all-in-one privacy solution":["Proton Unlimited es solución de privacidad más completa"],"Black Friday":["Black Friday"],"No ads. Privacy by default.":["Sin publicidad. La privacidad por bandera."],"People before profits":["Nos importan las personas, no los beneficios"],"Security through transparency":["Seguridad con transparencia"],"The best Proton Mail ${ BLACK_FRIDAY } deals":["Las mejores ofertas del ${ BLACK_FRIDAY } de Proton Mail"],"The world’s only community- supported email service":["El único servicio de correo electrónico con apoyo de la comunidad"]},"specialoffer:limited":{"${ hours } hour":["${ hours } hora","${ hours } horas"],"${ hoursLeft }, ${ minutesLeft } and ${ secondsLeft } left":["Tiempo restante: ${ hoursLeft }, ${ minutesLeft } y ${ secondsLeft }"],"${ minutes } minute":["${ minutes } minuto","${ minutes } minutos"],"${ seconds } second":["${ seconds } segundo","${ seconds } segundos"],"Limited time offer":["Oferta por tiempo limitado"]},"specialoffer:listitem":{"Create multiple addresses":["Crea varias direcciones"],"Hide-my-email aliases":["Alias de hide-my-email"],"Quickly unsubscribe from newsletters":["Date de baja rápidamente de boletines"],"Use your own domain name":["Usa tu propio nombre de dominio"]},"specialoffer:logos":{"As featured in":["Hablan de nosotros"]},"specialoffer:metadescription":{"Get an encrypted email that protects your privacy":["Apuesta por un servicio de correo electrónico cifrado que protege tu privacidad"]},"specialoffer:metatitle":{"Proton Mail Black Friday Sale - Up to 40% off":["Rebajas de Black Friday de Proton: hasta un 40 % de descuento"]},"specialoffer:newmetadescription":{"Get up to 40% off Proton Mail subscriptions this Black Friday. Find great deals on our secure end-to-end encrypted email plans.":["Contrata Proton Mail con hasta un 40 % de descuento en las rebajas de Black Friday. Encontrarás nuestros planes de correo electrónico cifrado de extremo a extremo al mejor precio."]},"specialoffer:newmetatitle":{"Proton Mail Black Friday sale | Up to 40% off secure email":["Rebajas de Black Friday en Proton Mail | Correo electrónico seguro con hasta un 40 % de descuento"]},"specialoffer:note":{"* Billed at ${ TOTAL_SUM } for the first year":["* A un precio de ${ TOTAL_SUM } durante el primer año"],"*Billed at ${ TOTAL_SUM } for the first 2 years":["*A un precio de ${ TOTAL_SUM } durante los 2 primeros años"],"30-day money-back guarantee":["Garantía de devolución de 30 días"],"Billed at ${ TOTAL_SUM } for the first 2 years":["A un precio de ${ TOTAL_SUM } durante los 2 primeros años"],"Billed at ${ TOTAL_SUM } for the first year":["A un precio de ${ TOTAL_SUM } durante el primer año"],"You save ${ SAVE_SUM }":["Ahorras ${ SAVE_SUM }"]},"specialoffer:off":{"${ DISCOUNT } off":["−${ DISCOUNT }"],"${ PERCENT_OFF } off":["−${ PERCENT_OFF }"]},"specialoffer:testimonial":{"I love my ProtonMail":["Adoro ProtonMail"],"My favorite email service":["Mi servicio de correo electrónico favorito"],"Thanks Proton for keeping us all safe in the complicated internet universe.":["Gracias, Proton, por brindarnos protección en este mundo salvaje de Internet."],"You get what you pay for. In the case of big tech, if you pay nothing, you get used. I quit using Gmail and switched to @ProtonMail":["Dan justo lo que prometen. Si las grandes tecnológicas te ofrecen algo gratis, se aprovechan de ti, por eso dejé de usar Gmail y me pasé a @ProtonMail"]},"specialoffer:time":{"Days":["días"],"Hours":["horas"],"Min":["min"]},"specialoffer:title":{"And much more":["Y mucho más"],"Make your inbox yours":["Personaliza tu bandeja de entrada"],"Safe from trackers":["Evita los rastreadores"],"Stay organized":["Mantenlo todo en orden"],"Black Friday email deals":["Ofertas en correo electrónico del Black Friday"],"Don’t just take our word for it":["Lee testimonios de otras personas"],"Our story":["Nuestra historia"],"Transfer your data from Google in one click":["Transfiere tus datos de Google con un clic"]},"specialoffer:tooltip":{"Access blocked content and browse privately. Includes ${ TOTAL_SERVERS }+ servers in ${ TOTAL_COUNTRIES }+ countries, connect up to 10 devices, access worldwide streaming services, malware