About email encryption
Under the Official Secrets Acts 1911 to 1989 (OSAs), and the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA), we have statutory obligations regarding the protection and handling of official information and of personal data. Encryption fulfils our regulatory requirements for auditable protection of information and helps us to protect the privacy of our customers, employees and partners.
We use IronPort to encrypt emails containing sensitive and confidential information sent to email destinations outside of Land Registry’s firewall.
Protective Marking System
The Protective Marking System is designed to protect information (and other assets) from accidental or deliberate compromise.
We have extended the Protective Marking System to email, allowing us to communicate more information by email to customers and partners than previously. When appropriate, this information will be encrypted to ensure it is protected.
Due to differences between operating systems and mail clients, images in this guide may not exactly match what you see.
Receiving an encrypted email
When an encrypted email is sent to you from Land Registry, it will appear in your inbox like a normal email. However, when you click on the email to open it, the message will not be revealed and you will have to log into a secure account to access its contents.
When the encrypted email is received, it will look similar to this in your inbox.
When you click on the email, a dialogue box similar to this will open:
Click on [Open].
The first time you open an encrypted email from Land Registry, you will be prompted to register (you must register using a PC, rather than a mobile device). The message ‘envelope’ will display either a ‘Register’ or ‘Open’ button. Click on whichever button is displayed to view the log-in screen.
If you select ‘Save’, you will be able to save the attachment to your computer and click on it to open.
Registering for an account
A ‘New User Registration’ form will be displayed. You must complete all of the mandatory information required as shown with an asterisk (*).
Optional: Use the “select a different address” link to chose a different email address from the list.
Select your email address. If it is not displayed, select ‘Address not listed’ and enter your email address.
If the email is sent to the address you entered, it will log you in and display the encrypted message. If the email was not sent to the address that you entered, you will receive the following:
Enter registration details - first name, last name, password and personal security phrase. These are all mandatory fields. Once completed, press Register - any errors will be marked in red and will need correcting before continuing.
Your password must be at least 9 characters long. The password will be case sensitive and must user upper and lower case letters and contain at least one number (upper-case letters are not the same as lower-case letters).
The answers for the security questions that you provide will be used to safeguard the privacy and security of your personal information. You will only have to register once. After you have registered you will be able to quickly log-in to the Email Encryption service to retrieve your encrypted emails from Land Registry.
Click on ‘Register’ when you have completed all of the fields. You will receive a message verifying your registration and asking you to close the browser window.
To exit this page, close your browser window and return to the original message.
You will then receive a confirmation email.
If you select ‘Click here to cancel this account’, your account will be cancelled.
If you select ‘Click here to activate this account’ you will receive the following message:
You will receive a confirmation email:
Opening the email
Click on the message in the inbox, open the attachment and enter your password.
Note if you tick the ‘Remember me on this computer’ box on sign up, then when you enter your password, your personal security phrase will be displayed on the right hand side. If you forget your password please call 0844 892 1000 to get it reset.
Click on [Open].
The encrypted email will be displayed on your screen. Once the contents have been read, you can either file as appropriate or click on the ‘Reply’ button to send back an encrypted response.
Replying to the email
To reply to the encrypted email, click on the [Reply] button and write the reply into the message box.
The reset button will clear any text that you have typed, remove any email attachments and put the ‘Reply to Sender’ screen back to its original version.
The ‘Cancel’ button will exit out of the ‘Reply to Sender’ screen.
If you check the ‘Automatically BCC me on this email’, the system will send a copy of this email to your email address.
If you check the ‘Send me a read receipt when a recipient has opened this email’ check box you will be sent notification when the email has been opened.
If you need to add an attachment, click on the ‘Attachment’ button. Click ‘Browse’ to locate the attachment from your PC and select it by clicking ‘Open’. You must then select the ‘Add’ button to add the attachment.
If you have selected the wrong document, click on the (Remove) link and once the document has been selected, click on [Done].
Once you are ready to send the message, click [Send] and you will receive the ‘Message sent successfully’ window.
