all-in-one privacy solution":["Proton Unlimited is een all-in-one privacy-oplossing"],"Black Friday":["Black Friday"],"No ads. Privacy by default.":["Geen advertenties. Standaard privacy."],"People before profits":["Mensen vóór winst"],"Security through transparency":["Veiligheid door openheid"],"The best Proton Mail ${ BLACK_FRIDAY } deals":["De beste ${ BLACK_FRIDAY }-deals voor Proton Mail"],"The world’s only community- supported email service":["'s Werelds enige door de community ondersteunde e-mailservice"]},"specialoffer:limited":{"${ hours } hour":["${ hours } uur","${ hours } uur"],"${ hoursLeft }, ${ minutesLeft } and ${ secondsLeft } left":["Nog ${ hoursLeft }, ${ minutesLeft } en ${ secondsLeft } resterend"],"${ minutes } minute":["${ minutes } minuut","${ minutes } minuten"],"${ seconds } second":["${ seconds } seconde","${ seconds } seconden"],"Limited time offer":["Aanbieding beperkt geldig"]},"specialoffer:listitem":{"Create multiple addresses":["Maak meerdere e-mailadressen aan"],"Hide-my-email aliases":["Hide-my-email-aliassen"],"Quickly unsubscribe from newsletters":["Meld u eenvoudig af voor nieuwsbrieven"],"Use your own domain name":["Gebruik uw eigen domeinnaam"]},"specialoffer:logos":{"As featured in":["Zoals te lezen in"]},"specialoffer:metadescription":{"Get an encrypted email that protects your privacy":["Kies voor beveiligde e-mail die uw privacy beschermt"]},"specialoffer:metatitle":{"Proton Mail Black Friday Sale - Up to 40% off":["Proton Mail Black Friday Sale - Tot 40% korting"]},"specialoffer:newmetadescription":{"Get up to 40% off Proton Mail subscriptions this Black Friday. Find great deals on our secure end-to-end encrypted email plans.":["Profiteer tijdens Black Friday van wel 40% korting op Proton Mail-abonnementen. Bekijk geweldige aanbiedingen voor onze veilige, end-to-end versleutelde e-mailabonnementen."]},"specialoffer:newmetatitle":{"Proton Mail Black Friday sale | Up to 40% off secure email":["Proton Mail Black Friday Sale | Tot 40% korting op veilige e-mail"]},"specialoffer:note":{"* Billed at ${ TOTAL_SUM } for the first year":["*U betaalt ${ TOTAL_SUM } voor het eerste jaar"],"*Billed at ${ TOTAL_SUM } for the first 2 years":["*U betaalt ${ TOTAL_SUM } voor de eerste 2 jaar"],"30-day money-back guarantee":["30 dagen niet-goed-geld-terug-garantie"],"Billed at ${ TOTAL_SUM } for the first 2 years":["U betaalt ${ TOTAL_SUM } voor de eerste 2 jaar"],"Billed at ${ TOTAL_SUM } for the first year":["U betaalt ${ TOTAL_SUM } voor het eerste jaar"],"You save ${ SAVE_SUM }":["U bespaart ${ SAVE_SUM }"]},"specialoffer:off":{"${ DISCOUNT } off":["−${ DISCOUNT }"],"${ PERCENT_OFF } off":["−${ PERCENT_OFF }"]},"specialoffer:testimonial":{"I love my ProtonMail":["Ik ben fan van ProtonMail"],"My favorite email service":["Mijn favoriete e-mailservice"],"Thanks Proton for keeping us all safe in the complicated internet universe.":["Proton houdt ons allemaal veilig in het complexe internetuniversum."],"You get what you pay for. In the case of big tech, if you pay nothing, you get used. I quit using Gmail and switched to @ProtonMail":["Je krijgt waarvoor je betaalt. In het geval van Big Tech betekent 'gratis' dat je wordt gebruikt. Ik ben gestopt met Gmail en overgestapt op @ProtonMail"]},"specialoffer:time":{"Days":["Dagen"],"Hours":["Uur"],"Min":["Min"]},"specialoffer:title":{"And much more":["En nog veel meer"],"Make your inbox yours":["Personaliseer uw inbox"],"Safe from trackers":["Beschermd tegen trackers"],"Stay organized":["Houd overzicht"],"Black Friday email deals":["Black Friday-deals voor e-mail"],"Don’t just take our word for it":["U hoeft ons niet te geloven"],"Our story":["Ons verhaal"],"Transfer your data from Google in one click":["Zet uw gegevens van Google over met één klik"]},"specialoffer:tooltip":{"Access blocked content and browse privately. Includes ${ TOTAL_SERVERS }+ servers in ${ TOTAL_COUNTRIES }+ countries, connect up to 10 