Sending an encrypted (password protected) email is sometimes necessary if it contains very sensitive information.
1) Add a security classification to the subject of the email. These are currently:
Protected
Restricted
Confidential
In order for it to work the classification must be in square brackets i.e.:
[PROTECTED]
[RESTRICTED]
[CONFIDENTIAL]
The rest of the subject line can contain anything you like but if the classification does not match exactly the email will be sent in the usual fashion.
2) Write the email as you normally would and include any attachments etc.
3) Send the email once you are happy all is set up correctly. It is recommended to send a test email using these principles to a personal mail account if you've not used the system before so you can see how the process works.
4) If you have not sent secure mail to this recipient before then you will receive an email with a password in it. You will need to relay this to the recipient but you should not send it by email as it undermines the point of encrypting the email in the first place, if their mailbox is compromised then someone has everything they need to break the encryption. You can call them and read it out, send it via text, or send it by email to a colleague.
5) The recipient will receive an email stating that they have received a secure email and will need to visit a website to read the contents. They will be prompted to enter their email address and a password. These must match exactly or they will be denied access.
6) Keep the password safe, as if you send further encrypted mail the password will be the same each time.