and ad-blocker, and more.":["Accede a contenido bloqueado y navega con privacidad. Incluye ${ TOTAL_SERVERS } servidores en más de ${ TOTAL_COUNTRIES } países. Conecta hasta 10 dispositivos, acceder a servicios de streaming de todo el mundo, dispón de la protección de bloqueadores de malware y anuncios, etc."],"Easily share your calendar with your family, friends or colleagues, and view external calendars.":["Comparte tu calendario con familiares, amigos y compañeros fácilmente y consulta calendarios externos."],"Includes support for 1 custom email domain, 10 email addresses, 10 hide-my-email aliases, calendar sharing, and more.":["Incluye compatibilidad con 1 dominio de correo electrónico personalizado, 10 direcciones de correo electrónico, 10 alias de hide-my-email, posibilidad de compartir calendario, etc."],"Includes support for 3 custom email domains, 15 email addresses, unlimited hide-my-email aliases, calendar sharing, and more.":["Incluye compatibilidad con 3 dominios de correo electrónico personalizado, 15 direcciones de correo electrónico, alias ilimitados de hide-my-email, posibilidad de compartir calendario, etc."],"Manage up to 25 calendars, mobile apps, secured with end-to-end encryption, 1-click calendar import from Google, and more.":["Gestiona hasta 25 calendarios protegidos con cifrado de extremo a extremo y con opción, por ejemplo, de importar los de Google con un solo clic."]},"Status Banner":{"At the moment we are experiencing issues with the Proton VPN service":["Hay problemas con el servicio de Proton VPN en estos momentos"],"Learn more":["Más información"]},"Status banner":{"Learn more":["Más información"],"Please note that at the moment we are experiencing issues with the ${ issues[0] } service.":["Ten presente que, en estos momentos, el servicio de ${ issues[0] } está dando problemas de funcionamiento."],"We are experiencing issues with one or more services at the moment.":["Uno o varios servicios están dando problemas de funcionamiento en estos momentos."]},"suggestions":{"Suggestions":["Sugerencias"]},"Support":{"Sub category":["Subcategoría","Subcategorías"]},"Support article":{"${ readingTime } min":["${ readingTime } min","${ readingTime } min"],"Category":["Categoría","Categorías"],"Didn’t find what you were looking for?":["¿No has encontrado lo que buscabas?"],"General contact":["Contacto para consultas generales"],"Get help":["Obtener ayuda"],"Legal contact":["Contacto para cuestiones legales"],"Media contact":["Contacto para prensa y medios de comunicación"],"Partnerships contact":["Contacto para colaboraciones"],"Reading":["Lectura"]},"Support categories":{"Browse Proton product support":["Consulta la página de asistencia para productos de Proton"]},"Support category":{"There is no article in this category yet.":["No hay ningún artículo aún en esta categoría."]},"Support troubleshooting":{"--- Select ---":["--- Selecciona ---"],"App version":["Versión de la aplicación"],"Browser":["Navegador"],"Check if this helps":["Comprueba a ver si te sirve"],"Choose a category for your question":["Elige la categoría de tu consulta"],"Choose a product":["Elegir producto"],"Did this solve your issue ?":["¿Te ha resultado útil para resolver el problema?"],"Faster assistance is just a few clicks away — please make your selections":["Haz unos cuantos clics para obtener ayuda más rápidamente. Haz tu selección."],"No, contact support":["No, contactar con el equipo de asistencia"],"Proton account":["Cuenta de Proton"],"Proton Bridge":["Proton Bridge"],"Proton Calendar":["Proton Calendar"],"Proton Drive":["Proton Drive"],"Proton for Business":["Proton for Business"],"Proton Mail":["Proton Mail"],"Proton Pass":["Proton Pass"],"Proton VPN":["Proton VPN"],"Thank you for your feedback":["Gracias por tus comentarios"],"Troubleshooting":["Solución de problemas"],"What can we help with ?":["¿Cómo podemos ayudarte?"],"Yes":["Sí"]},"support_modal_search_query":{"Search query":["Consulta de búsqueda"]},"support_search_button":{"Search":["Buscar"]},"support_search_i_am_looking_for":{"I'm looking for":["Busco"]},"SupportForm":{"For a faster resolution, please report the issue from the Bridge app: Help > Report a problem.":["Para una