ITPEC IP October 2023 Question 39
Which of the following is an appropriate description of S/MIME that is used for e-mails?
Explanation
A standard for sending and receiving e-mails securely using a digital certificate — that is S/MIME.
S/MIME (Secure/MIME) protects the message itself, between the sender's and the recipient's mail software. With the recipient's public key from their certificate, the sender encrypts the message so only the recipient can read it. With the sender's private key, the sender adds a digital signature, which the recipient verifies with the certificate to confirm who sent it and that it was not altered.
Answer (b)
Why not others:
- •(a) — using e-mail from a web browser on a website is webmail
- •(c) — transferring e-mails between mail servers is SMTP
- •(d) — the protocol mail software uses to receive e-mails is POP3 or IMAP
Key rule: S/MIME secures the content of each e-mail with certificates (encryption and signature); SMTP, POP3 and IMAP only move mail and give no such protection.
Security · AI-written, may contain errors
This question comes from an official ITPEC past paper. ITPEC Practice is an independent study tool and is not affiliated with ITPEC. See the official IP past-paper collection or Report an issue.