Service and Contact

An unencrypted email is like a postcard: unauthorised parties can read it whilst it is in transit, and the sender or the content of the message can be tampered with. This guide explains how you can protect yourself against this when sending emails to Helaba as a customer or business partner.

Encrypting and signing emails – why bother?
It’s quite simple: To ensure that only the sender and recipient of an email can actually read the message. A digital signature guarantees the authenticity of the sender and the content to you, the recipient. 

Helaba offers you several options for secure email communication:

Options for secure email communication with Helaba

1. Encryption with PGP or S/MIME

If your organisation supports either ‘PGP’ or ‘S/MIME’, we will need either a PGP key or an S/MIME certificate from you or your domain.

You can send us this information in the following ways:

• Start the registration process (see point 2, ‘Encrypted communication via the Secure Mail web portal’) by having a Helaba employee send you a confidential email. You will then receive an email from Krypto-gateway-administrator@helaba.de. If you use S/MIME, please reply to this email with a signed message. If you use PGP, please send the key as a file attachment.
  Your key or certificate will then be automatically stored in our Secure Mail system, and future email correspondence with any Helaba sender will be encrypted if the sender marks it as ‘confidential’. The sender’s original email, which initiated the registration process, will now be sent to you directly.
   
• If you already have a personal certificate or key, please proceed as follows:
  Send us the certificate or PGP key in an email. That is, for S/MIME, simply send a signed email, and for PGP, please send the key as a file attachment. Your key will then be automatically stored in our Secure Mail system and linked to your email address. Thereafter, all emails from Helaba marked as confidential will be sent to you in encrypted form.
   
• You can also upload your S/MIME certificate or PGP key to our system via the Secure Mail Portal if you are registered at https://securemail.helaba.de/responsiveUI/. Instructions on how to register are provided in point 2.

If there is a domain certificate for your organisation and we do not already have it, please send it in an unencrypted zip file to securemail@helaba.de.

If you wish to send encrypted emails to Helaba yourself, you will need either the certificate or key of the recipient at Helaba or our domain certificate.

The certificates or keys for individual Helaba email addresses can be obtained via the Secure Mail web portal https://securemail.helaba.de/responsiveUI/.
 

2. Encrypted communication via the Secure Mail web portal

If your organisation does not support either of the two encryption methods mentioned, you can communicate securely with Helaba via our Secure Mail web portal. All you need to do is register.

The registration process begins when your contact at Helaba sends you a confidential email. You will then receive an email from “Krypto-gateway-administrator@helaba.de”, containing further information about the registration process.

You can now log in via the Secure Mail web portal https://securemail.helaba.de/responsiveUI/. Your contact at Helaba has been sent the initial password so that they can provide it to you over the phone. 

On the Secure Mail web portal, you will find a user interface that allows you to read and reply to emails or download them to your computer. You can also change your Secure Mail password here or upload your certificate or key.

Fraudsters repeatedly attempt to steal personal data via emails with fake addresses. In this form of ‘phishing’, cybercriminals are particularly targeting account details – whether these be account numbers, personal information, passwords, PINs or TANs. These emails then lead to websites that often look deceptively ‘genuine’. 

Please report any such suspicious emails to warnung@helaba.de

As an account holder, how can you recognise suspicious emails?

• Treat emails from unknown senders with scepticism or ignore them.
   
• Take a close look at the sender: even if the name sounds familiar at first glance. Display the full email address and look out for any discrepancies.
   
• Read the subject line and the text carefully. Numerous spelling mistakes, incorrect grammar and strange phrasing can be warning signs.
   
• Be cautious if an email contains unusual requests or instructions. For example, if your online banking access is said to be ‘closed’ or you are asked to ‘verify/authenticate’ it. Or if ‘account authentication’ is allegedly required.

Do not follow the instructions in suspicious emails. Above all, never disclose your PIN or TAN. Never reveal your online banking login details, click on a link in an email and then enter your account details: Helaba or your Sparkasse will never ask you to do this. Neither by email nor in person during a telephone call.

How can you recognise genuine Helaba websites?

• Check the address bar: it should say https:// instead of http://. This is because the online banking websites are always encrypted.
   
• Check whether your browser displays the padlock icon.
   

What can you do to protect yourself against phishing?

• Always type the online banking address in yourself.
   
• Use up-to-date antivirus software and, if possible, a firewall.
   
• Avoid carrying out banking transactions on public computers.
   
• Choose complex passwords and do not save them on your computer.
   
• Be careful about disclosing personal details, for example on social media. Fraudsters look out for such information and use it to try to gain your trust.
   
• Set up user accounts: even if you are the only one using the computer. Where possible, avoid working as an “Administrator” all the time.

As a Helaba customer, you are entitled to use the Mastercard or Visa online security procedure for online purchases. With Mastercard, this service is called “Mastercard Secure Code”; with Visa, it is called “Verified by Visa”.

You can find further details in the Sparkasse brochure.

The Sparkassen cardholder service will be happy to answer any questions you may have on
T +89 411/116 - 123

Please note that you must register each of your credit cards separately.