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Proofpoint, Inc.

Setting-up Email Encryption Filters

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Situation
  • I removed my encryption filters, how do I add them back in?
  • How can I encrypt an email with data loss prevention (DLP)?
  • Can I create an encryption filter with other key words?
Solution

How to enable Encryption and create filters manually.

  1. Standard default subject filter
  2. Plug-in filter
  3. Other subject filter
  4. Create DLP filter

 

Prerequisite:  

Ensure Encryption is enabled a feature on your account and your outbound mail flow is set to use the Proofpoint Essentials smarthost.

Spam Scanning:

All outbound messages are still spam scanned. There is a possibility that an email you want encrypted could still get quarantined.

 

Standard default subject filter

How to create the standard subject filter with [encrypt]

  1. Under Security Settings, click Email.
  2. Click Filter Policies.
  3. Select the Outbound tab.
  4. Click on New Filter.
  5. Choose a name for your filter (e.g. Encryption - subject).
  6. Click Continue.
  7. Ensure Scope is set to Company.
  8. If statement
    1. First parameter: Email Subject
    2. Second Paraemter: CONTAIN(S) ANY OF
    3. Text box: [encrypt]
  9. Do statement
    1. Select Encrypt
    2. Click ADD ANOTHER ACTION 
    3. Select Strip Subject Line Encryption Terms
  10. Click Save.

Filter tip

Like the standard filter rules, at step 9, you may want to add in another condition, then set it to: Stop Processing Additional Filters.

Email Logs

  • Logs will not show that the subject term has been stripped. The logs shows the email prior to the stripping of the subject term. We will show the subject term to ensure that it should meet the criteria. 
  • Recipients of the encrypted email will not see the subject term in the notification.

Plug-in filter

How to create the filter with the Outlook Plug-in.

  1. Under Security Settings, click Email.
  2. Click Filter Policies.
  3. Select the Outbound tab.
  4. Click on New Filter.
  5. Choose a name for your filter (e.g. Encryption - plug-in).
  6. Click Continue.
  7. Ensure Scope is set to Company.
  8. If statement
    1. First parameter: Email Headers
    2. Second parameter: CONTAIN(S) ANY OF
    3. Text box: x-proofpointencryptdesktop
  9. Do statement
    1. Select Encrypt
  10. Click Save.

Plug-in must

In order to use this filter, you must have the plug-in installed. Please download the plug-in.

Other Subject filter

This is similar to Standard default subject filter, but you can input any word terms you want.

  • Follow the same general steps in Standard default subject filter; the change is in step 8-3.
  • From this step, you can alter the Text Box information.
  • Enter in any key words you would like to have encryption triggered on.
    • Example: [Private], [secure], etc

Filter Tip

Entering in multiple key words is fine, but each needs to have a comma and single space to run correctly.

Create DLP filter

A majority of customers will create a DLP filter to protect privacy data.

DLP Combination sets

When selecting DLP, it would be best to use both Dictionary and Smart Identifier Scan to use like terms

  • Smart Identifier: Financial Information > Credit Card Number
  • Dictionary: Personal Information > Credit Card Terms
  • Utilizing both terms in the same IF statement will help ensure less false positives on a single term being used.
  1. Under Security Settings, click Email.
  2. Click Filter Policies.
  3. Select the Outbound tab.
  4. Click on New Filter.
  5. Choose a name for your filter (e.g. Encryption - DLP[term]).
  6. Click Continue.
  7. Ensure Scope is set to Company.
  8. If statement
    1. First Parameter: Dictionary Scan or Smart Identifier Scan
    2. Second Parameter: Cannot be changed from "CONTAIN(S) ANY OF"
    3. Third Paremeter:
      1. Click Manage.
      2. In the pop-up, click the arrow to see the DLP term.
      3. Check the box for the appropriate term.
      4. Repeat steps 2-3 as needed to pair your Dictionary Scan or Smart Identifier Scan.
      5. Click Close.
  9. Do statement
    1. Select Encrypt
  10. Click Save.

Filter tip

In step 9, it is optional here to Add Another Action, then also set: Stop Processing Additional Filters.