A friend of mine asked me how to email attachments securely. Here’s my response.

1- If you’re sending a PDF, you can secure the PDF with a password.

If you already use acrobat professional to make PDf’s you’re all set. Acrobat will allow you to add security with a password. If not, windows users can download a free PDF creation software. I believe Bullzip PDF supports security. Bullzip PDF installs as a printer so when you have your document open, print it and select Bullzip as your printer, it creates a pdf and gives you security options. Mac solution: For those using Mac OS X Snow Leopard or Leopard, PDF creation is built into the operating system. When you have your document open, choose File -> Print. You should see a PDF button. Click it and choose save as PDF. You’ll see a “Security Options” button and you can click there to add a password.

2- If you’re not sending PDF’s or you like this solution better, use a compression program.

Windows users can choose from a myriad of options. I like 7zip or winzip to compress and zip the file. You can also add a password to unzip the file. Mac users also have lots of options for compression applications. I use Better Zip. It’s not a free program, but perhaps there are free compression applications which can add security. Email me if you find one. 🙂