resolución más rápida, informa del problema desde la aplicación Bridge: Ayuda > Notificar un problema."],"Information":["Información"]},"SupportForm:option":{"Account Security":["Seguridad de la cuenta"],"Contacts":["Contactos"],"Custom email domain":["Dominio de correo electrónico personalizado"],"Email delivery and Spam":["Envío de correos electrónico y spam"],"Encryption":["Cifrado"],"Login and password":["Inicio de sesión y contraseña"],"Merge aliases and accounts":["Fusionar seudónimos y cuentas"],"Migrate to Proton":["Migrar a Proton"],"Notifications":["Notificaciones"],"Other":["Otro"],"Plans and billing":["Planes y facturación"],"Proton for Business":["Proton for Business"],"Sign up":["Regístrate"],"Storage":["Almacenamiento"],"Users, addresses, and identities":["Usuarios, direcciones e identidades"]},"SupportForm:optionIntro":{"Select a topic":["Selecciona un tema"]},"swiss_baseed_feature":{"Swiss based":["Con sede en Suiza"]},"Testimonial":{"Awards":["Premios"],"Customers":["Clientes"],"Featured":["Destacado"],"Go to testimonial source":["Ir a la fuente del testimonio"],"Reviews":["Opiniones"],"Videos":["Vídeos"]},"Text":{"Find the plan that's right for you":["Encuentra el plan más adecuado para tus necesidades"],"If you need help, check out our ${ supportLink }.":["Si necesitas ayuda, consulta nuestra ${ supportLink }."],"The page you’re looking for might have been removed, or it could be an\nold link.":["Es posible que la página que buscas haya sido eliminada o que sea un\nenlace antiguo."]},"Title":{"On this page":["En esta página"],"Related articles":["Artículos relacionados"],"Share ${ thisPage }":["Compartir ${ thisPage }"],"Thank you!":["¡Gracias!"],"this page":["esta página"]},"Tooltip":{"More information":["Más información"]},"tooltip_calendar":{"Create up to 20 custom & shareable encrypted calendars. On top of that, add up to 5 calendars from friends, family, colleagues, and organizations.":["Crea hasta 20 calendarios personalizados y cifrados que puedes compartir con otras personas, y añade además hasta 5 calendarios de amigos, familiares, compañeros y organizaciones."]},"tooltip_vpn":{"Access blocked content and browse privately. Includes ${ TOTAL_SERVERS }+ servers in ${ TOTAL_COUNTRIES }+ countries, highest VPN speed, ${ TOTAL_VPN_CONNECTIONS } VPN connections, worldwide streaming services, malware and ad-blocker, and more.":["Accede a contenido bloqueado y navega en privado. Tendrás a tu disposición más de ${ TOTAL_SERVERS } servidores en más de ${ TOTAL_COUNTRIES } países, VPN de máxima velocidad, ${ TOTAL_VPN_CONNECTIONS } conexiones VPN, servicios de streaming en todo el mundo, bloqueadores de malware y de anuncios, y mucho más."],"Access blocked content and browse privately. Includes ${ TOTAL_SERVERS }+ servers in ${ TOTAL_COUNTRIES }+ countries, highest VPN speed, 10 VPN connections, worldwide streaming services, malware and ad-blocker, and more.":["Accede a contenido bloqueado y navega en privado. Tendrás a tu disposición más de ${ TOTAL_SERVERS } servidores en más de ${ TOTAL_COUNTRIES } países, VPN de máxima velocidad, 10 conexiones VPN, servicios de streaming en todo el mundo, bloqueadores de malware y de anuncios, y mucho más."]},"version_history_label":{"Version history":["Historial de versiones"]},"version_history_tooltip":{"Store up to ${ versionHistoryNumber } versions of each file for up to ${ years } years":["Almacena hasta ${ versionHistoryNumber } versiones de cada archivo durante ${ years } años como máximo"]},"vpn_features_link":{"View VPN plans":["Ver planes de VPN"]},"vpn_features_useCase":{"Access blocked content and browse privately":["Accede a contenido bloqueado y navega con privacidad"]}}},"unleashApi":"https://account.proton.me/api"};
// We need to import data (the framework context) from the server
// This Astro feature with define:vars works well but creates an inline script
// So we can't directly import the initFramework helper, we have to store the context
window.frameworkContext = frameworkContext;
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From holiday photos to our purchasing history to personal correspondences, our emails contain a great deal of sensitive information.
