173080 - Allow sending encrypted mail without an own encryption certificate

Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 230576

(MailNews Core :: Security: S/MIME, enhancement)

Description

[Kai Engert [:KaiE:]]

In order to be able to send an encrypted message, we currently require the user
to own an encryption certificate, and have an encryption certificate configured
in mail security preferences.

This should not be necessary.

There is no real reason to own an encryption certificate for being able to send
an encrypted message.

The only requirement should be to have obtained the public recipient's certificate.

Comment 1

[Kai Engert [:KaiE:]]

In addition to what I already said:

Currently it is required to select a certificate before you can configure "use
encryption by default".

This should also not be necessary.

The encryption configuration of mail messages should be independent whether the
user owns or has configured self's encryption certificate.

Comment 2

[Julien Pierre]

I'll add another request here : even if we do have an encryption certificate
configured, there should be a way for a Mozilla user not to put himself as an
automatic S/MIME recipient, in case he does not want to keep a readable copy of
the e-mail message.

This has the additional benefit that if the sender's private key gets
compromised, the e-mail message, even if intercepted during transit, still
cannot be decrypted. Decrypting it would require compromising the recipient(s)
private key(s).

I suggest that in the UI, this should be both a S/MIME preference (for the
default setting) and a per-message setting (if one wants to override the
preference for a particular message).

Comment 3

[John G. Myers]

*** Bug 213868 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Comment 4

[John G. Myers]

Mass reassign ssaux bugs to nobody

Comment 5

[Nelson Bolyard (seldom reads bugmail)]

Mass change "Future" target milestone to "--" on bugs that now are assigned to
nobody.  Those targets reflected the prioritization of past PSM management.
Many of these should be marked invalid or wontfix, I think.

Comment 6

[Christian :Biesinger (don't email me, ping me on IRC)]

marking as dup of newer bug, because it has a patch...

*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of 230576 ***