S/MIME Certificates - Basics

Table of Contents

Why S/MIME?

The S/MIME (Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) technology secures your email correspondence through encryption and signing.

The asymmetrical encryption protects S/MIME emails against unwanted access, i.e. the reading and modification of the email content by third parties. The digital signature confirms the authorship of the email and notifies the recipient of any unauthorized changes, making it an effective means of detecting phishing emails.

S/MIME certificates are cost-effective because an unlimited number of emails and documents can be sent preencrypted and signed within an email address. They are easy to integrate and use.

Mode of Operation

Digital certificates digitally bind a cryptographic key to a user's identity, providing proof of the origin and integrity of the transmitted message. Once the certificate is installed, the user can easily sign or encrypt selected emails with one click, or automatically sign and encrypt all emails with the digital certificate via the corresponding configuration.

S/MIME is supported by most mail clients (e.g. Microsoft Outlook, Thunderbird, Apple Mail, Lotus Notes and Mulberry Mail).

Overview of the available S/MIME Certificates

The S/MIME certificates are issued via a digital ID for persons and departments of a company.

GlobalSign

Certificate Name	Digital ID for Use	Level of Trust ^{1=high, 3=highest}	Digital ID proves Right of Ownership	Authentication
Personal Sign 1	For general use	1	Email address	By email
Personal Sign 2	Represents your own person	2	Email address Identity assurance of the person	By email Copy of the personal identification card
Personal Sign 2 Pro	For a person who represents an entire company	3	Email address Identity assurance of the person Assurance of the existence of the organization	Via a call to the personnel department with a number from the phone book Company Register is checked
Personal Sign 2 Department	For a department	2	Email address Assurance of the existence of the organization	By email Company Register is checked

DigiCert

Certificate Name	Digital ID for Use	Level of Trust ^{1=high, 3=highest}	Digital ID proves Right of Ownership	Authentication
S/MIME Class 1	For general use	1	Email address	By email
S/MIME Premium (Class 2)	For a person who represents an entire company	2	Email address Identity assurance of the person Assurance of the existence of the organization	Via a call to the personnel department with a number from the phone book Company Register is checked
Digital Signature Plus	For general use	1	Email address	By email

Digital Signature Plus

With the Digital Signature Plus certificate, it is possible to digitally sign documents using e. g. Microsoft Office (without Access), Adobe PDF, OpenOffice, LibreOffice, etc.

However, the following applies to Adobe PDF: It is possible to digitally sign documents, but these are not fully trusted, as the Digital Signature Plus is not listed in Adobe's Authorised Trust List (AATL).

For this use case, we offer the GlobalSign - Document Signing certificate.

Sectigo

Certificate Name

Digital ID for Use

Level of Trust
^{1=high, 3=highest}

Digital ID proves Right of Ownership

Authentication

Sectigo - Personal S/MIME

For general use

1

Email address

By email

Sectigo - Pro S/MIME

For a person who represents an entire company

2

Email address
Identity assurance of the person
Assurance of the existence of the organization

By email
Via a call to the personnel department with a number from the phone book
Company Register is checked

Sectigo - Enterprise S/MIME

For a person who represents an entire company

3

Email address
Identity assurance of the person
Assurance of the existence of the organization

By email
Via a call to the personnel department with a number from the phone book
Company Register is checked

Copy of the personal identification card

Verification image of the person with ID card in hand

More detailed information on the individual certificates can be found in our knowledge base.