Emailing Secure Information

Everyone has the occasional need to send personal information to external partners or vendors. This should result in a notification message from the Helpdesk or Office365 notifying you that sensitive information was shared with people outside the organization, as illustrated below.

Please note this information has been sent or shared. It does not need to be resent. However, the notice should point out that this practice is not recommended. If you are looking for the recommended method for sharing this information, it is detailed below.

Share a Link to an Encrypted File saved in OneDrive

Part of the risk of emailing the information is that it can be intercepted in transit. When a link is shared, the actual file cannot be intercepted in this way. However, sharing the link to an unencrypted file will also result in a warning message. It is best to encrypt the file being shared and send the password separately.

First, encrypt the file. This is slightly different whether it is a PDF or Microsoft Office file type.

For an Adobe PDF using Adobe Acrobat

With the file open, go to File > Protect using Password
In the pop-up window, under Advanced Options, select Encrypt with Password
Select Yes to acknowledge the security warning
Place a check in the field Require a password to open the document
Enter an acceptable password in this field
Click OK to accept the settings

For a PDF using Adobe Reader or other PDF handler

Navigate to Adobe's free online protection tool: Password protect a PDF
Follow the instructions on the page
Save the protected file to a location in your OneDrive folder

For Microsoft Office files (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint)

With the file open, go to File > Info
Select Protect Document > Encrypt with Password
Type a good password for the document
Press OK

Next, create and send a share link for the document in OneDrive.

Ensure the encrypted document is saved in a OneDrive folder
Note: Teams files cannot be shared externally
Open Windows Explorer (Finder for MacOS)
Navigate to the file's saved location
Right-click the file to be shared
Select OneDrive > Share
Enter the email address of the file recipient
Note: By default the file will be Read-only, look for the Gear icon to adjust the share settings
Add a message to send the email from this prompt, or click Copy link and paste it into the desired email

Finally, share the file password with a separate email or phone call.