Encryption of files and email messages

Encryption of files is done using the pre-installed program AES-Crypt.
Encrypting a file with AES-Crypt is very simple. Right-click on the file and select: AES Encrypt.

You will be prompted to set a password. For security reasons, a password of at least 16 characters is recommended, ideally including a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. Once this is done, a new file will be created with the extension .aes at the end of the file name. This is the file you should send to the recipient.

When receiving an encrypted file,  you will need the password set by the person who created the file. The password must NOT be communicated by email. Instead, it should be sent via a separate channel, such as SMS or a phone call.

If you need to send an email containing a single personal identification number, you can use Microsoft 365 Message Encryption. (Note that this encryption is not approved for sensitive personal data, personal data meriting extra protection or confidential information.) Emails containing multiple personal identification numbers must not be sent with this encryption method; instead, they should be sent as an attached file encrypted with AES-Crypt.

For internal emails, the message will simply be marked as encrypted, and no additional steps are needed to open it if the recipient uses the web client at outlook.hb.se or Office 365. If the recipient uses Outlook 2016 to open the message, they will need to click a link, and the email will open in the web client.

For external emails, the recipient will need to click a link and request a one-time password to access the message.

Important:
S/MIME encryption should not be used. Only Microsoft 365 Message Encryption should be used (see the guide below). This encryption functionality is only available in the web client outlook.hb.se or if Office 365 is installed. The encryption feature is not available in Outlook 2016.
Encryption of emails in Outlook (external link)

If you are using a computer without HB installation, you need to install AES-Crypt. Follow the instructions below:

1. Go to the AES-Crypt download page.
2. Select AES Crypt - GUI (Windows 64-bit).
3. Right-click on the downloaded file and select Extract All.
4. Click Extract.
5. Open the extracted folder and double-click on AESCrypt_V310 > AESCrypt.msi.
6. Follow the instructions to complete the installation.