How SSL Works
With Secure Email Connections

4SecureMail offers both a Webmail interface as well as support for standard email clients like Outlook, Outlook Express, Eudora, Netscape, etc. Regardless of the users preference for accessing the 4SecureMail system, the connection is fully protected by SSL.

4SecureMail uses VeriSign 128 bit SSL encryption for accessing the system regardless of the interface type selected.

The RSA-Powered VeriSign SSL employed by 4SecureMail uses TLS (Transport Layer Security) which is compatible with all recent versions of all popular web browsers and email clients.

Here is a simplified explanation of how the SSL connection is made.

1.The client (browser or email program) asks to start a secure session with the server.

2.The server returns the site's SSL certificate.

3.The client checks the certificate information for validity.

4.The client creates a session key which is encrypted with the server's public key which is then sent to the server. The server then decrypts this information using its private key. Both the client and the server now are using the same session key.

5. At no time are any passwords or other information transmitted in the clear.

At this point both the server and the client are using the same encryption key for encoding and decoding the secure communications. This is evidenced by the appearance of a “lock” icon that appears on the client interface.