A Solution for Secure Multi-Party Certified Electronic Mail Using Blockchain

Abstract

In this article, we present the first solution for multi-party certified email that achieves fairness and confidentiality without the intervention of a TTP but with blockchain support when problems arise. Our solution preserves the confidentiality of the mail exchanged between the sender and the recipients even when the blockchain is involved. We provide a proof of concept implementation based on Ethereum smart contracts that shows it is feasible from a practical point of view. Because the functions of a smart contract are only executed on the blockchain in the case of conflict, costs are minimised compared to solutions that execute the functions on the blockchain in all cases (on-chain solutions). Moreover, the solution can be integrated into the existing email infrastructure.