It is therefore vital to keep your inbox and messages secure. This is more difficult than it first appears, as email was invented and widely adopted in the early days of the internet before many of today’s security best practises were developed.
As with all digital content, the best way to keep emails secure is by using encryption — complex algorithms that prevent anyone from reading the content unless they have the correct encryption keys.
In this article, we explain the different types of encryption that most email services use to protect your messages and what Proton Mail does to add an extra layer of security and privacy.
How email is encrypted
Most modern email services encrypt emails in two ways:
They use TLS/SSL encryption in transit. This is the same encryption used to secure HTTPS websites, and it is the backbone of all security on the internet.
They use symmetric-key encryption algorithms such as AES(new window) to store emails. Most email services apply this encryption when an email is stored on its servers. This means the provider holds the encryption keys, which it can use to access your emails for advertising purposes or in response to third-party demands.
Proton Mail also encrypts emails in transit using TLS and stores them on our servers using OpenPGP (described below), both using trusted open-source implementations of AES and RSA.
However, we improve on the usual email encryption model in several key ways:
All messages sent between Proton Mail users are end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) so that no one except you and your intended recipient(s) can access their contents.
Support for OpenPGP encryption is built into Proton Mail(new window), making it easy to have E2EE conversations with non-Proton Mail users who use PGP.
We also offer a Password-protected Emails feature that allows you to send E2EE emails to anyone.
All emails — including non-E2EE emails you choose to send unencrypted to people who don’t use Proton Mail — are stored on our servers using zero-access encryption. This means we have no way to read your messages, scan them for advertising purposes, or hand them over to a third party.
End-to-end encrypted email
End-to-end encryption means the contents of your emails are encrypted on your device before being uploaded to our servers and can only be decrypted and read by the intended recipient.
This is achieved using the OpenPGP(new window) email encryption standard, which uses public-key cryptography(new window) to securely transmit messages between individuals. Messages are encrypted with the recipient’s public key and can only be decrypted using their private key (which only they have access to). No one else (including Proton Mail) can access the contents of E2EE messages.
OpenPGP encrypts the contents of messages and all attachments. The subject line and other metadata are not encrypted. To allow for advanced features (such as searching emails by subject line), Proton Mail’s end-to-end encryption works the same way.
End-to-end encryption for messages sent between Proton Mail users is automatic, and our integrated OpenPGP support makes it easy to send and receive PGP-encrypted E2EE messages to people that use PGP with other email providers. Proton also informs you when your messages are protected by E2EE with a small blue padlock (for other Proton Mail users) or green padlock (for OpenPGP users).
Additionally, we offer an Password-protected Emailsfeature that allows you to have end-to-end encrypted conversations with someone no matter what email provider they use. The recipient is sent an email telling them that an encrypted message is waiting for them on our servers.
To read the message, they must log in using a password you have previously shared with them. Once they have read your message, they can reply with a message that is also end-to-end encrypted.
It is also possible to send and receive unencrypted emails to and from non-Proton Mail users. These are secured in transit to our servers using TLS encryption and are usually also secured in transit to the recipient’s email service’s servers using TLS (all major email services support TLS connections these days).
How messages are stored on the recipient’s email servers, however, is up to their service.
