How can I keep my email safe from sniffing?

Read the article that everyone's commenting on.
Subscribe to the RSS Feed for comments on this article.

Leo,

Do the servers involved have to be configured to support the tunnel? How standard is this for SMTP and POP3 servers to support SSH tunnels?

I have tried plink (as described above) at my place of business and received errors as follows:
Network error: Connection refused
FATAL ERROR: Network error: Connection refused

I'm fairly certain that I've followed your instructions properly which leads me to believe that our servers do not support SSH tunneling.

Thanks for the article!

It definitely requires server-side support, and it sounds like your ISP doesn't have it. SSH is completely separate from SMTP and POP3 ... it's a remote terminal protocol that can also be used to tunnel other protocols. You'll have to check with your ISP.

My applogies, you did answer my questions above. As the advertisement was inserted in front of it, I didn't see there was usable information on to the right of the ads.

Cheers!

You can sniff HTTPs traffic on the wireless. All the person has to do is get your computer to accpet thier certificate rather than the real host's. There are several ways of doing this.

Proff of concept:
http://www.crimemachine.com/Tuts/Flash/SSLMITM.html

Hi Leo,
Sometimes, when I am at my work I use my laptop to check my email connecting through a wireless network in range.
I have in my laptop a free version of ZoneAlarm security software (basic firewall protection). It says that my computer is hidden and protected from hackers and that sharing is not allowed.
Do you think that it is enough to keep my computer safe when I am online and checking my email?
Do I still need set up this "complicated" process of tunneling to be secure?
Thanks!

Having a firewall does NOT protect the data that leaves your computer. Any internet surfing you do, or email you read, can potentially be viewed by someone else nearby without your knowledge, unless you take steps, like encrypting the data.

How about using sites like proxyweb.net?

No guarantees, of course, but it definitely looks like proxyweb is routing your conversations over a secure connection.

hi i m omair my id husna_88888@hotmail.com has been hacked my id old password is immobhaijan and old secret answer is sanoberjan plz my new passwor and new secret answer mail me my immomattitude@hotmail.com id

A while ago i used msn to have a chat, someone entered my msn chat from oct 05 and then forwarded it to me, how could they do this when i havent saved the conversations??THANK YOU

To post a comment on "How can I keep my email safe from sniffing?", please return to that article's main page.