Virtru for Gmail

Virtru for Gmail is integrated into the UCSC Google Mail inbox. 

Virtru for Gmail allows you to:

• encrypt email messages
• prevent a forwarded encrypted email from being read
• set a read expiration date on encrypted messages 
• revoke the ability to read an email after it is sent

Option 1 - You can send an encrypted email by typing #secure# anyplace in the Subject line, and Virtru will encrypt the email.  This approach is useful when sending scheduled emails using a web browser or if you are using an email client.  Emails sent to yourself are not encrypted.  After the email is sent you can log into the Control Center and set the additional security settings.  

Option 2 - If you use the Gmail with the Chrome browser, there's a simple Chrome web browser extension that once installed, you can easily turn on and off to encrypt emails and attachments.

Installing and Activating Virtru

• Install Virtru for Gmail - After you install the Virtru extension, you'll see a slider on top of your Gmail compose window so you can toggle encryption on and off for each email. 

Sending and Receiving Virtru-Encrypted Email in Gmail

• How to send email with Virtru
• Receiving an encrypted email without Virtru installed

 Helpful tips when using Virtru to encrypt email:

• Virtru encrypts email messages and attachments, but not the subject line. Be careful to not include sensitive data in the subject.
• You can't search your email content if it’s encrypted, but you can search the subject lines. Use mindful subjects to help find encrypted messages later.
• To enable someone outside the university to correspond with you via encrypted email, you need to start the email with Virtru. Recipients will then have the option to encrypt their responses.

Additional Features

• Prevent forwarding (please note that you will be able to forward the email, but recipients will not be able to decrypt it)
• Revoke an email (recipients will no longer be able to decrypt it)
• Expire messages
• Watermark a PDF

Use Virtru on a Smartphone / Tablet

Download apps for:

• iPhone / iPad
• Android

When to Use Virtru

You only need to encrypt emails/files when you want to control access or that contain sensitive information. Not every email/file needs to be encrypted. 

For more about sensitive data you encrypt with Virtru, see UC Protection Levels for Institutional Information and review P3 and P4 protection levels.

Here are some examples of information you use with Virtru encryption:

• Protected Health Information (ePHI)
• Personally identifiable information (PII) such as name, birth date, and address
• An Excel spreadsheet or Google Document with names and unique names addresses, and student IDs
• Grades and other student education records
• Personnel information 
• Intellectual property

What NOT to encrypt using Virtru:

• Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI)
• Credit Card or Payment Card Industry (PCI) Information
• Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) Data
• Student Loan Application Information (regulated by GLBA)
• Email processed by tools such as ServiceNow, Perceptive Content. (Examples of such emails are help@ucsc.edu and Staff HR emails. )