devices, access worldwide streaming services, malware and ad-blocker, and more.":["Bekijk geblokkeerde inhoud en surf privé. Met ${ TOTAL_SERVERS } servers in meer dan ${ TOTAL_COUNTRIES } landen, verbinding met maximaal 10 apparaten, wereldwijd toegang tot streamingdiensten, malware- en advertentieblokkering, en meer."],"Easily share your calendar with your family, friends or colleagues, and view external calendars.":["Deel uw agenda eenvoudig met uw familie, vrienden of collega's, en bekijk externe agenda's."],"Includes support for 1 custom email domain, 10 email addresses, 10 hide-my-email aliases, calendar sharing, and more.":["Ondersteuning voor 1 aangepast e-maildomein, 10 e-mailadressen, 10 hide-my-email-aliassen, gedeelde agenda's en meer."],"Includes support for 3 custom email domains, 15 email addresses, unlimited hide-my-email aliases, calendar sharing, and more.":["Ondersteuning voor 3 aangepaste e-maildomeinen, 15 e-mailadressen, onbeperkt hide-my-email-aliassen, gedeelde agenda's en meer."],"Manage up to 25 calendars, mobile apps, secured with end-to-end encryption, 1-click calendar import from Google, and more.":["Beheer tot 25 agenda's, mobiele apps, beveiligd met end-to-end versleuteling, agenda's van Google importeren met 1 klik, en meer."]},"Status Banner":{"At the moment we are experiencing issues with the Proton VPN service":["Momenteel werkt de dienst van Proton VPN niet naar behoren"],"Learn more":["Meer informatie"]},"Status banner":{"Learn more":["Meer informatie"],"Please note that at the moment we are experiencing issues with the ${ issues[0] } service.":["We ondervinden op dit moment problemen met de ${ issues[0] }service."],"We are experiencing issues with one or more services at the moment.":["We ondervinden momenteel problemen met een of meer services."]},"suggestions":{"Suggestions":["Suggesties"]},"Support":{"Sub category":["Subcategorie","Subcategorieën"]},"Support article":{"${ readingTime } min":["${ readingTime } min","${ readingTime } min"],"Category":["Categorie","Categorieën"],"Didn’t find what you were looking for?":["Niet gevonden wat u zocht?"],"General contact":["Algemene contactgegevens"],"Get help":["Krijg hulp"],"Legal contact":["Contactgegevens voor juridische zaken"],"Media contact":["Contactgegevens voor media"],"Partnerships contact":["Contactgegevens voor partnerschappen"],"Reading":["Lezen"]},"Support categories":{"Browse Proton product support":["Zoeken in Proton-productondersteuning"]},"Support category":{"There is no article in this category yet.":["Er zijn nog geen artikelen in deze categorie."]},"Support troubleshooting":{"--- Select ---":["--- Selecteren ---"],"App version":["App-versie"],"Browser":["Browser"],"Check if this helps":["Kijk of dit helpt"],"Choose a category for your question":["Kies een categorie voor uw vraag"],"Choose a product":["Kies een product"],"Did this solve your issue ?":["Heeft dit uw probleem opgelost?"],"Faster assistance is just a few clicks away — please make your selections":["Snellere ondersteuning binnen een paar klikken — maak uw keuze"],"No, contact support":["Nee, contact opnemen met ondersteuning"],"Proton account":["Proton-account"],"Proton Bridge":["Proton Bridge"],"Proton Calendar":["Proton Calendar"],"Proton Drive":["Proton Drive"],"Proton for Business":["Proton for Business"],"Proton Mail":["Proton Mail"],"Proton Pass":["Proton Pass"],"Proton VPN":["Proton VPN"],"Thank you for your feedback":["Bedankt voor uw feedback"],"Troubleshooting":["Probleemoplossing"],"What can we help with ?":["Waar mogen we u bij helpen?"],"Yes":["Ja"]},"support_modal_search_query":{"Search query":["Zoekopdracht"]},"support_search_button":{"Search":["Zoeken"]},"support_search_i_am_looking_for":{"I'm looking for":["Ik ben op zoek naar"]},"SupportForm":{"For a faster resolution, please report the issue from the Bridge app: Help > Report a problem.":["Om problemen sneller op te lossen, meldt u het via de Bridge-app: Help > Een probleem melden."],"Information":["Informatie"]},"SupportForm:option":{"Account Security":["Accountbeveiliging"],"Contacts":["Contactpersonen"],"Custom email domain":["Aangepast e-maildomein"],"Email delivery and Spam":["E-maillevering en spam"],"Encryption":["Versleuteling"],"Login and password":["Inlognaam en wachtwoord"],"Merge aliases and accounts":["Aliassen en accounts samenvoegen"],"Migrate to Proton":["Migreren naar Proton"],"Notifications":["Meldingen"],"Other":["Overig"],"Plans and billing":["Abonnementen en facturering"],"Proton for Business":["Proton for Business"],"Sign up":["Inschrijven"],"Storage":["Opslag"],"Users, addresses, and identities":["Gebruikers, adressen en identiteiten"]},"SupportForm:optionIntro":{"Select a topic":["Kies een onderwerp"]},"swiss_baseed_feature":{"Swiss based":["Gevestigd in Zwitserland"]},"Testimonial":{"Awards":["Awards"],"Customers":["Klanten"],"Featured":["Featured"],"Go to testimonial source":["Naar bron van testimonial"],"Reviews":["Reviews"],"Videos":["Video's"]},"Text":{"Find the plan that's right for you":["Vind het abonnement dat bij u past"],"If you need help, check out our ${ supportLink }.":["Bekijk onze ${ supportLink } als u hulp nodig hebt."],"The page you’re looking for might have been removed, or it could be an\nold link.":["De pagina waarnaar u op zoek bent, is mogelijk verwijderd, of u gebruikt een oude koppeling."]},"Title":{"On this page":["Op deze pagina"],"Related articles":["Gerelateerde artikelen"],"Share ${ thisPage }":["${ thisPage } delen"],"Thank you!":["Bedankt!"],"this page":["deze pagina"]},"Tooltip":{"More information":["Meer informatie"]},"tooltip_calendar":{"Create up to 20 custom & shareable encrypted calendars. On top of that, add up to 5 calendars from friends, family, colleagues, and organizations.":["Maak tot 20 aangepaste en deelbare versleutelde agenda's aan. Voeg daar bovenop tot 5 agenda's toe van vrienden, familie, collega's en organisaties."]},"tooltip_vpn":{"Access blocked content and browse privately. Includes ${ TOTAL_SERVERS }+ servers in ${ TOTAL_COUNTRIES }+ countries, highest VPN speed, ${ TOTAL_VPN_CONNECTIONS } VPN connections, worldwide streaming services, malware and ad-blocker, and more.":["Bekijk geblokkeerde inhoud en surf privé. Met meer dan ${ TOTAL_SERVERS } servers in meer dan ${ TOTAL_COUNTRIES } landen, de hoogste VPN-snelheid, ${ TOTAL_VPN_CONNECTIONS } VPN-verbindingen, wereldwijde streamingdiensten, malware- en advertentieblokkering, en meer."],"Access blocked content and browse privately. Includes ${ TOTAL_SERVERS }+ servers in ${ TOTAL_COUNTRIES }+ countries, highest VPN speed, 10 VPN connections, worldwide streaming services, malware and ad-blocker, and more.":["Bekijk geblokkeerde inhoud en surf privé. Met meer dan ${ TOTAL_SERVERS } servers in meer dan ${ TOTAL_COUNTRIES } landen, de hoogste VPN-snelheid, 10 VPN-verbindingen, wereldwijde streamingdiensten, malware- en advertentieblokkering, en meer."]},"version_history_label":{"Version history":["Versiegeschiedenis"]},"version_history_tooltip":{"Store up to ${ versionHistoryNumber } versions of each file for up to ${ years } years":["Bewaar tot ${ versionHistoryNumber } versies van elk bestand tot wel ${ years } jaar"]},"vpn_features_link":{"View VPN plans":["VPN-abonnementen bekijken"]},"vpn_features_useCase":{"Access blocked content and browse privately":["Bekijk geblokkeerde inhoud en surf privé"]}}},"unleashApi":"https://account.proton.me/api"};
// We need to import data (the framework context) from the server
// This Astro feature with define:vars works well but creates an inline script
// So we can't directly import the initFramework helper, we have to store the context
window.frameworkContext = frameworkContext;
})();
Proton Mail is designed to guard against a broad range of threats. But there is no such thing as perfect security. This threat model describes the threats Proton Mail can and cannot counter.
