OL98: (CW) Error Replying to an Encrypted Message (216075)

NOTE: The procedures in this article only apply if you have installed Outlook with the Corporate or Workgroup option. With this option, you can use Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI) services. To determine your installation type, click About Microsoft Outlook on the Help menu. If you have the Corporate or Workgroup installation, you see "Corporate or Workgroup".

SYMPTOMS

When you reply to an encrypted message received from a non-Microsoft Exchange user, the following error message may appear:

None of the recipients can process an encrypted message. You can either proceed with an unencrypted message or cancel the operation.

CAUSE

Microsoft Outlook is not using the Contact record containing the addressee's security certificate (digital ID) to address the message. Therefore, it assumes the addressee cannot read an encrypted message.

RESOLUTION

Clear the pre-populated e-mail address from the message's To line, and re-address it using the Contact record that contains the addressee's digital ID.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

MORE INFORMATION

When replying to a message, Outlook populates the To line of the reply with the address in the From line of the original message. In doing so, it does not resolve the addresses to the local Contact Address Book, which contains the certificates. Without a valid certificate for each recipient, encrypted messages cannot be sent. Because Outlook does not send an unencrypted response to an encrypted message without explicit approval of the user, the error message appears.

This problem was corrected in Microsoft Outlook 2000.

REFERENCES

For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

182730 OL98: Non-Secure Recipients Error Message