Abstract: A method and apparatus for transferring a message securely from a sender to a recipient over a network and includes at each transfer: creating a message; retrieving the public key of the recipient from an external key server just prior to sending the message; signing the message using the private key of the sender; encrypting the signed message using a public key encryption algorithm and the public key of the recipient producing an encrypted signed message; generating an E-mail message addressed to the recipient; attaching the encrypted signed message as an attachment to the E-mail message; and, transmitting the E-mail message to the recipient.

Abstract: A system and method for providing secure E-mail services. The system includes a forwarding service operable to receive an E-mail message for delivery to a recipient, store the message at least temporarily in a storage means and check for recipient preferences for delivery of the E-mail message content. If no preference is specified and if Web-based delivery is specified, the system provides an E-mail notification to the recipient including a secure link to the message and responds to a page request from the recipient indicating the message including extracting the message from the storage means, formatting the message as a page and delivering the page to the recipient's web browser. If a preference for delivery other than Web-based is specified, the system delivers the message in accordance with the recipient's preference.