Updated Nov. 18, 2019, to remove reference to an outdated plugin recommendation.
Email is one of the most common modes of communication, but it is also one of least secure. First introduced in the 1980s, email was developed well before many threats of the modern Internet were even envisioned, much less understood. Despite its flaws, email is not going away any time soon and will continue to play a major role in our lives and our work. In view of email’s ubiquity and its drawbacks, we designed Proton Mail to mitigate many of the security and privacy vulnerabilities of email while preserving its ease of use.
Of course, there is no way to design a system that is 100% secure, and Proton Mail is no exception. Along the way, we have made many design decisions that sometimes prioritize security over usability, and other times usability over security. The result is a system that is vastly more private than the most popular free email services but nonetheless does not offer complete protection, as nothing can truly offer complete protection. In this article, we explain what Proton Mail is and isn’t designed to protect against so that you can make an informed choice about when to use Proton Mail for your communications.
Proton Mail security overview
Emails between Proton Mail users are always end-to-end encrypted, meaning only the sender and the recipient can read the email message. Encryption takes place on the sender’s device using the recipient’s public key. All messages (including messages to and from non-Proton Mail users) are also stored using zero-access encryption on our servers and therefore inaccessible to us. Private keys are encrypted using users’ account password in a way that is not accessible to us.
The use of strong encryption protects messages from many types of data exposure, including mass surveillance, government requests, and data breaches. This is different from other email providers, such as Google or Yahoo, which do retain the ability to read their users’ messages. This allows them to scan messages for advertising purposes or share them with third parties.
While Proton Mail does not have the ability to decrypt message contents or attachments, like any email service we have access to metadata (such as sender/recipient and subject lines), because without this information we could not deliver messages to their final destination. Because Proton Mail is based in Switzerland, this metadata remains under the protection of some of the world’s strongest privacy laws. However, if presented with a valid order from a Swiss court involving a case of criminal activity that is against Swiss law, Proton Mail can be compelled to share account metadata (but not message contents or attachments) with law enforcement.
Emails between Proton Mail accounts and non-Proton Mail accounts are also zero-access encrypted on our servers, but they are not end-to-end encrypted in transit, and copies stored on your recipient’s email service may be vulnerable to exposure. For example, if you send an email to somebody using Yahoo mail and Yahoo is breached, that message may be exposed through the recipient’s inbox. This is why for sensitive communications, we recommend that your contacts also utilize a Proton Mail account. Proton Mail does, however, offer the ability to send end-to-end encrypted emails to non-Proton Mail accounts through our outside encryption feature or through PGP (for advanced users).
What Proton Mail does not guard against
Compromised account or device
This is the most common type of compromise. Even if you use the world’s most secure electronic communication system, advanced encryption does you no good if your password has been compromised or there is a keylogger on your computer recording all of your keystrokes. Proton Mail does not and can not guard against a compromise of a user’s machine.
This is a far more difficult attack that can typically only be executed by a strong adversary (like a government) and is generally a targeted attack. An MITM attack cannot easily be used on a large scale to perform mass surveillance.
As the name suggests, an MITM is where an adversary sits between the user’s device and the server. Because Proton Mail messages are encrypted before they leave the user’s browser, an attacker cannot get message data by simply listening in on the communications. The attacker would have to actually send the user’s browser a modified version of the Proton Mail website, which may secretly pass the account password back to the attacker.
