Is Apple Mail secure if one sends email from Monterey or iOS 15 devices to other such devices? In other words, is it encrypted so as only readable at the end points? Might this possibly include a decryption and rëncryption between Apple-Monterey proxy servers (not accessible publicly)?
MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 12.0
In other words would it only be in clear text within Apple's network and servers?
The email protocol is not point-to-point. The unencrypted email message could sit on a multitude of email servers all over the world, though that is not likely. The email protocol was set up to move messages around the internet when there weren't a large number of fast connections to always on servers. So, messages could end up on several servers as they propagate their way through the internet to the destination. You should never assume an email remains private unless you encrypt it.
Review the related article above for iCloud security details.
You can send encrypted email: https://support.apple.com/guide/mail/sign-or-encrypt-emails-mlhlp1180/mac
The traffic between the device and the email server is encrypted, but the message is stored on the server in plain text unless you encrypt the message as per the link muguy posted.
Got it: VPN-like but not end-to-end encrypted.
Check me on this:
iCloud+ provides "VPNs" for Apple Mail and Safari data.
Given anonymous IP addresses, physical locations, email addresses, and VPN-like encryption; what dots could 3rd-parties connect to track or otherwise correlate my email, web, and other usage?
For example, Google can read my emails, but they cannot correlate among them because virtual email addresses change often. They can't correlate them with other accounts of mine, since those have different email addresses. They can't correlate using IP addresses or physical locations. They can't correlate cookies since those come from multiple email and IP addresses. Also, Amazon can't correlate my Amazon account with this info (as with other sites).
Correct?
What can they correlate?
Thanks. Can you clarify a bit more?
This assumes not using S/MIME and with using Monterey, iOS 15, and iCloud+.
Apple Mail leaves the Mac encrypted. An Apple server decrypts that and sends it to the next Apple Mail server. Would Apple Mail to another Apple device then be encrypted by that second Apple Mail server to that Apple device?
In other words would it only be in clear text within Apple's network and servers?
Apple Mail secure among macOS and iOS devices
