Self-Destructing Secure Messages

What Are Secure Messages?

Secure messages let you send sensitive information to anyone — even people who don't have a PrMail account. The actual message content is never sent as a normal email. Instead, it's encrypted on our server and the recipient receives a link to view it.

How It Works

1. Click Secure Message in the sidebar (the purple lock button).
2. Enter the recipient's email address, subject, and your message.
3. Set an access password — the recipient needs this to view the message. Never include this password in the email itself. Share it via a different channel (text message, phone call, or in person).
4. Choose max views (1-10) — how many times the message can be viewed before it's destroyed.
5. Choose auto-destroy time (1 hour to 7 days) — the message is permanently deleted after this time, even if it hasn't been viewed.
6. Click Send Secure Message.

What the Recipient Sees

The recipient receives a normal email with a link to premiervpn.net/secure-message/.... When they click the link, they see a dark-themed page asking for the access password. After entering it correctly, the message is decrypted and displayed.

If max views is set to 1 (recommended), the message is permanently destroyed immediately after viewing. The encrypted content is zeroed out in our database — no copies remain anywhere.

Encryption Details

The message body is encrypted using AES-256-CBC with a key derived from the access password you set. The encrypted blob is stored on our server. We do not store the access password or the encryption key — only a hash for verification. Even PremierVPN staff cannot read the content.

Managing Sent Secure Messages

Click Secure Messages in the sidebar to see all your sent secure messages. Each shows its status:

• Active — the message exists and can still be viewed.
• Expired — the auto-destroy time passed and the content was deleted.
• Destroyed — the message was viewed the maximum number of times or manually destroyed.

You can manually destroy any active secure message at any time by clicking Destroy.