Sending emails in the business world and in your personal lives is a daily occurrence, and for the most part thanks to the advancements in technology and security, emails for the most part are a secure means of communications. However sometimes things do go wrong, which is why Google has worked on a new feature of Gmail to help keep users informed.
Working together with the University of Michigan and the University of Illinois, they have developed methods to help identify emails from unencrypted connections. Now we should note that just because an email is sent from an unencrypted connection it does not necessarily mean that its contents are compromised.
However for those who work with particularly sensitive data like company patents, trade secrets, contracts, and etc., this new feature of Gmail will inform users when emails come from unencrypted connections. From there it is up to the user whether or not they want to proceed in replying the email, but at least they are informed of it.
For those wondering what the big deal is, an unencrypted connection can mean that the email can be intercepted and have its contents read. It can also have its contents modified and have attachments swapped out with malware, thus leading to you unknowingly install malware on your computer because you assume that it is from a trusted source. This feature is expected to roll out to Gmail users in the next few months.