Explainer What is Tutanota Secure Email and What Does It Cost? - groovyPost

Posted: 21 Jun 2021 12:00 AM PDT

Last Updated on June 21, 2021

When it comes to security, not all email services are created equally. But Tutanota is an encrypted email service based in Germany. Here's a look at free or premium accounts.

Not all services are created equal when it comes to email, with some being much more secure than others. Tutanota is a German-based secure email service that takes the guesswork out of message encryption. Available for individuals and businesses alike, the open-source email service is available across multiple platforms, including the web, desktop, and mobile apps. Here's more about Tutanota and why it might be worth your time.

The Problem

As a new product, email was never designed with an emphasis on security. Instead, it was created as a quick way to get messages from one person to the next. Cloud-based email services have been around for decades. Though features might differ, each operates in similar ways. Through computers or mobile devices, end-users can send emails to others all around the world. These emails and their attachments are kept somewhere in a cloud.

Most email services are provided for free. Despite this, the expectation has always been that companies are trying their best to protect our data from wandering eyes. Unfortunately, data breaches have become commonplace, affecting billions of users.

Tutanota Secure Email

With Tutanota, you get end-to-end encryption that extends to your emails, calendar, and address book. The only unencrypted data are the mail addresses of senders and recipients. For encryption, Tutanota uses symmetric (AES 128) and asymmetric encryption (AES 128 / RSA 2048). The latter is used when both parties use the service. For an encrypted email to an external recipient, a password for encrypting & decrypting the email (symmetric encryption) must be exchanged once.

The Promise

Tutanota says it follows four principles in providing its privacy-friendly alternative email solution: it doesn't track you or scan your data, and it encrypts your entire mailbox, contacts, and calendar. Additionally, it incorporates privacy by design.

Its mission says, "Privacy is the foundation of everything we do. To fight for our right to privacy – to protect journalists, whistleblowers, and human rights activists as well as citizens around the world – this has been our mission since we have started building the encrypted email service Tutanota."

Tutanota Secure Email

Different Packages and Platforms

Tutanota offers three packages for personal use, including free, premium, and teams. For businesses, it offers premium, teams, and professional.

Free Vs. Premium

For private use only, Tutanota's free package gives you one user account (with an @tutanota.com email address) and calendar, 1 GB of compressed storage, and limited search (four weeks) capabilities. For €12 per year (about $17), you can add a custom domain and get unlimited search, multiple calendars, five aliases, and inbox rules. The premium plan also includes support via email. With the €48 teams plan, you get two user accounts, 10GB of storage, and calendar sharing.

The premium (€24) and teams (€48) business plans are similar to those for private use but include extras like out-of-office notifications and event invites. The €84 pro-business plan adds a custom domain login, contact forms, and white labeling. Non-profits free and discounts plans are also available.

Extras

Tutanota offers extras such as extra storage or aliases, white labeling, sharing, and others with each plan. By itself, Tutanota is available at a reasonable price. However, as you add extras, expect the price to balloon, so be sure these are options you want.

Platforms

Inherently, web-based email is the least secure of them all, although Tutanota does offer it. Ideally, it would be best to use Tutanota through native apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS.

Send to Non-Tutanota Users

In the perfect world, everyone would be using a secure email service like Tutanota or ProtonMail, which we discussed before. That's not the case. That doesn't mean you can't send secure emails through Tutanota to non-users, however.

Regardless of the platform, you can send a Tutanota email to a non-user by setting a password. Upon doing so, Tutanota creates a new mailbox for the recipient, where they will find emails you send from now on. Moving forward, the emails they send you are also encrypted.

A Learning Curve

Setting up Tutanota is a relatively painless process unless you start using some of the advanced features, which take some time to learn. Beyond this, Tutanota acts like any other email service, except you now have the peace of mind in knowing your messages are more secure than ever before.

For more information, visit the Tutanota website.

iPhone hacking tool GrayKey techniques outlined in leaked instructions - iPhone Discussions on AppleInsider Forums - AppleInsider

Posted: 22 Jun 2021 12:15 PM PDT

Leaked instructions for GrayShift's GrayKey iPhone unlocking device have surfaced, giving an idea of what the device intended for law enforcement officials can do, and how it works.

GrayShift's GrayKey is an infamous device used to unlock and pull data from iPhones and iPads owned by suspects, as part of an investigation by law enforcement officials. While the device is known to exist, and has even been photographed as part of FCC filings, a release of details from written instructions for the device provides a better idea of the device's capabilities.

The device effectively functions by performing a brute-force attack against the iPhone's passcode, which is used to secure the smartphone. While not entirely perfect, the system has been known to successfully gain entry into a secured iPhone using its methods.

The instructions, supposedly written by the San Diego Police Department and obtained by Motherboard, initially ask users to "determine if proper search authority has been established for the requested Apple mobile device." It then goes on to explain ways the GrayKey can be used, such as Before First Unlock (BFU), when the phone is already on (After First Unlock, AFU,) or if it has a damaged screen or low battery.

Leaked instructions for GrayKey [via Motherboard]

The device can install an agent to a device with 2 to 3% battery life remaining, the instructions reveal. The agent is used for the brute force attack, but continuous power is required until the passcode itself is discovered.

Users can elect to have data collected in various ways, such as extracting metadata for inaccessible files, and "immediate extraction" once unlocked.

In guidance on brute-forcing an alphanumeric passcode, analysts have to perform extra actions, such as loading a wordlist used to try against the password. A default wordlist is provided titled "crackstation-human-only.txt, which consists of around 1.5 billion words and passwords, though other wordlists can also be used.

Once the agent has been installed, the iPhone is placed into Airplane mode, and could be disconnected from GrayKey at that time.

There is also mention of HideUI, an agent that can be used to secretly record a user's passcode, if law enforcement hands it back to the suspect.

Tools like GrayKey have become an important element of police investigations around the world, as law enforcement attempt to get around the core security of operating systems to see a suspect's data. It was allegedly used by the FBI in late 2019 to gain access to a locked iPhone 11 Pro Max as part of a high-profile investigation.

Keep up with everything Apple in the weekly AppleInsider Podcast -- and get a fast news update from AppleInsider Daily. Just say, "Hey, Siri," to your HomePod mini and ask for these podcasts, and our latest HomeKit Insider episode too.If you want an ad-free main AppleInsider Podcast experience, you can support the AppleInsider podcast by subscribing for $5 per month through Apple's Podcasts app, or via Patreon if you prefer any other podcast player.AppleInsider is also bringing you the best Apple-related deals for Amazon Prime Day 2021. There are bargains before, during, and even after Prime Day on June 21 and 22 -- with every deal at your fingertips throughout the event.

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