment to users—each sender and recipient needs certificates. While providing strong security, certificate management complexity limits S/MIME adoption compared to simpler solutions.
Why It Matters
The DSC Perspective:
S/MIME provides strong email security but requires certificate infrastructure. Consider S/MIME for high-security communications where certificate management overhead is justified.