Fortunately, there are several ways to protect against an MITM attack. Proton Mail employs TLS to secure the delivery of our software to users’ browsers and prevent tampering of our code en route. Generally speaking, a successful MITM attack requires breaking TLS, typically by using a forged TLS certificate. There are browser plugins that can be used to detect forged certificates and greatly reduce the risk of an MITM attack. Using Proton Mail’s mobile apps and our desktop Bridge software may reduce the risk of MITM attacks as those environments are more difficult to compromise than web.
Proton Mail also features another anti-MITM feature called Address Verification. This allows users to “trust” the public key of a contact you have verified. This is a form of key-pinning that provides extra protection by detecting if a fake public key is delivered to your device for that contact. This feature gives Proton Mail higher security compared to other encrypted email services because you are protected against key tampering and the trust model is trust on first use instead of trust on every use. For highly sensitive communications, we recommend enabling Address Verification.
Another attack vector would be if an attacker somehow gained access to Proton Mail’s servers in Switzerland without us noticing. Such an attacker could conceivably change the Proton Mail software to send bad encryption code to users’ browsers that would somehow allow the attacker to get unencrypted data. Proton Mail has implemented numerous safeguards against this on the server level which make this a difficult attack to pull off successfully in an undetectable way.
Proton Mail recommended use cases
Proton Mail offers good (but not perfect) protection for the vast majority of users. There are, however, some risks for users facing a strong adversary, such as a government focusing all its resources on a very specific target. In such a case, we don’t think encryption would be of much benefit, as this XKCD comic would apply(new window).
Below are some examples of recommended and not recommended use cases for Proton Mail:
Recommended
Sensitive business communications
You have sensitive business information that you want to make sure is protected from competitors and other malicious parties. For example, you fear a competitor may want to sue you under false pretenses to get access to sensitive data. In this case, Proton Mail offers a great deal of protection. Proton Mail will not release any data unless provided with a valid order from the Swiss authorities. Even if an adversary went through the expensive and time-consuming procedure of obtaining such an order, Proton Mail’s zero-access cryptography means we would not be able to release decrypted data, apart from metadata.
Anyone with privacy concerns
Proton Mail is also perfect for an individual (or corporation) that does NOT want the government to have access to all of their emails at any time, and does not like Google or Microsoft constantly scanning and archiving all conversations. With Proton Mail, the barrier of entry for mass surveillance is high enough that mass surveillance simply is not practical. This is an example where ‘good privacy’ can act as a meaningful substitute to ‘perfect privacy.’
Organizations with data security needs
Proton Mail can help organizations comply with data privacy regulations. Our encryption meets the standard set out by the GDPR(new window) for technical measures to protect personal data. Our zero-access encryption also greatly reduces the risk of a data breach, and significantly reduces the impact of a breach in the unlikely event that there were to be a breach.
If you are attempting to leak state secrets (as was the case of Edward Snowden) or going up against a powerful state adversary, email may not be the most secure medium for communications. The Internet is generally not anonymous, and if you are breaking Swiss law, a law-abiding company such as Proton Mail can be legally compelled to log your IP address. A powerful state adversary will also be better positioned to launch one of the attacks described above against you, which may negate the privacy protection provided by Proton Mail. While we can offer more protection and security, we cannot guarantee your safety against a powerful adversary.
Conclusion
We would like to conclude with a few thoughts about privacy and surveillance in general. Some people make the assertion that if you are not a criminal, there is no need for privacy. A very powerful counterargument to that, which we recommend everybody watch, can be found here.(new window)
There are also critics who assert that by building Proton Mail, we are providing a tool for criminals to evade the authorities. Like any technology, Proton Mail can be used for good or bad. However, the vast majority of our users are individuals seeking greater control over their data, or journalists and activists living under authoritarian regimes where freedom of speech and privacy are not respected. The truth about data security is that there is no middle ground: any weakening of encryption will make all of us less secure.
We can either choose to live in a world where everybody is under surveillance, or a world where everybody (criminals included) has privacy. We feel that the right to privacy is a fundamental human right, and we are willing to fight and work toward protecting that right.
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