All messages (incoming or outgoing) stored on Proton Mail servers, whether E2EE or not, are secured using zero-access encryption.
They are encrypted using your public key and can only be decrypted locally on your device(s) using your private key (which, for additional security, is itself encrypted(new window) using AES-256 and secured using a password that is hashed with bcrypt).
This means we cannot access the contents of any messages stored on our server.
Making our apps open source provides transparency by allowing anyone to examine software code for issues. All Proton Mail apps are fully open source and have been independently audited(new window) by security professionals.
We also only use trusted open-source cryptographic libraries to implement AES, RSA, and OpenPGP to secure your emails.
Unlike most email services, Proton Mail views your data as something to protect, not exploit. That is why we apply zero-access encryption to all emails on our servers and make it easy to send end-to-end encrypted emails to both Proton Mail and non-Proton Mail users.
At Proton, we want to make privacy on the internet the default for everyone, and we knew the most important place to start was fixing email. That’s why we developed Proton Mail. Developing zero-access encryption for stored emails and providing an easy way to send truly secure end-to-encrypted emails to anyone were the first steps toward giving everyone the tools they need to control their online data.
FAQ
What is end-to-end encryption?
End-to-end encryption (E2EE) means that you encrypt your own data on your own device, and only you and the intended recipient can access it. Thanks to this encryption, no one else can read your E2EE messages, including Proton Mail and the recipient’s email service.
What is zero-access encryption?
Proton Mail stores all emails — incoming and outgoing — on its servers using zero-access encryption. The message is encrypted using your public key and can only be decrypted using your private key, which only you possess. This means that while a message is stored on our servers, only you can access it.
Zero-access encryption only applies to messages stored on Proton Mail. If the person you wrote an email to does not use Proton Mail, their email service can likely read it.
To send emails that are truly secure, even on other email services’ servers, you should use one of our end-to-end encrypted email options.
What is OpenPGP?
OpenPGP is a popular and secure encryption standard used to secure emails. OpenPGP encrypts the body of emails and attachments. It does not encrypt the subject line and other metadata, such as when an email was sent or who the sender is.
What is TLS?
Transport Layer Security (TLS), the modern successor to SSL, is an encryption standard that allows asymmetric key exchanges using public-key cryptography (see main text above) to securely transmit data. TLS is most well-known for being the security layer for HTTPS, which secures connections to websites, but it is also used to secure emails in transit.
The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is a symmetric-key cipher, which means that the same key used to encrypt the data is used to decrypt it. It does not provide any way to securely transmit the key, so AES is mainly used to secure data at rest. AES is often considered the de facto standard of symmetric-key ciphers, in large part because the United States government uses it to protect classified data.
What is ECDH?
Elliptic curve Diffie-Hellman (ECDH) is an asymmetric key agreement protocol used to secure encryption keys during a TLS key exchange. It uses the properties of a particular type of algebraic curve numbers to encrypt connections. Proton Mail also uses ECDH (over Curve25519) to secure OpenPGP key exchanges.
Data breaches are increasingly common. Whenever you sign up for an online
service, you provide it with personal information that’s valuable to hackers,
such as email addresses, passwords, phone numbers, and more. Unfortunately, many
online services f
Secure, seamless communication is the foundation of every business. As more
organizations secure their data with Proton, we’ve dramatically expanded our
ecosystem with new products and services, from our password manager to Dark Web
Monitoring for cr
On the subject of cybersecurity, one term that often comes up is brute force
attack. A brute force attack is any attack that doesn’t rely on finesse, but
instead uses raw computing power to crack security or even the underlying
encryption.
In this a
Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act has become notorious as
the legal justification allowing federal agencies like the NSA, CIA, and FBI to
perform warrantless wiretaps, which sweep up the data of hundreds of thousands
of US citi
In response to the growing number of data breaches, Proton Mail offers a feature
to paid subscribers called Dark Web Monitoring. Our system checks if your
credentials or other data have been leaked to illegal marketplaces and alerts
you if so. Often
Your email address is your online identity, and you share it whenever you create
a new account for an online service. While this offers convenience, it also
leaves your identity exposed if hackers manage to breach the services you use.
Data breaches