Zmail integrates email, security and message access control
functions such as message release and expiration. The Zmail page
centralizes these functions for the sender in the Dashboard, at the
bottom of the page.
All ZMAIL messages, including headers
and attachments, are copyright-, access- and copy-protected under the
US Digital Millennium Copyright Act as well as other US and
international laws. By using ZMAIL, the sender limits the right to read
the message to its expiration time and original recipient(s).
You probably already know how to use Zmail to send messages. You send Zmail using our web interface, just like Yahoo, MSN or Gmail webmail. Type, drag-and-drop or copy-and-paste from any text editor. You can also attach a file. When you are done click "Encrypt & Send" in the top green menu. All the information you enter will be sent encrypted.
Your encrypted email message is encapsulated within a "Skin",
usually chosen automatically by Zmail for best deliverability. If the
recipient is new to Zmail, the default Dashboard Control setting
automatically adds a plaintext note to help the recipient decrypt
you rmessage.
You can send the Subject also in plaintext, so that the recipient can read it before decryption. This can be useful to index the email and also to invite the recipient to decrypt the message.
The recipient information is saved in the Address Book contacts, for your reference and for internal key management use. Zmail also manages the encryption and authentication keys for each email address you use, with automatic key expiration and roll-over, and protects your login data and keys by not storing them online or anywhere else.
Dashboard: is the Zmail user interface that organizes and presents your message control information in a way that is easy to read and set. You can open and work with all dashboard settings at once with the "Show All" button, or work with one setting at a time.
"Locally" or "Local": is any storage device that your computer can access, working with any Media including your local disk, removable media (e.g., USB Drives) and over a network.
EML format: is a standards-based text file format used by Zmail. EML is compatible with Outlook and other email applications; you can also open it with any text editor.
"Plaintext": means "without encryption", for data that can be read without using Zmail. Usually, plaintext is secure when stored locally. Zmail can also be used for secure local data storage, if needed.
Buttons, Dashboard, and Message Information: different fields of the "Send Zmail" page, as described below. The MENU and LOGOFF buttons have the same functions as in other pages.
Premium Seal: (Premium only) This button is available when
you click the information icon (top right corner), your name (top left
corner), or in a zmail received from a Premium user. The Premium Seal
contents are shown when you
click the Premium Seal icon. The current time at the Zmail server is
also shown, which may you help set accurate Release Time and Expiration
Time for your zmail. The Release
Time is added to the day and current round
hour at the Zmail server. The current zmail time information may
also be
useful to synchronize the clock at your computer for Release Time and
Message Expiration controls.
Save Draft: Saves locally the message that you are editing, including recipients and subject, in EML format. The "Save Draft" dialogue can also open the draft in your email application (e.g., Outlook), where you can save it as an email draft for that application. The file is saved in plaintext, with suggested prefix "DRAFT_zmail_", a unique name and extension .eml, in a folder of your choosing.
Reset: Resets all fields to the values when the page was loaded, also "To:", "Subject" and "Message". This button may also be used to restore values submitted by the user the last time the page was used in this session.
Verify: You can use this button to prevent inadvertent errors before the message is sent. An alert box shows the security-relevant options and asks for your review and confirmation.
Send: Authenticates, encrypts and sends your message and attachment, including the Envelope Information.
Skin: (Default: Automatic) The Skin is the visible zmail — a transport container used by Zmail to send your message. The default option uses anti-spam strategies to decide the best Skin to use for each recipient, to assure deliverability of your zmail. Zmail currently offers five Skin options: AUTOMATIC (chosen by Zmail), ZMAIL (inlined web page), ZLINK(virtual link), ZMAIL+ (web page attachment), and ZSENTRY (gibberish text, for data storage, and sending text email and Instant Messaging).
The Release or Expire times that you select may limit your choice
for Skin, due to different requirements for document retention. ZMAIL
or ZLINK should be used for messages that expire within at most in
31 days, otherwise, ZMAIL+ should be used. The choice of Skin has
no influence on message security.
