With the “Email Security Year 2025” initiative, the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), eco Association and Bitkom are sending a strong signal for secure digital communication. At the heart of the initiative is the newly established “Hall of Fame for Email Security”, which at its launch includes around 120 companies. They are all committed to modern security standards and make email communication in Germany measurably more secure, both for organisations and consumers.
BSI President Claudia Plattner emphasises: “As Germany’s cybersecurity authority, our mission is not only to raise awareness of the dangers online among citizens, but also to actively protect them. This is what the Email Security Year achieves: together, we are making email traffic in Germany safer across the board! To this end, we have persuaded companies that operate or provide email infrastructure to implement our Technical Guidelines for Secure Email Transport and Email Authentication – either for themselves or for others who use the infrastructure.”
Focus on commitment
The Hall of Fame makes this commitment visible: Companies that consistently implement high security standards not only receive recognition, but also gain a competitive advantage. Secure digital communication protects business processes and customer data and sustainably strengthens trust in digital services.
The Certified Senders Alliance (CSA) also supports the initiative and has been making a decisive contribution to a trustworthy email ecosystem for over 20 years. Through its certification, the CSA contributes to greater trust in commercial email delivery by ensuring that existing standards are put into practice. Julia Janssen-Holldiek, Director of the CSA, emphasises: “Our goal is to improve the quality of commercial emails and thus strengthen trust in the channel. The Hall of Fame is an important step in raising awareness of relevant standards. We support the implementation of the standards in practice with our network.”
“Secure email communication is a key building block for trust in the use of digital services,” adds Prof. Norbert Pohlmann, eco Board Member for IT Security. “The companies that are now getting involved are not only strengthening their own brands – they are also making an important contribution to consumer protection. The Hall of Fame recognises exactly this commitment, which we at eco strongly support.”
The honoured companies commit to implementing the BSI’s Technical Guidelines – TR-03108 (secure email transport) and TR-03182 (secure authentication). This ensures that emails are reliably encrypted during transmission and that sender identities can be better verified, providing effective protection against manipulation, phishing and identity theft.
eco Managing Director Andreas Weiss praises the achievement: “We are particularly pleased that many eco members have successfully qualified – both as supporters and with Gold and Silver status. This shows that our members are playing a pioneering role in implementing important standards and are thus sending a strong signal for consistent email security and greater digital resilience.”
In addition to the award, the Email Security Year is also aimed at consumers: an email checker, a “Compact Guide: 8 Tips for More Email Security” and a checklist for emergencies developed jointly by the BSI. In addition, the police provide practical information and help with direct protection in everyday life. The materials will be available from 23 August 2025 at www.einfachabsichern.de.
Is secure email also an issue for you? Get involved now in the eco Email Competence Group!
In German language, you can find more information and guidelines here: https://www.eco.de/deine-e-mails-dein-digitales-zuhause/