Problem solving
Problem/Issue
Resolution
Missing Open button:
The Open button might be missing or inoperable for several reasons
For example, if your email address is not associated with a IronPort Registered Envelope Service user account, the envelope might display a Register button instead of an Open button. Also, the Open button might not function properly if your computer is not configured to run Java or JavaScript or if the envelope was modified during transmission.
If a Register button is displayed on the envelope, click Register and create a new user account for the email address where you received the envelope.
If you have already created a user account for the email address, enter your password and click the Open Online link to use an alternative method to open the envelope.
If the Open Online method does not work, forward the envelope to mobile@landregistry.gsi.gov.uk.
The service will send you an email with a temporary link that you can click to securely retrieve the message by using a web browser on your computer or mobile device.
For more information about using the Open Online method and the Open by Forwarding method
Email address does not appear in the ‘To’ field:
If the Registered Envelope was sent to multiple recipients, your email address might not immediately appear in the To: field.
Click the arrow in the To: field, and select your email address in the drop-down menu.
If you received the envelope as a BCC recipient, your email address does not appear in the drop-down menu for the To: field. In that case, select the “Address not listed” option. Then, enter your email address and click Submit to include your email address in the To: field.
Envelope is not displayed properly:
Occasionally, the Registered Envelope may not be displayed properly when you open the securedoc.html file. For example, the file might contain jumbled up text or HTML markup.
If you have a problem viewing the Registered Envelope, forward the envelope to mobile@landregistry.gsi.gov.uk.
IronPort Registered Envelope Service will send you an email with a link that you can click to view the encrypted message.
Envelope processing slows down or stops:
When you view or open a Registered Envelope, the envelope processing might be interrupted because of connection problems or other issues.
In that case, a message below the envelope might indicate that the envelope tools are loading or that the payload decryption is in progress. If a message does not open within several minutes, it is possible that the processing has slowed down or stopped, or that the message contains an unusually large attachment.
If the envelope processing slows down or stops, re-enter your password and click [Open] again.
If clicking [Open] does not work, forward the email to mobile@landregistry.gsi.gov.uk.
IronPort Registered Envelope Service will send you an email with a link that you can click to view the encrypted message
Password is forgotten or does not work:
If you cannot remember your password, or if your password does not seem to work, you might need to reset your password.
IronPort Registered Envelope Service passwords are case-sensitive. If your password does not work, check that you did not accidentally press the [Caps Lock] key on your keyboard.
If you forget your password click on the [Forgot Password] link on a Registered Envelope to reset your password. IronPort Registered Envelope Service will request your email address and give you three attempts to enter the answer to your Forgot Password Question.
If you enter this correctly you will be prompted to reset your password.
If you fail to enter this correctly after all attempts your account will be blocked. If your account is blocked you will need to call Land Registry Service Desk on 0844 892 1000 to request your account to be reset.
Once your account has been reset you will need to go through the registration process by opening a registered envelope
User cannot open the encrypted email on their mobile device
Log into a PC or laptop to open mail
Error Message: “Service is unavailable”
The service is temporarily unavailable and will resume shortly. Normally this will be within the hour.
All emails sent just before or during the service coming down are secure and will be delivered.
Maintenance is performed at certain times of the day when there is least email traffic.
In the event of an unforeseen interruption of the service there may be occasions where a process did not fully complete. If the initial registration process was interrupted you may have to re-register. Also you may not be able to open an encrypted message sent to you if the encryption/decryption key process was interrupted. If the latter is the case, the sender will have been notified that they may have to resend you the message
Error Message: “To open this message, your account must first be activated.”
Check your inbox for an activation email. The email may have been caught by a spam filter or sent to a junk email folder.
Error Message: “Incorrect Password. Please try again.”
The password you entered does not match the password for your IronPort encryption account. Note that passwords are case sensitive. Check that you did not accidentally press the Caps Lock key before entering the password.
If you forgot your password, click the Forgot Password link on the envelope.