Bcc Me: (Default: not checked) If checked, automatically
sends a
secure Zmail copy to yourself (including any attachments) that does not
expire, with a [BCC] tag
prefixed to the plaintext subject. Use the checkbox "Bcc Me"
in To/Cc to override this choice per message.
TIP: You can use Bcc Me for secure data storage, as an encrypted container that can store any type of data, right at your computer, with message access control. You can use it for data escrow shared with a group of persons — just add them to the recipient's list (To:). For one or at most two users sharing the data, the ZSENTRY Skin is smaller in size and may be best suited for data storage.
Send Individually (Default: not checked) Controls recipient disclosure after decryption. The default shows to each recipient who all the other recipients are, after the message is decrypted. Check the box "Send Individually" if you want to send your message to each recipient (To:) without disclosing to each other who the other recipients are, for example as a form letter. If you choose to send an archive copy to yourself (Bcc), your Bcc will still have the name of all recipients in the To/CC: field.
NOTE: Zmail sends each message individually encrypted, even when there are multiple recipients and "Send Individually" is not checked. Only the sender and the actual recipient of the message can open the message. These security rules remain the same, whether "Send Individually" is checked or not.
Disclose Recipients (Default: not checked) Prevents recipient disclosure before decryption. The default setting does not show to each recipient who any of the other recipients might be, before decryption. If "Send Individually" is checked, "Disclose Recipients" is considered not checked ("Send Individually" has higher priority).
Plaintext Subject: (Default: checked) If checked, the Subject will be sent in plaintext in the email headers (and also encrypted, in the Zmail).
A visible Subject header can be useful for indexing and searching, for example. The default Zmail behavior is the normal use -- if you keep the box "Plaintext Subject" checked, the contents of this field will be sent in plaintext as the message's Subject header. If you UNCHECK the box, the message's Subject header will be set to your full Name as [Zmail] from FirstName LastName in the email header, while the Subject you enter will be sent encrypted only and appear as the "Decrypted Subject" when your Zmail is decrypted.
Zmail Note: (Default: Automatic) If the recipient is new to zmail (i.e., not yet a zmail user), the default option adds short instructions, in plaintext, to help the recipient read your secure message. According to the Skin used (the default Skin is also automatic), the instructions vary and may also be sent in separate (to increase the probability that your zmail is read in spite of intervening spam filters). The option "Always" sends the Note in any case; the option "None" does not send the Note.
Date: Set automatically by Zmail, as the Zmail Timestamp. Read more about the Zmail Timestamp.
Release: (Default: Zero / Immediate) Define when your Zmail may be released for reading. If you select all zeroes, the release is immediate; otherwise, the Release Time is set to the GMT Zone date and hour at the Hours, Minutes and Seconds that you select. Use 0 Days for today, or +Days as needed. Your Zmail message cannot be read before the Release Time.
To facilitate use, the Release Time is always set using the GMT zone. The GMT zone does not change with Daylight Savings Time. The Release Time is visible to the recipient at the bottom of the Zmail message (see Envelope Information). If no release time is shown, the message is available immediately. After the message is released, the decrypted message shows the Release Time in local (recipient's) time and in GMT time, for easy reference.
Expire: (Default: 15 Days) Provides "self-destructing email" function. The message cannot be decrypted after it Expires. With this control, the sender also limits the right to read the message to its expiration time. The selector for "Expire" is set in Days after today, at the very end of that day in GMT (23:59:59 GMT) plus a number of Hours you select (0-23H). If you choose 0 Days and 0 Hours, the message does NOT expire. See also Release Time.
The expiration time is visible to the recipient, at the bottom of the Zmail message (see Envelope Information). If no date is shown, the message does not expire. An example of Expire choice is "(expires on Wed, 07 Sep 2006 23:00:00 +000)".The expiration time is also shown when the decrypted message is shown to the recipient, in local (recipient's) time and in GMT time, with an indication of the time (days, hours or minutes) left before expiration.
Contacts: (Zmail Address Book) If you select a name in the list of contacts already in your Address Book, Zmail automatically enters it in the list of recipients (To:). If any of the recipients' names and email addresses are not in the Address Book, they are automatically saved in the Address Book. In addition, cryptographic key management is enabled for that contact. The Address Book can be managed from the Zmail Menu, allowing you to add, edit, delete, export and import contact entries.
