[needs packaging] SELS: Secure Email List Services

SELS - Secure Email List Services - is a new project that simplifies the use of GPG for ad-hoc private email discussion lists.

It uses software-based proxy re-encryption at the list server to transform encrypted e-mail between sender and receivers without the correspondents needing to know the keys of everyone on the list, and without the list server getting access to the plaintext.

Here are some excerpts from http://sels.ncsa.uiuc.edu/about.html

Every day, important discussions take place over email lists that participants would like to be kept confidential. But, because these communications usually take place on unencrypted, plain text email lists, their contents can be intercepted and read by anyone with access to the servers or networks — from system administrators to intruders.

The Security Research and Development Group at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) has developed a software solution to protect such discussions, called SELS (Secure Email List Services)

The software provides email discussion lists with the same level of security that PGP or S/MIME software provides for encrypted communication between individuals. SELS provides digital signature and encryption capabilities while ensuring that neither the list server nor outsiders have access to plain text emails.

SELS has been developed with open-source components: GnuPG and Bouncy Castle cryptographic libraries, Mailman email list manager, Sendmail MTA, Python, and GnuPG plugins.

References on the proxy encryption algorithms, etc:

 http://sels.ncsa.uiuc.edu/pub.html