Zoho SecurePass Email

balaji · 16 Jun 2022, 11:18 PM

New feature from Zoho mail!!!

https://www.zoho.com/mail/help/confidential-email.html

hadaso · 17 Jun 2022, 04:18 AM

Nice. They even provide a template for phishers that want to replicate these messages.
And there's a new definition to the word "malicious": if I'd rather keep a copy of a message sent to me (which I am legally entitled to, in my jurisdiction, and perhaps even required to in some cases) then I am "malicious".

Perhaps the "restore context menu" bookmarklet here can be useful (practically any browser nowadays has an "inspect" function in the context menu that allows direct access to DOM elements and to recording raw network traffic (actually you don't need the context menu. There are alternative ways to get the functionality).

JeremyNicoll · 17 Jun 2022, 08:09 PM

According to Zoho, the recipient is unable to copy/print such a mail.

But they have to be able to SEE it. It's not clear from that page whether they see it in their browser or via some special program - but if the latter were the case how do Zoho provide a program that works on every platform including minority ones?

I can't see how anyone can stop a recipient from screenshotting the view of the email. You can print a screenshot.

It might be possible to use fancy Javascript to disable in-browser screenshots, but surely not OS-level features?

Failing that, anybody could take a photograph of a screen. You can print a photo.

ioneja · 17 Jun 2022, 10:52 PM

This is security theater IMO, all it does is give a false sense of privacy (and security/peace of mind) to Zoho email users and their recipients. For this reason alone, I wouldn't use or trust Zoho mail, not to mention many other reasons, including the jurisdiction of Zoho's global HQ itself, in a country with increasingly invasive laws that make even the US look relatively like a safe haven for data privacy.

We are entering a new era where large companies have realized a small but growing trend and will capitalize on some customer's desires to reclaim some of their privacy. Large providers will make great efforts to give the *appearance* of more privacy while doing little to nothing of value to improve it.

SideshowBob · 17 Jun 2022, 11:57 PM

The link does actually make it clear that there's nothing to stop a recipient taking a screenshot. The point of it is to stop a recipient carelessly passing on information.

16 Jun 2022, 11:18 PM	#1
balaji Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2020 Posts: 22	Zoho SecurePass Email New feature from Zoho mail!!! https://www.zoho.com/mail/help/confidential-email.html

17 Jun 2022, 04:18 AM	#2
hadaso The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Holon, Israel. Posts: 4,833	Nice. They even provide a template for phishers that want to replicate these messages. And there's a new definition to the word "malicious": if I'd rather keep a copy of a message sent to me (which I am legally entitled to, in my jurisdiction, and perhaps even required to in some cases) then I am "malicious". Perhaps the "restore context menu" bookmarklet here can be useful (practically any browser nowadays has an "inspect" function in the context menu that allows direct access to DOM elements and to recording raw network traffic (actually you don't need the context menu. There are alternative ways to get the functionality).

17 Jun 2022, 08:09 PM	#3
JeremyNicoll Essential Contributor Join Date: Dec 2017 Location: Scotland Posts: 484	According to Zoho, the recipient is unable to copy/print such a mail. But they have to be able to SEE it. It's not clear from that page whether they see it in their browser or via some special program - but if the latter were the case how do Zoho provide a program that works on every platform including minority ones? I can't see how anyone can stop a recipient from screenshotting the view of the email. You can print a screenshot. It might be possible to use fancy Javascript to disable in-browser screenshots, but surely not OS-level features? Failing that, anybody could take a photograph of a screen. You can print a photo.

17 Jun 2022, 10:52 PM	#4
ioneja Cornerstone of the Community Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 713	This is security theater IMO, all it does is give a false sense of privacy (and security/peace of mind) to Zoho email users and their recipients. For this reason alone, I wouldn't use or trust Zoho mail, not to mention many other reasons, including the jurisdiction of Zoho's global HQ itself, in a country with increasingly invasive laws that make even the US look relatively like a safe haven for data privacy. We are entering a new era where large companies have realized a small but growing trend and will capitalize on some customer's desires to reclaim some of their privacy. Large providers will make great efforts to give the appearance of more privacy while doing little to nothing of value to improve it.

17 Jun 2022, 11:57 PM	#5
SideshowBob Essential Contributor Join Date: Jan 2017 Posts: 278	The link does actually make it clear that there's nothing to stop a recipient taking a screenshot. The point of it is to stop a recipient carelessly passing on information.