To / CC: (Recipient Information) Enter "To" addresses,
separating multiple addresses by comma. Type a forward-slash ("/")
before entering "Cc" addresses, after the "To" addresses.
Zmail sends your message to each recipient, individually encrypted. All recipients must be positively authenticated by Zmail before delivery is authorized. You can select an email address directly from your Zmail Address Book drop-down list, on the right hand side of this field. Zmail auto-completes the email address using your Address Book, as you type, allowing you to see a list of hits and easily select one of them with the mouse. Another option is to type the recipient's full name and email address directly into the "To:" field, using the format: "FirstName LastName" <user@isp.com>
To enter multiple email addresses, separate them by commas:
"FirstName LastName"
<user@isp.com>,"OtherFirstName LastName" <user2@isp2.com>
To enter "To" and "Cc" email addresses, separate them by a /:
"FirstName LastName"
<user@isp.com>/"OtherFirstName LastName" <user2@isp2.com>
Zmail enters the comma automatically at the end of each address that it locates in your Address Book. You can also copy-and-paste directly a CSV (Comma-Separated-Value) list of addresses that you import from Excel, Outlook, Mozilla or other source. TIP: Type " as the first character for a list of all email addresses in your Zmail Address Book.
Subject: The Subject will be sent both encrypted and in plaintext. For sensitive subjects, uncheck the box "Plaintext Subject" in the Dashboard/Control.
Message: The actual email message body to be authenticated, encrypted and sent. The message window resizes automatically to fit the text vertically. Use the Expand and Collapse buttons in the Message Toolbar, to expand or collapse the message window. You can drag-and-drop or copy-and-paste from your editor. NOTES: You can send messages in any language your browser is setup for, in text or in Rich Text (HTML); your recipients will be able to read them correctly if they also have that language enabled. Your browser may limit the contents of the Message to 32 or 64 kilobytes; attach your message as a file if is too large for your browser.
Text or Rich Text: These are
sender-defined formats. The Message will be automatically formatted
according to
the sender's choice when the Zmail is decrypted by the
recipient. The recipient may override the sender's format
choice. The options are Text, or "Rich Text" (also called Web page
format
or HTML). Select Rich Text rendering to
send messages using
bold, italics, colors, images, active links and other Rich Text
formatting (also called Web page format or HTML). Select Text to send
text messages.
Edit Help Hints:
To break the "reply"
blue margin in Rich Text, to write your reply, use the "Less
Indent" control button. To insert a single line break with Internet
Explorer in Rich Text,
you may need to press Shift + Enter (if you
click Enter
only, a double line break may be inserted). Some buttons may
require text pre-selection. If
there is no need for pre-selection, your format choice will be applied
for subsequently typed characters (after the cursor position). If there
is a selected text and all of the characters are already using that
format, the format will be removed. Otherwise, all selected characters
will become formatted with your choice. HINTS: You may drag-and-drop
the Zmail logo and other elements into your Rich Text message. If you
select Text after if you select Rich Text rendering, the formatting
codes will be visible; new text and HTML codes can be entered/edited
manually
in Text mode. If you manually add JavaScript, Applet or ActiveX
elements, the Zmail security policy may disable Rich Text rendering for
the recipient. See also Keyboard Accelerator
Hints >>.
Add File (Attach or Inline File): The file
will be compressed,
authenticated, encrypted and sent together with the email message. The
recipient will receive the file in the same format
(MIME encoding) that you sent it. If the Inline format is selected by
marking the chekbox (only one file can be inlined), the file is
inlined (not as an attachment) using the original document format
(e.g., PDF, Excel). The desired Inline format must be
enabled in the recipient's browser. If the file is attached and
according to the recipient's system,
the file may be read directly using the browser or
downloaded. Size limits apply. BASIC accounts may have smaller limits,
as a function
of traffic. See also Secure Document Delivery &
Notarization >>
Tracking: Zmail tracks, timestamps and signs each message
with a unique code. The Tracking controls enable the sender to
self-verify compliance to the use limits set by the sender. Origin,
destination, release time, expiration time
and message authentications are automatically verified for all
messages, independently of any Tracking controls that may be set by the
sender, before the
message can be read by the recipient. All ZMAIL messages,
including headers and attachments, are copyright-, access- and
copy-protected under the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act as well as
other US and international laws. By using ZMAIL, the sender limits the
right to read the message to its expiration time and original
recipient(s).
