SMTP authentication for broadband providers

Alex Bligh alex at alex.org.uk
Fri Feb 13 09:46:59 UTC 2004




--On 12 February 2004 18:13 -0500 Valdis.Kletnieks at vt.edu wrote:

>> Since when was anything sent over port 25 confidential?
>
> Since Phil Zimmerman decided to do something about it.

Well if you are considering the plain-text of an encrypted mail,
it doesn't much matter whether port 25 is intercepted by whatever
governmental agency, or relayed through however many servers with
questionable operators.

> And quite frankly, he was right - that's the only way to do it right.

Oh I agree. My point to the original poster was that supposed security
of port 25 communications was not a good reason to avoid using
relays on the way. If you want security of you communications
a good first step is PGP (et al.). (Note that this does still leak
To:/From:/Subject: lines, but they be read via wire-tap just as they
can be read via intercept at a relay).

Alex



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