Secure communication may be conducted between two or more parties over a network, e.g the Internet without prior security arrangements among the parties or agreed to encryption/decryption software. A sending party is connected to a data network through a computer and has access to a communications network, e.g. a public switched telephone network. The sender prepares a file designated, e.g. “X” containing confidential information for secure transmission over the Internet or the like to one or more receivers. In one embodiment, the sender downloads encryption/decryption or “crypto” software stored at a location on the Internet e.g. location “U” in a Uniform Resource Locator (URL). The “crypto” software is written in executable code or an interpretive language such as JAVA. The sender selects a key “K” and encrypts the plain text file “X” into cipher text. At some point the communication network is accessed and the receiver(s) is notified of the URL U where the “crypto” software is located and the key “K” for decrypting the file “X”. Afterwards, the receiver(s) accesses the URL U using his computer and a web browser. The crypto software is pointed to in Hyper Text Mark Up Language (HTML) and displayed on the receiver screen(s). The HTML page requests the “Key” which the receiver enters. The file “X” is downloaded and decrypted using the key “K” and displayed at the receiver screen(s).