Message Fingerprint: 
(Default: not
checked) This icon identifies the Message Fingerprint (also called
Message ID) for Online Notarization, which is the
visible digital signature of the Zmail. Zmail calculates, shows and
sends this digital signature for the Zmail message, as a 32-character
code. Read more about the Zmail Message
Fingerprint.
Return Receipt: 
(Default: not checked)
The sender may request a Return Receipt as a mandatory condition before
the recipient can decrypt (read) a Zmail message.
The Return Receipt informs the sender when (the time), where (the IP number), how (the browser or email agent identification), and by whom (the recipient's Zmail-authenticated name and email address) the message is decrypted, every time it is decrypted. The recipient may decline to decrypt (read) the message. The ZSentry Return Receipt request is visible in the Envelope Information and also in the message header "X-ZSentry-Mail-Receipt-To". See an example of the Delivery Report for the Return Receipt.
Delivery: Zmail can be delivered to registered and also to unregistered users. In each case, based on your security and usability needs, you can define the conditions that must be satisfied by the recipient before your Zmail message can be decrypted (delivered):
-Require Registration: (For higher security: check this option) The recipient must register before reading the message. After the recipient registers, delivery is further controlled by the Delivery option specified by you for registered users (see next items).
-Require Login: (For higher security: check this option) The recipient must be registered and login before reading the message. To reduce risk, this process includes mailbox authentication, login monitoring, message expiration, and other control features.
-Read Once: Available for both
registered and
unregistered users. The recipient is
allowed to decrypt the Zmail once (Read Once), including attachments
(if any). This is a secure process because: (1) the message is
delivered
encrypted to the recipient's mailbox; (2) any attempt to read the
message is monitored by Zmail and can be used to verify who, when,
where and how the message was read; and (3) if the recipient can
decrypt your message (which can only be done once) this constitutes
proof to the recipient (and you) that no one else read it before. After
reading, the recipient can still login
and read as many times as desired until the message expires (if it
expires). This delivery
mode is useful to increase usability.
-Read Until Expiration:
(For higher usability: check this option) Available for both
registered and unregistered users. The recipient is
allowed to decrypt the Zmail, including attachments (if any), as many
times as desired until the message expires. The security of the Read
Until
Expiration mode is based on mailbox authentication, login monitoring,
and expiration control. The sender can choose when to expire — the
sooner the better for security. The expiration time cannot exceed 31
days.
OUTBOX REPORT: The Outbox Report is reached by expanding the top green menu and clicking on its option name. Logging off or ending the current Zmail session will erase the Outbox Report contents. You can save the Outbox Report to a local file, print, or send by Zmail. The Outbox Report provides you with a Server Send Receipt for each message, supporting Secure Document Delivery & Notarization according to current evidentiary laws, as follows:
When editing your message in some systems, you can use the mouse or Shift
+ Arrow
keys for selection and drag-and-drop. Hold Ctrl (⌘ Cmd in Mac OS X) for (Ctrl) in
the
table
below, for keyboard accelerators (may also be available with a
right-mouse-click):
| Cut (Ctrl + X) | Undo (Ctrl + Z) | Copy (Ctrl + C) |
| Redo (Ctrl + Y) | Paste (Ctrl + V) | Select All (Ctrl + A) |
| Bold (Ctrl + B) | Italics (Ctrl + I) | Underline (Ctrl + U) |
The contents of this entire site and domains zsentry.com are © Copyright, NMA Inc., 2006. All rights reserved, worldwide. Titles and product names are trademarks of NMA, Inc., including NMA, ZSentry, Return Code and Zmail. Patent pending.